Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) delivered its plan for service delivery in the region to a spirited capacity crowd at the Bracebridge Sportsplex earlier tonight.
There was a significant contingent in attendance, both inside and outside the 300-seat auditorium, with the majority seemingly in opposition to the new plan. Those speaking out included doctors (both retired and practicing), the head of the Nursing Association of Ontario, the Mayor of Bracebridge and members of the public and healthcare professionals.
The evening got off to a rough start as many of those who arrived with the expectation of taking part in the meeting were left in the cold when the meeting reached capacity some 45 minutes prior to the 7 pm start time. MAHC said they would host another meeting in Bracebridge at some point to speak with those who were unable to attend this meeting.
CEO Cheryl Harrison took the crowd through a PowerPoint presentation outlining the proposed changes to service delivery. Staggering post-pandemic inflation has driven a 50% increase in healthcare construction costs, said Harrison, which means MAHC cannot afford to build their facilities exactly how they are today.
Under the new plan, the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital will have 139 acute care beds and South Muskoka Memorial Hospital (SMMH) will have 14 beds. Both facilities will have 24/7 emergency rooms with SMMH increasing emergency room beds from 11 to 27. The number of inpatient beds in Bracebridge will decrease from 67 to 18. Huntsville’s inpatient care beds will go from 56 to 139.
MAHC anticipates surgical/ procedural visits will go from 3,900 to 9,7000 in Bracebridge. Bracebridge will lose obstetrics but Harrison said the site should see 2,000 more visits a year.
She said there would need to be some type of transportation between the Huntsville and Bracebridge sites.
Mayor Rick Maloney addressed the hospital board and told them they needed to find a way to address the crowd that weren’t allowed to attend the meeting. He also said the community of Bracebridge does not support the plan.
“The plan misses the mark in many areas. It’s raised a lot of concerns and fear,” said Maloney. “There is far too much at stake to not get this right.”
Maloney said the chance to receive a $1 billion investment in Muskoka is an incredible opportunity but the plan shouldn’t be rushed.
“We can’t submit a plan that’s not fully supported,” said Maloney. “I urge you to slow the process down.”
MPP Graydon Smith seconded the notion of slowing down when he addressed the crowd at the conclusion of the meeting.
“It’s clear that people want more time. Passions run deep for good reasons,” said Smith.
The former Mayor of Bracebridge, Smith was an outspoken opponent of a single-facility model that was proposed and rejected in 2015.
Smith drew jeers when referencing Doug Ford’s love for the Muskoka area, but said he would fight at the provincial level to ensure Muskoka maintained its place in the queue for hospital project funding.
Concerns from speakers included the current lack of staffing and selection of the Pine Street location for the new hospital, to the alleged intimidation and suppression of MAHC staff concerns.
“No one’s coming to work in this toxic environment,” said local resident Phillip Hemens.
Penny Varney, a retired nurse and current Gravenhurst Town Councillor said the proposed model would have a dramatically negative impact on the residents of Gravenhurst and Bracebridge. She said many Gravenhurst residents would end up going to Orillia if the current model were to proceed.
“I’m telling you Bracebridge, you have to fight for this hospital because you’re going to lose out like we have in Gravenhurst,” said Varney.
Town Crier Bruce Crier said the people of Muskoka had been assured two equal hospitals but this plan was far from the case, especially in light of the removal of obstetrics.
“I’m appalled at the way the women of south Muskoka are being treated. It’s unheard of and it’s disgraceful,” he said.
The final regularly scheduled meeting is set to take place Feb. 7 in Port Carling.
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Make no mistake.
The new plan means Bracebridge hospital is closing and Huntsville is expanding.
Muskoka is going backwards from 2 to 1 hospital under this plan.
As Dr. Daniel of Gravenhurst (retired) said in his letter to Ms. Harrison at MAHC reposted on Facebook:
“You can just imagine a scenario when following much hand wringing, MAHC announcing that despite all the best efforts, the Bracebridge site had become unsustainable and would have to close leaving a single site hospital Huntsville.”
The ridiculous new mini hospital for Bracebridge is obviously just a ruse to placate residents in the southern 2/3 of Muskoka and keep donations flowing.
The ruse isn’t working.
No one is buying it.
The mini hospital will likely be cancelled at a later date as it’s not viable.
Leaving Bracebridge with no hospital at all.
The premise that a 60 year old hospital can’t be refurbished is also a ridiculous statement.
Toronto General is 165 years old after many renovations as was pointed out.
Bracebridge has lots of space for a new wing over top of the parking lot.
Assuming underground parking is not possible.
Minimal disruption to the hospital.
Design for multiple stories, some added at a later date.
Including a helicopter pad on the roof, like many hospitals, so the large, existing helicopter landing area can also be developed at a later date.
Going forward, what can you get for $500 million each to Bracebridge and Huntsville?
For a measly $100 million Midland is getting 240 beds and more.
“the $100 million project making room for 240 beds, four operating rooms and the capacity to serve over 70 thousand patients each year, added space that physicians say would be game-changing for patient care.”
Search “Georgian Bay General Hospital looks to future with $100M expansion plans”
The board has to simply look around and see what other hospitals are doing now and in the past and how much it cost.
Don’t believe any of MAHC’s justifications of this flawed plan.
Or any of the costs quoted.
The Muskoka airport also has gone backwards from 2 to 1 runways after a number of ruses and a plethora of misinformation was presented to council.
Ridiculous costs were also quoted.
One of the ruses was a new runway 12/30 that never was a viable option yet council fell for it.
Hook, line and sinker.
Local pilots were not fooled like most councillors.
The existing, far superior, 09/27 runway was just going to be “moved” to maintain 2 runways at Muskoka as it has been for decades.
Then the new 12/30 was cancelled leaving Muskoka with only 1 runway.
Which means safety and usability are drastically reduced.
Pilots often have to go elsewhere now just like residents in 2/3 of Muskoka will have to go elsewhere with only 1 hospital in Huntsville.
Orillia is closer for many.
Airport management falsely claimed to council it would cost $300K to maintain the valuable into-wind runway.
Actual cost?
ZERO dollars is needed as stated to council in this video by a very experienced pilot and owner of many grass and gravel strips…
Even though councillors are aware they have been misled for years by the airport board regarding 12/30, council is thinking of wasting $343K on those demonstrating dangerous incompetence.
Unbelievable.
A tiny fraction of $343K would restore the safety and usability of Muskoka airport with 2 runways as it has been for decades.
In fact ZERO dollars is needed. Unlike the hospital.
Why is documented misinformation, dangerous incompetence and totally false derogatory statements tolerated at the District?
https://southmuskoka.doppleronline.ca/airport-changes-to-cost-an-extra-343200/#comments
Councillors just had to pick up where they left off.
https://southmuskoka.doppleronline.ca/muskoka-airport-appoints-new-bod-members/#comment-69485
The above is all documented on the following website.
One example of a nearby airport properly run is at the end.
https://johnwhitty3.wordpress.com/2023/07/11/snake-oil-salesmen-selling-to-the-gullible/
The Town Crier’s name is Bruce Kruger.
I was in attendance of the meeting last night in Bracebridge. The presentation they had for our community was basically a sales pitch. They told us that this was community engagement, and we’re looking for feedback, but they offered absolutely no discussion about what the potential downsides of this plan were for Bracebridge and the surrounding communities.
The PowerPoint presentation itself was, quite frankly, juvenile. It also listed in its catchment communities that are not involved in the community funding portion of the money needed to be raised. Quite frankly, it’s a dishonest presentation to our community.
The spokesperson for the MAHC board had difficulty hiding their condescension towards the crowd and the doctors and nurses, and other healthcare workers in the crowd.
Basic questions couldn’t be answered, and they showed little interest in engaging with the concerns of the community.
The only justification we were given for why Huntsville must be the full service hospital between the two sites is that Huntsville is a provincially designated stroke center. However, there was zero discussion as to what’s required to maintain a stroke centre status, and if a full service hospital is required.
The fact of the matter is that the Bracebridge site is a better location to serve the larger population in the southern portion of our catchment. The MAHC board went as far as including regions that are not in the catchment as part of their justification, while also leaving out regions that aren’t in our catchment that are served by the Bracebridge hospital, such as the residence, down Highway 118.
This seemed more like a presentation in a lead up towards eventually closing the Bracebridge site altogether.