Ontario Nurses’ Association President Erin Ariss says she, and the organization she represents, are against the hospital model being floated by Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, which manages both the Bracebridge and Huntsville hospitals.
She said the fundamental reason her organization is against the model being presented by MAHC is that “it would cause patients to travel to another hospital or another area, rather than having localized healthcare as you have now.”
Ariss added that time is of the essence during an emergency or during labour. She said MAHC’s plan to move obstetrical services to Huntsville doesn’t make sense.
“Can you imagine being a pregnant mother, a labouring mother. You’re traveling on a highway which is in the winter unpredictable at best [and]in the summer, more often than not, clogged with vehicles. Can you imagine having to travel that distance? That is an example, there’s deliveries at both hospitals now, why wouldn’t they consider that,” she questioned.
She said from a nursing perspective if you’re having a heart attack or a stroke, minutes matter. “And they’re travelling from both communities to where they rationalize these services, it just doesn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t they provide services for both communities at both hospitals,” she questioned.
MAHC has maintained that the cost of building two hospitals has skyrocketed due to inflationary pressures, and their model, as presented, is a made-in-Muskoka solution that would not require communities to raise more than the $225 million local share cost of a near billion-dollar redevelopment project the remainder of which will come from the Province.
“There’s no shortage of money. The Ford government underspent, we know from the Financial Accountability Office, their budget by $22.6 billion. There is no reason why both communities cannot have hospitals. There is no reason why doctors and nurses are not consulted prior to the decision being made, and that would help,” she said.
MAHC has said it has worked with various focus groups including medical professionals but Ariss said as far as she is aware, registered nurses were not consulted.
She said there are hospitals all over Ontario that have shared administrations, like Huntsville and Bracebridge, and yet successfully manage to offer services that are unique to the population they serve. “And in many cases, it includes duplication of services because it serves the community. Those that are accessing care have the care that they need when they need it in their community.”
Asked about leveraging the numbers of both of the hospitals’ catchment areas under one roof in order to attract more specialists and services, and avoid having to travel outside of Muskoka for certain services, Ariss said that is not what she heard when she attended the Bracebridge meeting.
“They will still have to transfer patients out of that community and that was from the physician’s group, they were speaking to that. Physicians that work in intensive care in particular so they would be the best people to ask.”
In terms of staffing shortages at MAHC, she said 80 per cent of MAHC’s nurses in the medical-surgical unit are agency nurses. “So clearly, clearly they have enough money to pay agency nurses or pay agencies for nursing services. Clearly, they have an issue with recruitment and retention and I think a lot of that is due to leadership and the lack of communication and engagement with their nursing staff,” said Ariss, adding that the retention and attraction of medical staff such as nurses is not about new buildings but respect, wages, scheduling and work environment where one feels valued and respected, and where your input is sought prior to decisions being made, which she said is not currently happening at MAHC.
What about concentrating staff due to province-wide shortages?
“You will lose more nurses by going forward with this plan and I’ve heard that from my members. They can work anywhere… It will only make the shortage worse,” she warned. She said she has been an emergency department nurse for more than two decades. “I did engage with the CEO the other night at the [Bracebridge] meeting and I did offer to collaborate and that invitation is open,” she said of providing localized community-based care and solutions to the organization’s staffing issues.
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Dana Viking says
Is Graydon Smith listening? Does he get the message? Doug Ford are you listening?
Erin Ariss lays out the argument beautifully. Does the hospital board hear her? Why is it that we need to find out the nurses intelligent views in the press? Thank you Doppler for keeping us informed.
Chris Blaymires says
Totally agree with Erin. We and the powers making and causing this plan to exist to start really listening to the constituents including experts like Erin!