From the Town of Bracebridge:
The Town of Bracebridge is committed to supporting the health and wellness of the community and to working closely with our colleagues at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) throughout the hospital redevelopment project.
Public consultation plays a vital role in this process and the Town thanks MAHC for listening to the feedback from the community in what matters most to them. This initiative will support health care in Muskoka for generations, and the Town is supportive of the hospital board taking the necessary time to develop a health care plan that is best for Bracebridge and all of Muskoka.
“The Town of Bracebridge is committed to supporting this important redevelopment project that will support health care in Muskoka for decades. We have an opportunity to bring close to $1 billion in healthcare investment to our communities, and it is vital that we take the time to develop a plan that will support everyone in our municipality. I will continue to advocate for a plan that is best for Bracebridge and all of South Muskoka.”
– Rick Maloney, Mayor, Town of Bracebridge
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Chris Blaymires says
The following letter is being sent to the mayor of Bracebridge, the MPP for Bracebridge, the premier of Ontario and others in the hope that each will do whatever they can to impact this decision. Please don’t pass the buck because you feel it’s not your direct responsibility. You have a very powerful voice. You can make a difference in helping to solve this serious issue
Re: HEALTH CARE CRISIS IN BRACEBRIDGE
Let us start by saying unequivocally, we need to support our health care workers. It must, we hope, be obvious that health care is the most important task that the government has. I’m sure you can agree that it is currently in need of serious repair.
Now the tough part. What are you and the other levels of our elected government going to do about it?
We understand it is a complex problem but that should not deter your efforts to fix it. The massive majority of your constituents are clearly disappointed with the whole state of health care now.
The delay to get the job done, to meet the promise of two hospitals, one in Bracebridge and one in Huntsville, has been a hindrance to a point where the ‘board’ is now having to settle for a seriously flawed plan. With this plan, Bracebridge will get a ‘day care clinic’ at best. No one should mask it by calling it a hospital. You must see the long list of issues this presents; loss of doctors/nurses etc, transportation issues that cause problems, not the least being health risks, family impact, job loss of secondary and tertiary jobs, future growth and viability of the town etc. The list goes on.
Local health care workers have certainly been very vocal about their negative reaction to the plan. Why are you ignoring the sage advice of these front line workers?
Believe us, the response we have received from our postings on various internet sites has been overwhelming. A frequent comment was that people will remember your actions when the next election comes along.
Please don’t ‘pass the buck’ and don’t look for or use the excuse that ‘we don’t have the money’. Where there is a will, there is a way! Stop directing money to other less important tasks. Nothing can be more important than your health and the health of your loved ones.
Look at a way to finance: such as lotteries now in place and others specific to Bracebridge, stage the plan to distribute the cost over time etc.
Finally, why is Huntsville getting the one ‘real’ hospital? Make no mistake, they need it and deserve it too. But the existing plan of one hospital, in its many flawed parts, has forgotten that Bracebridge is the most central of the two communities and has a greater population catchment area ( eg. Gravenhurst nearby etc) and is currently growing quickly.
Please step up and make your voice heard, followed by actions to fix this serious issue.
Sincerely,
Chris and Rayma Blaymires
Calvin Hensel says
I’m totally supportive of the comment above as well strongly support the doctors and nurses objections they have outlined. After following the journey for the south hospital location decision to the boards outline of their view of the nursery hospital in Bracebridge as it is referred to by many, I’m appalled at some of the decisions that this board has chosen! To bluntly say in their presentation how the medical staff can transfer from a #2 hospital to a #3 hospital and it’s a short drive. How can anyone be so blind as to add on to the population being serviced to have to absorb so much extra cost to travel to this site then onward to Huntsville when the larger population sits in South Muskoka (Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and Muskoka Lakes) a decision to offer more care in Huntsville is absurd!
I’m strongly advising our major, Heidi Lorenz, in Gravenhurst to absolutely abandon any support for this misguided decision and strongly investigate support to the hospital build in Orillia to support our population and definitely deliver much more services than either Muskoka Hospitals, closer than Huntsville for our residents as well as some Muskoka Lakes residents!
This could also entail discussions with Simcoe County to investigate a possible extension of service to Gravenhurst & Washago tapping into the LINK network to provide a seamless transportation model to the Orillia Hospital and even to RVH Hospital in Barrie.
I would even be so bold to suggest the the Muskoka board they would be a a progressive position to seriously cut out the “daycare” Bracebridge Hospital and have one only in Huntsville, therefore saving Millions! Some of the savings should be sent to Orillia Hospital by our Provincial Government!
Let’s get this Discussion Started quickly!
Calvin Hensel