The Capital Plan Development Task Force met for its 15th meeting on April 9.
Model Evaluation Criteria: The task force confirmed that its evaluation of the models would include equally-weighted criteria in five areas: patient- and family-centered care, financial, alignment with health system directions, municipal impact and community support. The criteria have been shaped by public input and sub-criteria have been defined, as well as the various data, reports and studies to help inform and support their evaluation exercise. Information about the approved criteria has been posted to a new Evaluation Criteria page on the MAHC website.
Reports: The task force received and reviewed a land-use planning report with respect to municipal land use and official plans. The report highlights a number of challenges and risks that building any model outside of either of the urban centres, ranging from land cost to development approvals and engineering challenges. The task force is seeking input and feedback on the report from the planning departments at the Town of Bracebridge, Town of Huntsville and District of Muskoka.
The task force also received a siting report describing various options for building and/or renovating facilities based on each of the three proposed models. The task force identified the need to consider any anticipated future plans for the land surrounding the existing sites as part of more detailed analysis in the Part B work. It was also confirmed that multiple approaches to redevelopment would be considered including the potential for a phased approach.
Communication: The task force provided an update on its work to Muskoka District Council about its milestone to define the programs and services in the proposed models. Elected officials continue to receive information, and letters about this milestone were sent to each council across Muskoka and East Parry Sound with offer for representatives of the task force to attend councils to provide an update and to answer any questions.
The next task force meeting is April 30, 2018.
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I agree with the actions of Huntsville’s Town Council wholeheartedly! Even Bob Stone’s dissenting view, it lends more democratic credibility to the action taken. This project will only come to fruition after I’m gone, but I find the back and forth commentary interesting, particularly Hugh Holland’s – a forward thinking man who is an asset to Huntsville.
There needs to be some professional planning inserted here, led by the Medical profession itself. What will the needs of medicine be in the year 2040? Who knows better than the people who are in the front line.
Take a look at the modern medical hub erected in Barrie . What is the problem? – if any. Parking. You can’t park unless you go to Timmy’s and buy a large coffee and drink it slowly while waiting for your spouse to call on your cell and say they’re ready to go home after their testing is complete.
As a “user” who is using the hospitals more and more as I grow older, I like the idea of not having to fight the weather conditions to travel out of Town, a factor I’m sure a lot of Seniors take into consideration when choosing a retirement venue. As long as I’m in reasonably good health, I want to stay in my own home. Seniors are nice people but I don’t particularly like the idea of being shuttled off to a place where the “News Of The Day” is who passed away last night!
The use for old hospitals as warehouses for low Income families is too much like Regents Park in Toronto with its attendant problems, ghettoes if you prefer, where social housing is too much a way of life. It served the purpose back a ways in the 50’s but generation after generation hangs in until a family reunion is merely a matter of walking down the hall to join with everyone else on the same floor.
Spend the money to provide free post secondary education, and quit pouring it into the hands of the builders of those Lo-Income ‘solutions’.
A true visionary would see that the hospitals as the focal point of a community providing health care, employment, and adding to the economy of the communities they serve. Schools primary, secondary and post secondary will need to be built as the population grows. It isn’t going to happen if the medical center involves an hours long trip for care.
I for one, am glad to see the end of the existence of this so-called board who was up here several years ago telling council they wanted our input. Dishonesty shows on your faces ladies.
What you are proposing, Bob, are all great ideas. But this would add months to the workload of this committee (most of whom are volunteers) and is outside the scope of what they were asked to do. Let’s get the site decision first, which will include costs to build, and then deal with seniors, homeless, low income families. This is not part of what this group is doing. Maybe the Huntsville Council could take this on. They seem to know everything about everything.
I agree, Karen. I always felt that the only possibility of forestalling the Town’s amended vote of non-confidence, was for the MAHC Board to agree to approach the province with the Town and presumably with our MPP). The olive branch was extended, and summarily rejected. This decision was not brought to you by the letter “C”; for co-operation.
Could not find the cost ($$) numbers for the 3 scenarios on the web site. When will a column be added to the 3 scenarios that will have estimated cost($) for each? … and ..especially estimated funding going FWD? And .. some discussions and ideas of what the potential could be for the 2 old sites … low income housing, seniors residents, out-of-the cold services, selling the real estate for money to off set the one hospital cost, long term care facilities for each town and let the hospital focus on health care, or out right sell the properties to see where and what the investment community would propose? The value($$) of the 2 sites must enter into the decision process AND potential uses should not be ignored! Ideas, trade offs, etc etc should be documented and could be negotiated to ensure we all understand what could be!
Wow, that’s a lot of work done! Still doing more to complete the assessment, evaluation and decision processes. It seems some politicos have overstepped their boundaries and this is a good reason to keep them off the hospital board.