From Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare
Earlier this week, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) announced updates to our evolving proposal for the new hospital developments in Bracebridge and Huntsville following productive discussions with our physicians.
As we prepare to advance into the next phase of engagement, it has become clear that we need to enhance our communication about the actual details of the proposal and the significant benefits it brings to our community. Today’s update aims to clarify and underscore the advantages of our updated planned developments as we seek additional feedback in discussion with our partners and communities.
The Latest Model for MAHC Site Redevelopment – what’s Included at each hospital:
These visual representations will help the reader see the expansive growth in facilities and services that will be available to our communities.
It’s important to understand that our goal is not merely to build two separate hospitals but to create an integrated healthcare system designed to serve the entire region effectively. This approach reduces duplication and increases specialization, providing more comprehensive care:
Highlights of the New Developments Include:
● Both hospitals will significantly increase in size, with an estimated 80% growth in square footage.
● Emergency departments will be expanded substantially in terms of treatment spaces available, featuring enhanced mental health care facilities, and the benefit of much more treatment space for slightly higher volumes.
● Introduction of specialized clinics for women’s health and seniors’ health.
● Dramatic improvements in diagnostic imaging and procedural capabilities.
● A Level 3 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) will be established, allowing more patients to
receive the most complex critical care close to home, as well as taking in the sickest patients from across a broader region than before.
● Increase of 34 acute beds total, a massive increase in patient care areas.
● With the latest changes, up to 95% of acute care patients will receive treatment and admission at the hospital nearest to them. Patients that have needs that can only be met outside of their community or no longer require acute care may be transferred to appropriate setting to provide their specialized care.
● ALC patients will be handled exclusively at the Huntsville site, with additional supports like rehab to ensure smooth transitions to the appropriate level of care.
The redevelopment of the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare system is designed to meet the diverse healthcare needs of our entire region, not just individual communities. MAHC serves a community much larger than Muskoka. Our catchment area stretches north to Sundridge, south to Severn Bridge, west toward Parry Sound and east to the Algonquin Highlands.
The new hospitals will specialize in different services so that as a whole the region actually has more and better services. The model offers major improvements over our current hospital sites for quality of care, with large benefits of more specialized and expanded services. These improvements also pave the way for enhanced recruitment, as we seek to attract more physicians, nurses, and other allied health and support team members to our communities.
The proposal also avoids the costly duplication of services across the two sites, which would significantly drive up expenses. In the same budget, two equally sized hospitals would be smaller, and would have less services because of duplication. By strategically allocating specific services to each hospital, we can invest more effectively in advanced technologies and specialized care facilities. This strategic differentiation ensures that we make the most of our substantial investment, providing comprehensive, efficient, and high-quality healthcare across the region, tailored to the needs of all communities we serve.
Cheryl Harrison, President and CEO of MAHC, invites the community to become more involved: “We encourage everyone to engage with us and discover the numerous positives our new healthcare model offers. There is much to learn and many benefits that our revamped facilities will bring to the region. Please keep an eye on our website for new materials and coming engagement opportunities that will provide further details on these exciting developments.”
What’s Next
MAHC is dedicated to a transparent, inclusive process as we move to the next steps of engagement and refine the new healthcare model:
● Our plans will continue to evolve until the submission to the Ontario government, following the required process. The final configuration of the health system will be subject to approval by the government. In the meantime, we will keep our communities up to date about our work.
● We are continuing engagement with Physicians through each department head (Emergency, Surgery, Obstetrics, etc.) to determine the specific supporting needs to make the model work.
● Healthcare team engagement in the hospital will commence in the next few weeks.
● We will also be engaging our partner organizations.
● Broader community engagement is planned to begin before the Summer.
Further updates will be shared as we progress in our commitment to providing exceptional care in all our communities.
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Ruby Truax is right to say mayor Alcock should be advocating for Huntsville, as should all the mayors be advocating for their municipalities. She is wrong when she says the changes were made to satisfy the Bracebridge folks. The original MAHC plan was rejected by all of South Muskoka , not just Bracebridge. Also to be clear , no changes were offered until the doctors and nurses protested the MAHC plan. The original MAHC plan was to turn the Bracebridge site into a clinic. If the MAHC board were to be made up of people that are elected from the municipalities that the hospitals serve we would have a proper health care board. The MAHC board does not listen to the people they were set up to serve.
Also it is Bracebridge that is losing beds , not Huntsville.
Ruby Truax: You’ve hit the nail on its head.
To lose all of the services /care you mention is not acceptable. We know that our senior population along with the general population, is steadily increasing. Slashing services in Huntsville is not the solution.
I agree; “And MAHC’s vision for Muskoka does not benefit Huntsville patients.”
This visual makes very clear what Huntsville and Almaguin folks have feared since January: that the ultimate vision of MAHC hasn’t changed since 2015. The Bracebridge site will be the acute care hospital for all of Muskoka, and the Huntsville site will become mainly a rehab and long-term care facility.
Just look at what we’re losing: No more chemotherapy in Huntsville, no more general surgery, no more endoscopy, no more plastic surgery, no more cataract surgery, no more orthopeadic procedures … for pretty much anything we need in a hospital, we’ll have to travel to Bracebridge.
Huntsville’s hospital serves folks in Almaguin as well since MAHC closed the Burks Falls hospital, so now their half hour drive to their nearest hospital will be closer to an hour.
MAHC increased the number of inpatient beds at the Bracebridge site in response to a great hue and cry from Bracebridge folks, taking those beds from the Huntsville site. But the number of ALC and rehab beds in Huntsville remained the same, demonstrating that these are the priority at the Huntsville site. Where is the opposition from Huntsville? Why is our leadership completely silent about the future of our hospital? The last and only thing I heard from our Mayor is, “We are confident that … our communities will receive high-quality healthcare that Muskoka needs.”
Mayor Alcock should be advocating for Huntsville, not Muskoka communities in general. And MAHC’s vision for Muskoka does not benefit Huntsville patients.
Have the present doctors, nurses etc. given their approval of the plan?
Less beds in Bracebridge? More people sent home for their relatives and friends to look after them. Burden and have to take time off work to do so?
I think the plan needs thought , work and understanding.
Good luck in finding staff !!!
Thank you MAHC for this more detailed update. It appears to me that we need more facilities for ALC patients. Would it make sense to use the existing Bracebridge site as a long term care home in the future model? Would that remove the need to turn the Huntsville site into an ALC hospital?
Also if MAHC increases the acute care beds in Bracebridge to 50 that would be good. Remember Muskoka’s population will keep increasing so building with todays dollars will save us all money. Don’t build something that will be outgrown in 10 years. With 1 billion dollars it should be possible.