The Muskoka & Area Health System Transformation Council (MAHST) will have a budget of approximately $200,000 for 2016/17, according to the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (NSMLHIN), which manages health care resources in the area.
While most positions on the council as well as its sub-committees are voluntary, Council Chair Don Mitchell and Special Advisor Dr. Adalsteinn Brown will each receive a $300 honorarium per council meeting day, plus expenses such as travel and related costs.
According to NSMLHIN spokesperson Jessica Dolan, “the Council members will determine the frequency of the meetings to ensure an efficient and effective use of their time.” The funding is supplied by NSMLHIN.
Please see more on the mandate of MAHST and related stories at the links below.
Co-chair for Muskoka and Area Health System Transformation Council announced
Outcome of health care transformation council to determine the future of acute care in Huntsville
Worried about your hospital? You may be able to help
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Whereas I totally agree with Mr. Pinckard with respect to the enormity of the task assigned to MAHST, the non-lawyers among us would not consider $300/day plus expenses to be a mere pittance. Also it must be taken into account that these individuals are also volunteers; albeit paid volunteers, owing to their vast knowledge and experience. A portion of their time is being donated, so that the overall budget is not prematurely depleted.
Laurie Hutchison names one acute care shortfall, of many needs not being addressed, i.e. Respite, (1 bed for all of Muskoka), homecare inadequate, even with maximum hours available but very seldom used bc why? And No respite care in-home available! These are just a few examples. What if one would like the option of an MRI but the system guidelines don’t fit with your healthcare needs? Is there an alternative option? Why a strictly one way system vs a hybrid like so many other countries have implemented, i. e., Britain. Will MAHST be listening and utilize the resources, info management, statistics at their fingertips from local/provincial/national/international sources? Especially, if this is purported to be a model for the rest of the province’s healthcare in rural areas- don’t you think this a “shall” and not a “may” policy to implement? If it takes a community to rear a child, can we expand this to include others as well?
In our local communities, which are part of the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN, there is unequal access to in-hospital and day program rehabilitation for residents north of Orillia. Within our LHIN each hospital has a catchment area for services where patients needing PT, OT and SLP following a stroke. Muskoka residents are outside of Hospitals to the south ( Orillia and RVH) for rehabilitation and must apply to North Bay hospital in the North East LHIN to get what they need. Equal access for all to quality healthcare is lacking for Muskoka Community residents when Stoke Rehabilitation is required. As our population ages and more decide to retire to Muskoka full time, anyone who is unfortunate to suffer from a stroke will find out what is NOT available here.
Tom Pinckard perhaps another question merits transparency, what, if any, performance indicators are involved and how, with whom were they arrived at?
There must be a mistake. That sum is a totally inadequate amount of compensation if the experiences and the quality of the skill-sets of the Chair and the Special Advisor are truly up to the formidably important task of leading true transformational health-care change. There has to be more compensation than that. If not then, frankly, I am stunned! MAHST has to go where no-one in this province has ever gone before, and do it while swimming upstream against a stiff current of conventional and entrenched norms.
Tom Pinckard