There will be a rally to save South Muskoka Hospital on June 23 at 1 p.m. at Memorial Park in Bracebridge.
“The current model put forth for Huntsville and Bracebridge is flawed in a number of ways,” said Jason Cole, Vice Chair of the Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee. “While I understand the need to adopt new methods for delivering healthcare, the current leadership of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) are skewing the results when delivering this model to the public.”
Cole – who is also a full-time firefighter, realtor, and construction business owner in Bracebridge – cited a number of concerns with MAHC’s current plans, which sees reduced inpatient capacity at South Muskoka by almost 70%.
“A large portion of what they want to do here depends on transportation between the two hospitals. Transportation that we do not currently have nor have any plans for. Also, both hospitals are overcapacity for a majority of days of operation, and yet in their new model they plan to reduce the beds in Bracebridge that are already full. While they’re touting new and innovative ways in healthcare and how we deliver it, those processes just aren’t here yet.”
MAHC’s new Made-In-Muskoka Healthcare system says it is the “healthcare system of the future”. It will result in service changes at the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital in Bracebridge and the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital.
In an open letter penned in January, a number of physicians also expressed concerns regarding negative patient outcomes associated with hospital transfers, and the recruitment and retention of medical professionals.
“With this significant reduction of inpatient services, sick patients will need to be frequently transferred out of South Muskoka as there will be minimal capacity to care for patients locally. This will lead to poor patient outcomes and significantly worsens the quality of medical care for the citizens of South Muskoka,” reads the letter.
For more information about the Save South Muskoka Hospital rally, visit: https://ssmh.ca/.
