Huntsville is going to be lending a hand when it comes to evaluating hospitals in Muskoka. Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare is currently deciding between renovating the two current hospitals in Bracebridge and Huntsville or building one new facility, which will service both communities.
MAHC officials spoke at Huntsville council this week about the project as they put $1 million of provincial grant money into the first, and possibly second, stage of the capital planning process. The first stage will look at the programs, service planning, and infrastructure.
Mayor Scott Aitchison says municipal representatives will be getting a say as stage one continues. He says that didn’t happen the last time these talks happened, which was in 2015. The MAHC board had voted in favour of building one hospital on a new site, but since then municipal officials raised many concerns about the impact of doing that.
Aitchison says the town officials will be involved all the way and will make sure to protect the interests of Huntsville. On top of that, he says they also need to be lobbying the province.
The current funding model in Ontario gives hospitals money based on how many patients they look after, the services they deliver, and the specific needs of the population it serves.
MAHC CEO Natalie Bubela told council that salaries and collective agreements puts the board in the red by around $600,000 to $700,000 at the start of every new fiscal year. She says Ontario’s funding formula doesn’t address that issue.
Aitchison says Huntsville also has some unique features to the area that make it difficult to fund.
But, Aitchison says he also put the challenge to MAHC to take a step back and remember the history, instead of just seeing all of the issues with the two sites.
A first look at the what the task force comes up with is expected in the spring.
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MAHC officials are preparing a task force to plan the future of healthcare in Muskoka