A large group of concerned residents holding bright red “Save South Muskoka Hospital” signs filled Memorial Park in downtown Bracebridge on Saturday.
The impromptu rally was organized by Phyllis Winnington-Ingram and a few others a week prior. She created the “Save South Muskoka Hospital” group on Jan. 31, 2024, only two days after Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) first revealed its new “Made-in-Muskoka healthcare system” proposal.
“We wanted to do something that really shows our support for the doctor’s model and the healthcare community,” says Winnington-Ingram.
The “doctor’s model” she’s speaking of is the “Care Close to Home” proposal released by 47 physicians and Gravenhurst’s Cottage Country Family Health Team in Feb. 2024.
“We want to make sure that they know we hear them,” continues Winnington-Ingram.
She adds she doesn’t want to see the roles reversed. “We want Huntsville to have a great hospital,” she continues. “There is no doubt about it. We just want to have a great one, too.”
In a May 3 update from MAHC officials shared “some communications related to the gathering contain misinformation.” They added the physicians’ proposal “would not lead to better quality of care and would be significantly more expensive.” As well, they say the model put forward includes “duplication in patient services, inappropriate distribution of services across both sites, and does not consider ancillary services essential to the functioning of all hospitals.”
While it’s stated in the update the physicians’ proposal will not be submitted to the Ministry of Health, it’s noted a meeting with the Credentialed Staff Association is being held on Wednesday, May 8 to “continue ongoing dialogue related to the revised health system plan.”
MAHC’s Board of Directors, which includes Cheryl Harrison, president and chief executive officer of MAHC, will meet on Thursday, May 9.
“Our revised plan not only meets today’s healthcare standards but is also designed to anticipate and adapt to future challenges,” says Harrison. “We have listened to our community, making crucial adjustments that allow for both enhanced services and efficient operations across our sites.
During the eight community chats the organization hosted earlier this year, Harrison explained how MAHC heard from the Ministry of Health that its previous proposal was over its $1 billion budget. That’s when the organization pivoted and created what is currently on the table.
Winnington-Ingram says she’s concerned about the words “misrepresented” and “misinformation” being used in recent communications from MAHC in reference to the discourse surrounding certain aspects of its redevelopment plan.
“When you look at the wording, it’s really gaslighting and it’s disrespectful, because that’s not true at all, and it’s minimizing,” says Winnington-Ingram. “It’s minimizing the intelligence of the people in our community who are so incredibly knowledgeable.”
She hopes MAHC takes to heart what the physicians are saying and takes a step or two back. “We seem to be chasing the carrot in front of us rather than being thoughtful about what it’s going to look like,” she says of the future hospitals in Bracebridge and Huntsville.
Winnington-Ingram says the hospitals aren’t going to be short-term structures. She points out they will be supporting the community for decades. According to MAHC’s website, the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital in Bracebridge was opened in Oct. 1963 while the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital began servicing the community in June 1978.
“I think that this is the time that, as citizens, we need to stand up and be clear about what we want for our community,” says Winnington-Ingram.
The next step for Winnington-Ingram is a similar rally at the Utterson Community Hall on May 8 at 5:30 p.m. She explains MAHC is hosting a meeting with doctors there and she wants everyone to be able to respectfully show their support.
A rally will also be held in Gravenhurst on May 14 around 2 p.m. with Winnington-Ingram saying the plan is for the group to attend that afternoon’s council meeting.