A Facebook page created to give Muskokans a voice on the future of the two hospitals is gaining steam. Created by local resident June Tebby and Ruby Truax on Thursday evening, the page called “Listen to the People, MAHC!” has nearly 3,000 members as of Monday morning with more than 100 posts.
Tebby says losing her husband Jim in 2014 was part of the reason why this page was created. She says he was ill for around 15 years before that, and was a patient at the Huntsville hospital many times. She says seeing familiar nurses and doctors was very important to him and helped to make him feel safe, and that’s an important aspect to keep in mind during this redevelopment planning phase.
Tebby says the page began with people posting the same message, “Listen to the People, MAHC” but has since grown into personal stories of care at both hospital sites in Huntsville and Bracebridge.
Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare currently has a task force looking at three options for the future of the two hospitals. The first is keeping the two hospital sites, the second is moving to a single hospital site to service all of Muskoka. The third option would keep both sites, but designate inpatient and outpatient services at each location. This recommendation could be ready by the spring according to MAHC officials.
“Listen to the People, MAHC” is the second page of its kind, the other is called Save our Services.
Previous stories:
Majority of Muskokans say no to anything other than status quo for district hospitals
Healthcare officials working to answer all questions about hospital site planning
MAHC offers you a chance to have a say on the future of healthcare in Muskoka