Revised Muskoka hospital redevelopment plan ready for submission

Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare's (MAHC) hospital redevelopment plan is ready for submission.

After some significant changes to the plan this week, the MAHC board unanimously approved moving forward with its stage 1.3 proposal Thursday night.

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The hospital will allocate 10 additional beds to the Bracebridge site, bringing its total up to 46 at the future hospital, a significant increase from the initial plan of 14 beds.

"There were four options that didn't just come out of the air, we thought about them and our consultants, who have been amazing, worked through all of those options with us," said Cheryl Harrison, MAHC President and CEO. "Based on what we were hearing from the community and for the future to be able to have some flexibility and security, that's why we moved with the request for ten additional beds."

One of the options the hospital discussed was reallocating the beds from Huntsville to Bracebridge, but the preferred choice was to add 10 entirely new ones.

The MAHC board heard that these were roughly estimated to cost between $45 million and $50 million on top of the initial project but that the final numbers still need to be figured out.

With this new proposal, the Bracebridge site is expected to become a full-service, acute-care hospital.

The changes have also received the support of 45 doctors from the southern part of Muskoka.

"We truly do believe that this is a win for the citizens of south Muskoka," said Bruce Kruger, chair of the Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee.

Kruger and his group have voiced their concerns about the hospital's plan for a year, supporting physicians at the current Bracebridge facility who opposed what was being presented.

Those doctors created their proposal that called for 60 beds at the new Bracebridge site.

While Kruger and the doctors support this significant change, it's only partially what they envisioned.

"At the ministry level, that's where we really then have to pressure and explain to the ministry just exactly what our needs are and the fact that it is still not correct," Kruger added.

MAHC's consultants will now put the final touches on the submission before sending it to the province next month.