South Muskoka residents label MAHC working groups as disingenuous

Forming three working groups was supposed to address some issues surrounding Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare's (MAHC) hospital redevelopment plan. Still, a group representing residents in south Muskoka who oppose the plan say it's doing the opposite.

Residents from Bracebridge and the southern part of Muskoka have mainly been unhappy with MAHC's plan to push forward in the planning process for its two-hospital redevelopment project.

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On Friday, the hospital announced that three working groups, made up in part of physicians from the north and south Muskoka hospital sites, were meeting to tackle some of the key remaining issues surrounding capacity, transportation and community programming.

But Friday's announcement did little to change that, according to the Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee (SSMHC), the largest group representing those opposed to the plan.

"We have no confidence whatsoever now in Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare," said Bruce Kruger, chair of the SSMHC board. "It's pretty disheartening when such an organization overlooks thousands and thousands of people. It's insulting."

Kruger said the SSMHC was not invited to participate in the working groups, adding to his committee's frustrations with the hospital.

Additionally, the SSMHC feels that the group working towards addressing hospital capacity is "trivializing" a physician-created healthcare delivery model that was made in response to the hospital's currently proposed plan.

The updated physician model, called "Care Close to Home V2," would see Bracebridge's new hospital be given 60 acute care beds compared to Huntsville's total of 97.

MAHC's current split would see Bracebridge have a capacity of 36 beds and Huntsville have a total of 121.

Kruger said the hospital had suggested only "some" South Muskoka physicians supported the new proposal when he said "virtually 100 per cent" of physicians at the Bracebridge site support the physician model.

"They have been transparent about absolutely nothing," he added. "MAHC has continuously failed to repair trust. By raising this community working group process with only a matter of weeks before a detailed submission is planned, this is more of the same conduct ."

CTV News reached out to the hospital for comment and asked why SSMHC was not invited to participate in its working groups.

"Participants for the working groups were selected based on their necessary technical expertise for complex issues like transportation logistics between hospitals and healthcare planning," reads a statement from MAHC. "Physicians from both North and South Muskoka will participate to ensure comprehensive representation. We value SMMHC's contributions and are incorporating their input by sharing their submissions and feedback with the working groups for consideration."