What is Hospital Care for Our Future Generations? It’s
simply that – exploring the types of programs and services that MAHC will
provide in the future for your children and your children’s children. Like many
hospital facilities built decades ago, our buildings are getting old and their
infrastructure is limiting. Research and technology are improving how patients
are treated and are changing the way that hospitals provide care. All of this,
and other variables like workload data, the catchment area we serve, projected
population growth, disease prevalence and travel distances, have been
considered as we develop the options and consider the risks and benefits of
different models. As part of Master Planning, all potential models must be
explored and we would imagine that our community would also expect nothing
less.
So in 2012 we started into the Ministry of Health’s capital
planning process, a process that all hospitals in Ontario have to go through if
they want to sell, lease or redevelop their land or buildings. We know this
process is long and requires several ministry approvals along the way. We also
know it is important to start planning early so we are in the Ministry’s queue
for development projects. And on top of all of this we know that community
support is key to any plan moving forward, so I encourage you to get involved.
Not only will this work shape the future of hospital care in our communities,
but it will also immediately provide a context for our infrastructure renewal
planning
Step 1 - in the fall of 2012, MAHC filed a Pre-Capital
assessment with the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and is now moving toward
completing a Stage 1 submission.
Step 2 - Our next step is to develop what the Ministry calls
a Master Program. It reflects our facilities’ present and future clinical service
role within our communities. It outlines current and projected future programs
and services, workload, staffing, and departmental space requirements by site.
This work to develop a draft Master Program has been undertaken over the past
several months through a series of planning team meetings at the hospitals.
Step 3 - I am excited to announce that over the summer
months we will be working on the Master Plan stage to determine the potential
space needs based on the proposed programs and services. As part of this stage,
experts are evaluating the condition and potential use of our buildings, which
will help to define our long-term development strategies over a 20-year
timeframe to support the future delivery of health services as described in the
Master Program. Internally, early this summer we will be holding a series of
three integrated workshops with a variety of stakeholders, including
architectural services, functional programming, hospital staff (clinical and
support), and community representatives. The work that comes from these
sessions will help inform the various models that we intend to bring to our
communities in interactive sessions in late August. Please stay tuned to our
website for more details.
By the end of 2014 we hope to bring a draft Master
Program/Master Plan to the Board of Directors for approval, but it’s important
to remember that the document is fluid and will continue to evolve as health
care here in Muskoka evolves. This is certainly an exciting time at Muskoka
Algonquin Healthcare and I hope you too are excited about what the future could
hold.
