Planning for Our Future with a Made-in-Muskoka Healthcare Solution

The past year has been an exciting progression of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare’s capital redevelopment planning to replace our aging hospital sites in Bracebridge and Huntsville with two new hospitals in the future.

Just last week we announced the future location where we plan to build a new hospital in Bracebridge. Also in December, we were encouraged by Infrastructure Ontario’s December 2023 Market Update that indicates our redevelopment project could officially start with contract execution in 2029.

We are fortunate to have the financial commitment of our local communities, the Ministry of Health and our Hospital Foundations to build the best future for health care for everyone we serve. These milestones are all great news to demonstrate our project is on track!

Planning the programs and services for our new hospitals in the future has been an iterative process over the past several months. It has given us opportunity to consider changes in the healthcare environment, advances in technology, and how we could continue to transform Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare that will ensure a sustainable healthcare system for decades to come. One that will position us to expand services to our communities and solve current challenges, some recently amplified by the pandemic such as ongoing staff shortages that contribute to frequent service disruptions.

More than 250 subject matter experts (staff, credentialed staff, volunteers, patient experience partners, hospital leaders and key healthcare partners) have gathered together as User Groups to explore different service delivery models. They have been working to define the future scope of programs and services and projected future volumes, and identify opportunities to leverage technology and improve their workflow while also looking at how we can close existing gaps in service.

As we worked through our planning process, it became clear this past fall with preliminary costing of new hospitals that replicating the existing status quo model is not viable. With drastic cost inflation that has driven healthcare building costs up nearly 50% in just the last year, it’s crucial that we develop an affordable future, not only in what we build but also in how we operate services to end repeated annual budget deficits.

Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare is committed to a creative solution for the future that looks forward instead of back with new hospitals that are built green and are flexible in design. Where our two sites are complementary to each other rather than identical, both providing 24/7 Emergency Department care, and inpatient beds tailored to how we will provide care in the future.

Together, we are investing in and building Made-in-Muskoka Healthcare and through innovation and partnerships we will expand the healthcare services we can provide both within and beyond our walls to bring care closer to home in outlying areas of the region.

User Groups are still working through the final pieces of a Made-in-Muskoka Healthcare solution to meet the needs of Muskoka and area decades from now and ensure our hospitals survive and thrive. As that work wraps up, I am looking forward to sharing the details later this month of how we will deliver Made-in-Muskoka Healthcare to all our communities; healthcare that is focused on excellence, quality care and long-term sustainability for the next 40 and 50 years.

Applauding a year of achievements

Looking back on my first year as President and Chief Executive Officer at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, I have so much pride for the remarkable things our team has achieved as one organization operating two sites.

Recovery and revitalization from the COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant focus over the past 12 months, but so too has been our focus on new initiatives to improve the patient experience. Our accomplishments are a credit to the hard work and dedicated efforts of our entire team and system partners, and we look forward to more achievements in the year to come. Here are some of my favourites from the past year:

Furthering our commitment to quality and safety, we earned the top rating of Accredited with Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada following a four-day onsite survey at both sites in November 2022. Evaluated against 2,150 best-in-class standards of care, MAHC met 100% of all Required Organization Practices, and 99% of the accreditation program standards the organization was measured against across eight quality dimensions. 

Accreditation Canada surveyors with our team

Through an increased focus on partnerships and collaboration with the Muskoka and Area Ontario Health Team and other key peers we:

• opened a Heart Function Clinic at the South Muskoka site for care of patients in our community with Congestive Heart Failure to provide a higher level of cardiac follow-up and care for Muskoka residents within their own community; 
  

  

  Heart Function Clinic
  

• launched the Hospital to Home program with Closing the Gap to create a seamless transition for patients to leave the hospital and successfully return to their home with dedicated resources and support before, during and after their discharge;
• partnered with Muskoka Hills Retirement Villa in Bracebridge for seven transitional care beds to relieve occupancy pressures;
• marked one year of partnership in palliative care with Hospice Muskoka to designate five transitional care beds at Andy’s House in Port Carling for MAHC patients seeking end-of-life care in a homelike environment; and

Partnership with Hospice Muskoka

• launched SeamlessMD, a patient portal using an app, to provide remote support to a patient’s surgical journey using an interactive guide to prepare for their surgery beforehand and recover faster afterwards, all from the comfort of their own home.

We invested in mental health care through a new Mental Health Navigator who provides immediate support to patients in need in our Emergency Departments who are experiencing mental health crisis. 

Desiree Reisenburg, Mental Health Navigator

Understanding that culturally relevant care close to home in the communities we serve is important, we collaborated with the Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle to introduce Indigenous Patient Navigator services to patients at the South Muskoka site.

Mary Sue Robinet, Indigenous Patient Navigator

Clinical research also continues to be supported by MAHC with four additional studies approved in the past year.

Over the past year, we have onboarded six new Patient Experience Partners, growing our Patient and Family Advisory Council to 13 members with increasing participation in organizational and capital redevelopment committees, working groups and projects.

We hired 123 new staff to the health care team, and welcomed seven new associate staff to MAHC with two Emergency physicians, two midwives and three family medicine colleagues. We supported 72 medical learners over the course of the past year as part of their training to become physicians.

Having received a provincial announcement of operating funding for Muskoka’s very first MRI (Medical Resonance Imaging), we started the planning for Muskoka’s first MRI machine that will support our stroke centre and provide access to MRI closer to home for the entire region.

Keeping pace with advancements in technology and the need for new and replacement hospital equipment is directly supported by the outstanding work of our two Foundations, which collectively raised over $4 million over the past year through donor giving. Because of their dedicated efforts, we have a new anaesthesia machine and laparoscopic instruments for the operating room at the South Muskoka site, and a new nuclear medicine machine, an echocardiography machine, and a new digital X-Ray at the Huntsville site.

New Nuclear Medicine Suite at HDMH

New anaesthesia machine at SMMH

We have also been proceeding with long-range future planning for hospital redevelopment that would build a new site in Huntsville on the existing land at 100 Frank Miller Drive and a new site in Bracebridge on new land through a site selection process. Reimagining local hospital care with two new hospitals in Muskoka involves extensive engagement with our staff, physicians and volunteers, patients and families, and our community at large.

Health care in a community takes a team – many players working together from many departments and many agencies. All of this has been possible because of the guidance of the Board of Directors, the direction of the Leadership Team, and every staff member, physician, midwife and volunteer, as well as our Foundation partners working together with our community to support better health for everyone we serve. You can also see our Annual Report to Our Community for more!

Identifying a Preliminary Preferred Site for a Future SMMH

President & CEO Cheryl Harrison speaks at a community information session.

Our redevelopment project for two new sites continues to move along as we work through what the Ministry refers to as the ‘Functional Program’ or Stage 1.3 of its capital planning process for hospitals until the early part of 2024. This stage of planning has three components:

1. Program and service planning to meet our community’s future needs based on population projections, and considering future changes like expanded technology;  
2. Site selection for a new location for the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital (SMMH); and
3. The financing plan for the community’s local share of $225 million of the $967 redevelopment project.

Most recently, our greatest progress has been to evaluate various land options within the urban centre boundary of Bracebridge to identify a preliminary preferred site for a future SMMH Site. In Huntsville, the property at 100 Frank Miller Drive is large enough for us to build a new hospital on the existing land, so no site selection is necessary.

Having looked at more than 20 different properties identified through various consultations, five locations met the minimum land requirements to proceed to evaluation. The team evaluated the five properties against broad criteria for location and property, land use planning framework, and capital and servicing costs. Through our open houses and feedback survey, we were grateful to receive community input on our criteria by hearing what was most important to people when considering a future location. We heard from some that people a hospital should be located near downtown Bracebridge and the ability to access the property by means other than a vehicle, such as on foot or cycling should be part of the evaluation. We also heard that environmental impacts were key to consider as well. Environmental considerations have been part of the evaluation criteria from the beginning, but we have expanded the criteria to focus on protecting environmentally sensitive land and natural landscapes, such as avoiding clearcutting of trees and ensuring our new builds look and feel like Muskoka. Top of mind for many we have engaged with is also how future construction will minimize climate change impacts.

The evaluation exercise found that each property had strengths and challenges, and a scoring process helped to rank their suitability for a hospital. We have narrowed the five properties to three that are considered appropriate for a future hospital:

• 1975 Muskoka Beach Road across from Muskoka Brewery, (current preliminary preferred site);
• 300 Pine Street between Walmart and the fairgrounds; and
• Highway 118 West lands, located east of the Muskoka Hills retirement villa.

Our evaluation isn’t fully completed yet. We were pleased to revisit our communities again in April with a series of in-person and virtual information sessions to provide an update, take questions, and validate our findings to date. Thank you to everyone who attended, and if you weren’t able to join us you can watch one of the presentations here.

We are also having ongoing discussions with the Town of Bracebridge to further investigate the potential costs of the required municipal services for these three highest-ranked properties.

Over the next several weeks we will be further validating the 1975 Muskoka Beach Road property, which includes further due diligence such as geotechnical and hydrogeological studies, cost estimates, environmental assessment, and site plan preparation. We anticipate a final decision on the preferred site by the Board of Directors in the fall of 2023.

MAHC’s Continued Focus on Future Planning

Planning for the future has been a primary focus of our Board of Directors since 2012 and continues to be an objective in our Strategic Plan. This long-term development plan for our facilities is imperative for us to ensure a sustainable future for our hospitals in Bracebridge and Huntsville.

There are several reasons why we need new hospitals in Bracebridge and Huntsville. Our buildings from 1964 (SMMH) and 1978 (HDMH) today present many challenges that limit us. They are old buildings that do not meet current best practices and health care standards, including rules around privacy and infection control. Single occupant private rooms are not a nice to have, they are a need to have. Across both sites, only 15% of our rooms house a single patient with the majority as two-bed and four-bed rooms. Our buildings are also very difficult to adapt to advancing technologies within their existing footprints. We don’t have enough space for the care we deliver today, let alone the care our community will require in the future. On top of that, it is so important that our care providers have a work environment where they are equipped with the tools and the space to do their job of providing you with excellent care.

Following years of progress through the Ministry of Health’s capital planning process for hospitals, in April 2022 the Ontario government gave us the green light to move to the next stage of our planning for a new hospital on the existing land in Huntsville, and a new hospital at a new location in Bracebridge. Premier Doug Ford’s announcement was a significant milestone in our future planning journey and included grant money for the planning to continue (not for new construction). Over the next 12 to 18 months, we are working through what the Ministry refers to as the ‘Functional Program’ or Stage 1.3 of their planning process.

This stage involves detailed program and service planning to meet our community’s future needs, resulting in architectural drawings of the buildings and physical space needed to support the programs and services in new, state-of-the-art facilities. Everything we have learned from the pandemic will be considered, and the initial planning assumptions identified through earlier planning work are revisited to reflect the most current information on how people receive care locally through various health services and regionally through more specialized health centres. We are excited to embark on this work with expert consultants, supported by the in-depth knowledge of our staff and clinicians through internal focus groups. Patients and families from our communities will also be key to this work and will be involved at all levels of this project.

Another big component of this stage will be to get a clearer understanding of the cost of the future builds. The Ministry of Health pays for a portion of our project for two new hospitals, and the local community is expected to pay a “local share” of the entire project, which can be up to 30% of the total project cost, including furnishings, fixtures and hospital equipment. Our initial cost estimates will be updated to be more current to today’s economy and will also factor in the various cost inflation impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In our last planning submission to the Ministry in 2019, the local share was estimated at $129 million in 2019 dollars. New projections will try to forecast the potential cost by the time we are at the stage of building the two new hospitals, which may not start for seven or eight more years.

I am excited to provide this update on our redevelopment project and the work that we are undertaking over the next year or more. We are so grateful to our two hospital foundations and all of the local municipalities for their continued support and collaboration in determining the best path forward in how our communities will fund the local share. Working together will ensure this very important project for future hospital care in Muskoka continues to move forward.

Introducing President and CEO Cheryl Harrison

My name is Cheryl Harrison and I am excited to lead the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) team as its newest President and CEO.

Over the past 14 years, I have been working in North Simcoe Muskoka where I have been privileged to work in partnership with MAHC in my previous role at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital.

I have witnessed firsthand the high-quality health care that MAHC delivers by the outstanding team members — team members including staff, credentialed staff, volunteers and Board Directors who demonstrate the MAHC values of accountability, respect, optimism, leadership and engagement every day.  It is clear they are committed to MAHC's mission to work together to provide outstanding integrated health care to our communities and deliver best patient outcomes with exemplary care and compassion.

So let me introduce myself a bit… As a proud registered nurse, with a Master’s degree in Health Policy, Evaluation & Management, I have worked in hospitals my entire career.  My clinical and leadership experience has been largely in medium size, rural community hospitals in Ontario.  My husband and I live in Severn Bridge at our cottage turned home, where we enjoy family time with our three daughters and three delightful grandchildren.  The last two years of the pandemic have tremendously affected health care services and we are all looking forward to recovery, recalibration and revitalization. 

I am grateful to get to know the team and work alongside the community to continue delivering quality health care to area residents and those from beyond the region.  You can count on me to work with all of you and our community partners to continue to move MAHC forward in the future.

I am excited to start a new chapter in the CEO Blog, and encourage you to keep up with everything we do by frequenting our website and following our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social channels @MAHCHospitals. 

Stay safe and well!

#WheretoGetCareMuskoka – Help With Knowing Where and When to Go

This blog has been written by Dr. John Simpson, Director & Chief of Emergency Services at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare

With pandemic restrictions easing, people are getting back to their regular lives and engaging in activity and adventure once again. In some cases, people are only now following up to get medical help for care they may have deferred during the pandemic.

We are seeing both scenarios in our Emergency Departments in Bracebridge and Huntsville where volumes are on the rise and wait times are getting longer. In May, Emergency Department visits across our two sites rose 17% year over year. And in June, there were more than 4,100 visits to the two departments. COVID-19 has had a profound impact on health human resources across the health care system. In addition to the toll that the pandemic has taken on health care workers dealing with the pressures of responding to COVID-19, our hospitals are also experiencing unprecedented hospital use and unrelenting high occupancy. For us, this is not just another summer in Muskoka. The hospitals are still in the midst of the pandemic, working in a fragile state with strained staffing.

We know that sometimes accidents happen and that’s why the Emergency Department is a 24/7 operation. We also know that how people access care has changed dramatically since the pandemic, and more than ever, different mental wellness services have come on line and virtual care is providing greater options.

We want to make sure people are informed about different options for care in Muskoka, so they can support their local hospital by knowing when it’s appropriate to go to the Emergency Department and when to access primary care or other community-based supports. It’s about knowing what is available for non-emergencies and the choosing the right care in the right place at the right time by the right provider. This helps to ensure that safe and high-quality emergency care is accessible close to home and the cottage for people when they need it most.

'Dr. Simpson’s five tips' for the summer:

1. Make safety a priority by avoiding risky behaviour that can lead to illness or injury, and make a thoughtful plan to avoid an unnecessary trip to the Emergency Department.
2. Consider what is available for care as you plan outings. Ask yourself… Are my prescriptions in order? Are my immunizations up to date? Does my current health support that trip to the cottage I was planning to take?
3. If you are feeling unwell, your first call should be to your primary care provider for their advice or ability to see you, potentially virtually or even by phone.
4. Consider making an appointment at the COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centre in Bracebridge for any upper-respiratory issue. Any sniffles, cough, COVID-19 or influenza symptoms? You can be seen by a doctor quickly at this clinic – without a trip to the Emergency Department. 
5. Visit www.mahc.ca/wheretogetcareMuskoka/ to educate yourself about the different options for care locally. Information is provided for people who have a local doctor and provides virtual care options to see a physician for those who do not. Resources are provided for mental health and additions. There is even information about when you should go to the Emergency Department and when a visit to your primary care provider is more appropriate. 

These tips will help you help us conserve the Emergency Departments for real emergencies and preserve reasonable wait times this summer. We appreciate your support! Be safe and well!

Engaging a Patient and Family Voice at MAHC

The patient and family perspective has never been more important or influential in health care than it is today. Patients and their family members provide tremendous firsthand experience and feedback that is important to ensuring we are always providing care that is centred around those we serve. For the past five years, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) has had a Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) that provides the organization with advice and recommendations on matters where the patient perspective is vital to advancing person-centred care. The council is made up of Patient Experience Partners who bring patient and family input closer to the bedside through input on policies, procedures and processes by sharing their own ideas and points of view. There are different reasons why Patient Experience Partners volunteer to participate and shape patient care in Muskoka, but what they all have in common is their desire to positively influence other patient and family experiences. I am pleased to introduce a handful of our Patient Experience Partners to share what inspired them to join us in making the patient experience better.

Tammy Purvis

Tammy Purvis was an inaugural member of our PFAC back in 2017 because she and her family have used the hospital over the years, and felt it was important to be part of a council that would hear her voice and learn from her experiences while fostering partnerships with health care professionals.

“Being with like-minded people who are sharing ideas and suggestions to make a difference in the quality of care that patients and families are receiving is the most rewarding part of being a Patient Experience Partner,” says Tammy. “It is so rewarding to know that you are part of something that is making a difference in our community’s health care.”

Emily Carty has been on our PFAC since 2019 and serves as the Patient Experience Partner on the Obstetrics Committee and the Workplace Violence Committee.

Emily Carty

“As a child and youth care practitioner I have supported many youth who have accessed and received services from HDMH,” says Emily. More recently, Emily spent time as a patient at SMMH to give birth to her children and says the most rewarding part about being a Patient Experience Partner at MAHC is knowing that her generation has a patient voice in the mix. “With my children and parents needing care from the hospital I am experiencing services from both ends of the spectrum,” she says.

Jan Kindy

Jan Kindy is relatively new to our PFAC and says her decision to become a Patient Experience Partner came after her father’s lengthy hospital stay. “It was during this time I was able to see how important the patient, family and hospital connection was. I can imagine this being positive in many ways… working with others to add value to the patient experience,” she says.

John Lock

John Lock had a 36-year career with Toronto Paramedic Services and was fortunate to serve on numerous hospital committees in the GTA, and around the province. He felt our PFAC would allow him to combine his own patient experience with his past professional and committee involvement to give back to his community.

“My wife and I have been patients of MAHC numerous times over the past couple of years, and we have both commented that we have never experienced the exceptional care that we have experienced at MAHC,” says John. “The compassion, the welcoming atmosphere and the exceptional care begins at the door of the hospital and continues through the experience. We are blessed and very fortunate to have such a great team at MAHC.”

As a member of our PFAC, John hopes that by sharing ideas and expectations of patients and families when they access hospital care that he can shape and influence the same exceptional experiences that he and his wife have had. 

MAHC is actively seeking applications from community members who have been a patient or a family member of a patient at either hospital and want to partner with us to improve the care experience. Might you be our next Patient Experience Partner? Please visit www.mahc.ca/PEPapplication/ to learn more about this opportunity.

Staying afloat through the pandemic’s ‘tidal wave’

April 1 marks the start of a new fiscal year for Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare and a new operating budget for 2022-2023. Through additional government financial support, the organization’s financial health has never been better. At the same time, hospital operations have never been more challenged from the human resources perspective.

As the COVID-19 virus continues to circulate in our communities even as we see restrictions and public health mandates being lifted, our staff are getting sick or must isolate at home because of a potential exposure. Members of our communities continue to require hospital care, and inpatient occupancy consistently remains above 100%. In addition, since March 29 we have been grappling with a COVID outbreak within one of our sites. This is not only concerning but also puts immense strain on our staff.

In life we are being encouraged to get back to the way things used to be in many ways, however the impact of the pandemic on the health care system has only grown more taxing and challenging with wave after wave fatiguing those on the front line of care. As COVID surges in the community, experts are calling this latest stage a “tidal wave” with estimates that Ontario is seeing 100,000 to 120,000 new daily cases.

Every day at MAHC we feel the impacts of the ongoing pandemic with staffing challenges in many areas where we are working through staffing absences on a day-to-day basis. Throughout departments and different care areas our people are stretched thin and are working short in both hospitals.

Over the past two years, we have seen health care workers leave MAHC – approximately 10% of our workforce has departed for different opportunities, for a total change of career or for well-deserved retirement. Recruitment of new team members to fill vacancies and much-needed new positions has been difficult to say the least, especially if positions are temporary or part time.

Today there are more than 80 career opportunities posted on our website, predominantly in nursing, but also in many allied health professions. The health care attrition is especially concerning as Muskoka gears up for cottage season when there is greater demand for hospital services with an influx of residents in the area. Summer staffing levels will be difficult to achieve with an already unstable workforce across two hospital facilities.

All of these hardships mean careful and prudent decision making with respect to the services we can provide safely to our communities. In extenuating circumstances of staffing shortages, operating changes have to be made, such as reducing surgical activity to be able to redeploy staff to care for admitted patients. We know how difficult this is for those awaiting a procedure and we apologize for the delay in your care.

As a last resort, and only in a very dire situation, service changes could require temporarily siting a program or service at only one hospital until normal staffing can be resumed. Should these measures be required, please be patient with us and remember these actions are necessary to provide safe, quality care and to be here when our community needs us.

We can all play a role in supporting the health care system and staying safe. We support public health advice to continue wearing a mask indoors, washing your hands frequently, avoiding large gatherings and getting vaccinated. We support minimizing risks to our staff and patients with COVID vaccine policies and screening practices. We want everyone to enjoy a safe and healthy summer. Please help us by doing your part.

Weathering the storm as the pandemic drags on

Having only just joined the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare team less than a month ago, this is my first blog as Interim President & CEO. I don’t think anyone would have imagined back in March 2020 that we would still be consumed by an ongoing pandemic nearly two years later and that it would still be the subject of the CEO blog.  

The current COVID-19 landscape with Omicron is likely the biggest test of the hospitals’ response with rising case numbers in a relatively short period of time from a highly contagious variant amidst a shrinking workforce.

In addition to heavy inpatient occupancy from increasing admissions at both sites, we are also seeing our highest COVID hospitalization rates in two years – at one point topping double digits this month with 15 COVID-positive inpatients at one time.

Creating additional challenges is the significant absence of human resources across the entire health care industry. Every hospital is working through staffing shortages, especially as team members become sick or exposed to COVID-19 and isolate at home away from the workplace. And MAHC is no different.

In line with provincial direction, we have had to scale back scheduled care, including non-urgent surgeries, some diagnostic testing and clinic activity to redeploy our staff to maintain urgent and emergent services and look after our admitted patients. This directive, which is in place for a while longer, helps to bolster the workforce for a limited time. But postponing non-urgent care is very difficult for those who have been waiting for care. We are deeply sorry this measure has to be taken, and will do our best to resume those ramped down services as soon as we can.

Rest assured our hospitals across North Simcoe Muskoka are working closely together to maintain consistent access to urgent and emergent care. This may require transfers of patients to services further afield, and that means loved ones may not be as close to home.

To those who need the hospitals, we’re still here for you. Your patience and kindness is appreciated, recognizing that everyone is exhausted and frustrated.

Our staff and physicians are doing their best during extraordinary times. They also need the full support of the community and everyone’s help in slowing down the transmission of this virus and using our precious health care resources in the most effective way possible.

Please remember to be kind and follow all public health measures to protect yourself and those around you. Please get vaccinated, including the third vaccine dose as soon as you are able. Three doses of vaccine is very effective in reducing COVID spread and almost eliminates serious complications of COVID infection and even the chance of being hospitalized, which in turn helps keep hospital beds available.

We can only hope that this wave of the pandemic will soon peak and provide some relief on an immensely taxed system. We will get through this together.

Looking Back Fondly on a Decade with MAHC

After over a decade at Muskoka’s hospitals, I am writing my final blog as President & CEO at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare before I retire on December 23, 2021. Taking the pen this last time before it is turned to a new writer is bittersweet to say the least. I look back fondly on so many special and meaningful moments, great advances in local health care, and a rewarding career that has been bolstered by the many people who work so hard to ensure we are providing the best patient care.

It has been my distinct privilege to work with so many intelligent, capable, caring and compassionate people who give their all every day to provide outstanding care for their communities. From the front line to the back office, physician colleagues to community partners, health care in a community takes a team – many players working together from many departments and many agencies. Hospital leadership is a tough job no doubt, but it is also so rewarding when you have been as blessed as I have to have led a great team.

During my tenure I have been fortunate to work with six Board Chairs who believed in me and supported me over the years, and countless Directors who volunteered their time and energy to work through both the good times and the more difficult times of financial challenges and future planning.

I am so proud to have championed a strong and effective management team that puts patient- and family-centred care at the forefront of everything they do. Our hospitals have truly evolved as a result of their efforts and leadership.

I am humbled to witness our hospitals benefit from the great work of two hospital foundations and two auxiliaries that have made our organization better through new equipment and technological advances, educational opportunities for staff, and dedicated volunteering.

I am grateful for the hundreds of MAHC staff and credentialed staff who work exceptionally hard and do what they do every day because they believe in what they do and how they can help others. I have always believed in you and I’m so proud of the team you are.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge my family’s support for the opportunity to spread my wings over Muskoka for the past 11 years and the sacrifices they made while encouraging me along.

What makes it hardest to leave is the people you leave behind.

I always wanted to work in an organization that achieved exemplary status from Accreditation Canada and now I can say that I have. There are more clinical services available to serve our communities today than only 10 years ago when I first started. And I’m so pleased to leave MAHC in a state of improved financial health.

It has been said that success is measured by what others achieve. I thank each and every person in the hospitals, in the community, and beyond Muskoka for the success you have fostered in what MAHC has been able to achieve. It has been my privilege to work in a community that is passionate about their hospitals. Until our paths cross again out and about in the region, take care of yourself and each other.

Yours in health,
Natalie

COVID-19 Vaccine – An Added Layer of Protection

COVID-19 vaccination efforts continue across Ontario and throughout the world as a significant step forward to fight the COVID-19 virus and to one day ease the impacts of the global pandemic.

The vaccine is not a bulletproof vest against COVID, but is a scientifically-recognized layer of protection in addition to public health measures of masking, physical distancing and frequent handwashing to protect yourself and others.

Hospitals are where some of the most vulnerable patients receive care. In response, the Chief Medical Officer of Health issued Directive 6, mandating hospitals and other high-risk settings to develop and implement a COVID-19 vaccination policy by September 7, 2021.

Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare’s COVID-19 vaccination policy meets the requirements of Directive 6, which requires unvaccinated and partially vaccinated staff and credentialed staff to submit to weekly rapid antigen testing. All team members also continue to wear personal protective equipment and adhere to infection control guidelines to safeguard themselves and patients we care for.

We respect there is a public expectation for health care workers to roll up their sleeves for a vaccine and at MAHC we are actively encouraging staff our team members to get vaccinated. Vaccination is one of the most successful public health strategies to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

It is important to remember that staff and physicians may not be vaccinated because of medical exemptions or exemptions-based grounds protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code (such as religion). It is not solely based on a personal decision to decline for reasons unrelated to medical or human rights exemptions.

At MAHC, more than 90% of our team is vaccinated and we know that 100% may never be achieved based on the allowed exemptions.

Nevertheless, we encourage the public to get vaccinated to increase a person’s immunity to the virus. While vaccinated people may still contract and transmit COVID, we know it has been scientifically proven that the effects of the virus are minimized.

Your community hospitals continue to work tirelessly to provide the highest quality health care in Muskoka. You too can all do your part to keep them safe by getting vaccinated.

Gearing up for Accreditation 2022 – our ‘Journey to Excellence’

We are on a ‘Journey to Excellence’ as our entire team starts to gear up for Accreditation 2022.

For years, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare has voluntarily participated in the Accreditation Canada program to constantly improve the quality of care we provide to patients. “Qmentum Accreditation” is tool that ensures we are meeting the best standards of care while also identifying recommendations on how we can improve.

Every four years, independent surveyors with health care expertise complete a multi-day onsite survey to examine all aspects of the health care we deliver – from patient safety and ethics, to staff education and training, governance and partnering with the community. During this survey, both sites are measured against specific Required Organizational Practices (ROPs) associated with close to 2,500 national standards of excellence. An ROP is an essential practice that organizations must have in place to enhance patient safety and minimize risk. They are categorized into eight quality dimensions: accessibility, appropriateness, client-centred services, continuity, efficiency, population focus, safety and worklife; and six patient safety areas, each with its own goal, as follows:

Safety Culture: Create a culture of safety within the organization;

Communication: Promote effective information transfer with clients and team members across the continuum of care;

Medication Use: Ensure the safe use of high-risk medications;

Worklife/Workforce: Create a worklife and physical environment that supports the safe delivery of care and service;

Infection Control: Reduce the risk of health care-associated infections and their impact across the continuum of care; and

Risk Assessment: Identify and mitigate safety risks inherent in the client population.

Preparation for accreditation starts with self-assessments by core teams. The results of individual staff surveys also help to identify any gaps, supporting our preparation for the actual Accreditation Canada survey where surveyors evaluate our compliance with the ROPs and standards that contribute to high quality, safe, and effectively managed care.

To achieve an ‘Accredited’ decision, an organization must meet a minimum of 80% of all criteria, and a minimum of 70% of high-priority criteria and Required Organizational Practices in every standard set.

Our most recent survey in 2018 awarded us the highest possible rating: Accredited with Exemplary Standards, having met 95.8% of the 2,438 standards. Once again we are striving for the top award and to demonstrate we are committed to quality improvement, every day.

Our Accreditation 2022 theme ‘Journey to Excellence’ was chosen from a variety of suggestions generated through a staff naming contest. It is supported by strong branding that plays on our MAHC acronym with imagery of a person actively on the journey.

Year after year, with the accreditation process, we have continued to build on our commitment to work together to provide outstanding integrated health care to our communities and deliver best patient outcomes with exemplary standards and compassion.

MAHC's Accreditation 2022 logo

Time is Heart – Be Sure to Call 911 for Heart Attack Symptoms

While our team at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) has been busy responding to the many changes that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, our commitment to implementing new models of care and different ways to deliver care to improve patient outcomes has remained steadfast.

Through advancements in cardiac care and incredible partnerships we have developed, earlier in May Muskoka joined the Simcoe Muskoka Code STEMI Protocol. ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) is a very serious type of heart attack during which one of the heart’s major arteries is blocked. Using Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI, formerly known as angioplasty with stent), a catheter is used to place a balloon and stent to open up blood vessels in the heart that have been narrowed by plaque buildup. It is a non-surgical procedure that can be facilitated in the Cardiac Intervention Unit at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH). This protocol partnership with RVH provides a direct line to interventionist cardiologists and the gold standard of care where a patient receives advanced cardiac care in less than 120 minutes from first medical contact.

This means that some Muskoka residents with heart attack symptoms may now be transported by Muskoka Paramedic Services directly to RVH in Barrie for their lifesaving treatment. Paramedics have the cardiac monitoring equipment and the clinical expertise and training to quickly and accurately identify elevations in the heart rhythm, and more specifically a STEMI. That is why it’s so important to call 9-1-1 if you experience symptoms of a heart event like chest discomfort, sweating, neck and jaw discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea and light-headedness. The ambulance will bypass our hospitals and go straight to RVH. Time is heart and the sooner a blockage can be opened, the less damage to cells in the heart muscle.

Code STEMI simulations with nurses, doctors and paramedics were held at both sites in preparation for the new protocol.

MAHC is also participating in the protocol for patients who present to our Emergency Departments with symptoms. One week after the protocol went live in Muskoka, three patients presenting at each of our sites received cardiac care through the STEMI protocol, and a further patient bypassed our two sites altogether and went straight to RVH through local EMS.

Dr. Megan Stephenson, a longtime Emergency physician in Huntsville, says it’s exciting to be a part of the joint initiative of Muskoka hospitals, RVH’s Interventional Cardiology program and Muskoka Paramedic Services to bring state-of-the-art cardiac care to the community’s doorstep.

“For heart attack patients who meet the criteria, cardiac catheterization can be performed at RVH in a timely fashion to reduce morbidity and mortality,” explains Dr. Stephenson. “Our first patient encounter on Tuesday, May 11, demonstrated a true collaboration among nurses, paramedics, ward clerks and physicians to expedite the care of a heart attack patient.”

Dr. William Hemens has been an emergency medicine physician in Bracebridge for 35 years and was on shift at the South Muskoka site when two patients presented the morning of May 11. As a clinician, he is pleased at how cardiac care has developed over time, and proud as a local resident to have access to advanced cardiac services in the region. He praised the partnerships that have conquered geography and distance to achieve a streamlined protocol that supports timely care.

“This protocol is so important to facilitating the patient’s coronary intervention to return proper blood flow to the heart muscle to diminish the potential damage of a heart attack faster than before, which is so reassuring for our communities” says Dr. Hemens. “It’s also important for communities to support hospitals in achieving these advancements by donating to the equipment and facilities that allow for these services to grow and develop. It’s because of donors that health care providers can deliver state-of-the-art care.”

This is a positive and progressive change that provides access to care that residents of Muskoka deserve and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of it!

Looking forward after one year with COVID-19

As January 2020 rolled in and the first reports of COVID-19 started circulating from abroad, hospitals across Canada started planning, knowing it was just a matter of time before this new and highly contagious coronavirus arrived on their doorsteps.

On January 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the novel coronavirus was a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. At the time there were fewer than 100 cases of the disease we now call COVID-19. Just a week earlier, we had issued our first communication to staff introducing the coronavirus, and preparations at MAHC were well underway when the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11.

In the days and weeks that followed, there was a whirlwind of activity as we worked quickly and efficiently to roll out the many Ministry of Health directives put in place to assist hospitals in creating capacity to deal with a potential surge of COVID-19 patients. Non-urgent and elective procedures and many ambulatory services ramped down while our Emergency Departments remained open. Screening for travel and symptoms was introduced for both patients and staff. Cleaning and disinfection practices were enhanced, isolation needs soared, and spaces were converted to prepare for what may come. Personal Protective Equipment was a concern in the early days as supply into the country and flow through to hospitals failed to keep up with demand. On March 25, we cared for our first inpatient with COVID-19. In April, more cases followed requiring inpatient care. To date, 16 people with COVID-19 have received inpatient medical care at MAHC; sadly, two succumbed. Others have received care in our Emergency Departments and discharged home to isolate.

Reflecting on the past year, different emotions come to bear for anyone working in health care. Many are sadly grim. By definition novel means new, and in health care novel rightly evokes fear. As the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic draws near, I am reminded that in those early days and still today, our staff and credentialed staff show up and provide exceptional care in the face of an ongoing health crisis mired with uncertainty. Our Muskoka and East Parry Sound communities are fortunate to have such a dedicated team at their community hospitals. Through the challenges and uncertainty, we at MAHC have learned more about our adaptability, our individual commitment as health care workers and overall resolve as an organization to come together as a team to look after our communities’ needs in a year like no other.

While each of us will have different perspectives on COVID-19, the optimist in me feels privileged, proud and confident to lead such a tremendous team of professionals. I can’t say enough about the amazing efforts of our people – taking care of patients and their families, and caring for each other with immense respect for their fellow team member’s valuable contributions to our collective response.

Today in Simcoe Muskoka the threat of COVID-19 variants of concern oblige us to stay vigilant by following all public health measures to reduce the risk of exposure and protect ourselves and our loved ones.

Instead of continuing to look back on a year that has challenged us in an unprecedented way, I am looking forward with hope on the horizon as COVID-19 vaccines reach more arms. Many of our staff and credentialed staff are eligible for immunization, and more than half of our team has received both doses. They tell me it’s a humbling moment and one they are grateful for, but still acknowledge that regardless of vaccination it is critical to continue to follow all protection measures to avoid the potential of a third wave of this pandemic.

Gratitude to Hospital Staff Looks Different This Holiday Season

The recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Simcoe County and in the District of Muskoka as the holiday season nears is alarming. It’s also important to recognize that COVID positive cases in Muskoka are likely higher than what is being reported locally when cases are attributed to and counted in another health unit within the province. A surge in cases has the potential to also impact bed capacity within the hospitals and our ability to maintain the provision of outpatient services, such as scheduled surgery and procedures.

As we watch the numbers grow everywhere, we must pause and reconsider traditional holiday approaches. Regardless of a pandemic, the holiday season is a time for giving. Over the years many of our staff and/or their departments have been on the receiving end of tremendous acts of gratitude during the festive season.

Thoughtful gifts to say thank you like boxes of chocolates or Christmas baking warm our hearts and mean a lot to our team members, but they also carry a level of risk to our staff and physicians that is not advisable, and can ultimately potentially hinder our ability to provide high-quality care to you or your loved ones when needed.

Gift baskets for example, similar to boxes of chocolates, typically contain items that are intended for sharing, which results in multiple sets of hands touching products. This has the potential to increase the risk of sharing germs that make people sick. It’s not just the COVID-19 virus we have to worry about, but also seasonal influenza and gastrointestinal illness that can easily spread from person to person if we let our guard down to risk.

The safety and wellbeing of our team members is a priority for our hospitals, and therefore we regret our staff are unable to accept homemade prepared food such as Christmas baking and shareable items in gift baskets this holiday season. We hope you can understand why this is necessary.

We are truly touched that grateful patients and/or their caregivers want to show their appreciation this holiday season. Perhaps the best way you can show our team your love is to give the gift of better local health care by supporting our Foundations that work tirelessly to raise money for our much-needed capital equipment and technology needs.

Both of our Foundations have specific giving programs that allow you to honour a hospital hero by making a tribute gift in their honour. We encourage you to consider gratitude in the form of a donation to your hospital hero:

Huntsville Hospital Foundation “Hospital Heroes” giving program:  https://huntsvillehospitalfoundation.ca/heroes/

South Muskoka Hospital Foundation “Health Care Heroes” giving program: www.healthmuskoka.ca/givetoday

This holiday season, the MAHC organization has also ensured gratitude is shown to our staff and physicians for their dedication and hard work amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In lieu of being able to hold a Christmas Dinner & Dance, the Team Building Committee, with the additional support of the Joint Credentialed Staff Association and the MAHC Christmas Party Committee, have organized the “12 Days of MAHC-Mas” events, including a $5 “downtown dollars” voucher for Huntsville or Bracebridge to support local business and encourage each team member to stay local, shop local.

On behalf of the MAHC team, I also want to offer my deepest appreciation to our communities for your unwavering support in 2020. Season’s greetings from my family to yours and best wishes for a safe holiday season and a prosperous and healthy New Year.

Take it from Us and Do Your Part to #StopTheSpread

Earlier this year, our collective sacrifices helped flatten the curve of COVID-19. But the growing case count is a warning that our hard-won progress is slipping away. Our collective commitment to containing the virus is particularly critical given the steep increase in daily positive cases, growing number of hospitalizations and limited acute care capacity. Each of us once again needs to do our part and work together to help fight the second wave. Now more than ever we need to follow public health measures and make appropriate decisions for our own safety and the safety of others, especially those most vulnerable.

For months now our health care teams at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare have been working tirelessly on the front lines to keep our patients and our greater communities safe. With lived experience they see the pandemic through different eyes. Through this month’s blog, we are raising awareness of the need for everyone to be ‘COVID-conscious’ and play an active part in preventing the further spread of COVID-19. Many have come forward to share the everyday practical choices they’re making and decisions they have made personally to protect others from COVID-19. They challenge you to join them in taking the pledge to #StoptheSpread.

Rebecca, a Registered Practical Nurse tells us, “all public health measures have been followed. We are trying to stop the spread of COVID-19 by keeping social circles small, limiting exposure by not going to restaurants or making unnecessary shopping trips, and by wearing masks when social distancing is not an option.”

Mary Ellen from the Laboratory says, “My family followed Ontario Public Health guidelines when my father who was in long-term care passed away in August during COVID-19. We had to limit the number of people who could attend the funeral mass and they had to submit their names and be put on a list and be placed in fixed seating spaces. No hugging was allowed and physical distancing was followed. Every person who attended was required to wear a mask or face covering.”

Dr. John Simpson tells us: “Deciding not to spend time with any family this Thanksgiving was a really tough decision – one our family made this year to help #StoptheSpread. An extended family video chat and a 'Thanksgiving Trivia Challenge' proved to be a lot of fun instead and may become a yearly tradition too. My little sister even sent a Tim Hortons card
to the winner! Yah! Video chats, online trivia and silly online games with friends, and sharing funny texts and messages with family and friends has helped keep my teens and my family connected! Donning a fun scrub cap along with our daily mask and outfit at work helps to lighten the mood of our new work reality. It also reminds others to be careful with everything we touch, sanitize and wash our hands lots, and to transition to clean clothes with any transition away from work. The fun caps have helped the 'not so great hairdos' of COVID as well. It’s fun being 'corn head', 'brain boy', 'carrot top'... you get the idea. Helping to #StoptheSpread is a great message to pass on and constantly challenge us all! Join with mine and yours!”

Liz in Administration says, “Zoom is in! Visits with friends and family outside of my bubble are out! There’s a part of me that still can’t fathom this is happening. I miss the spontaneity of life. I’ve had to adapt to new ways of creating meaningful times while keeping myself and others safe. It’s been a tough ride but I know if we all do our part we can curtail the second wave. Nature has become my solace.”

Adrienne, a Ward Clerk, explains: “I avoid high-risk activities such as non-essential travel, dining out, going to the movies, going to the gym and getting my hair cut.”

Allison, an Executive Assistant says, “I subscribe to a workout app so that I can exercise in the comfort and safety of my own home. I do my workouts virtually to protect my friends and family. It is important for all of us to take the time for ourselves each day to stay healthy physically and mentally during these stressful and anxious times.”

Dr. Jennifer Macmillan shares: “I have been consistently wearing a mask in all public spaces, at work and in the community. I perform hand hygiene prior to and following every patient assessment. We have converted our hospital committee meeting to a Zoom meeting monthly. We have converted the annual general meeting of the Ontario Association of General Surgeons to a virtual meeting. I strongly encourage my teenagers to be compliant with mask wearing and with hand hygiene every day, not just in school. I have spoken with them about the importance of these measures. Even if they think they will not become ill from COVID-19, they put the whole family at risk (including grandparents), and they compromise my ability to work, which also has significant implications for the patients in our community as well as the nursing staff at the hospital.”

Nurses Lesley-Anne, Kathy and Angela tell us: “Outside of work and inside work we social distance!”

Dr. Kristen Jones explains: “I wear a mask every day, carry hand wash in my purse/car/pocket and minimize the number of people I see in person. There are a lot more phone calls and Zoom calls. My family has cancelled many gatherings including Easter, August long weekend and Thanksgiving. We stay in more often so we have been playing lots of board games!”

Our health care heroes continue to be vigilant in the fight against COVID-19 and remain committed to #StopTheSpread of the virus, and more stories will be featured on our Facebook page (follow us @MAHCHospitals). Together, we encourage our communities to re-commit to following strict public health measures, such as wearing a face covering, frequent handwashing, physical distancing and limiting personal contact.

You, too, can take the pledge to #StoptheSpread by visiting www.ontariocovidpledge.ca.