Join the celebration Recognizing individuals and groups who care about Muskoka and its residents NOMINATION DEADLINE Friday, August 19 3rd Annual Gala Dinner Presentation Friday, September 23, <strong>2011</strong> at The Rosseau, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa Presented by For details on how you can nominate or participate in The Muskoka Awards, visit our websites: www.muskokamagazine.<strong>com</strong> | www.whatsupmuskoka.<strong>com</strong> 705-646-1314
Alleviating the health care crunch Article by Karen Wehrstein Some bold and creative steps are being taken to <strong>com</strong>bat the shortage <strong>of</strong> health care personnel in Muskoka. But the problem isn’t <strong>com</strong>pletely solved yet, and leaders in the field are continuing to explore new options. Dr. David Mathies, who was chief <strong>of</strong> staff for Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare until <strong>July</strong> 1, says the doctor shortage is well on the way to being alleviated. “We’re not in that bad shape in Muskoka,” he says, making educated guesses that <strong>Huntsville</strong> is short one family physician and Bracebridge short two. “We are anticipating, looking at the demographics <strong>of</strong> the doctor population. There are more older physicians in Bracebridge than in <strong>Huntsville</strong>; I anticipate soon they’re going to want to hang up their stethoscopes and go on to another part <strong>of</strong> life.” More doctors are always needed in summer, he notes, since they tend to take summer vacations while at the same time the seasonal population creates greater demand for care. Both hospitals in Muskoka are actively recruiting internal medicine specialists, he notes, and with the aging population, a geriatric specialist is needed in Bracebridge. Mathies gives credit to Ontario establishing the program HealthForceOntario a few years ago as a recruiting and job hunting tool for the entire province. But perhaps more importantly, the government provides perks to physicians who locate in rural areas, for which Muskoka qualifies. A new doctor locating in Bracebridge will receive $94,000, and in <strong>Huntsville</strong>, more than $100,000. What might help most <strong>of</strong> all is more newly graduated doctors <strong>com</strong>ing into the system. “Medical schools have ramped up enrolment in the past few years, and there’s quite a few more physicians <strong>com</strong>ing on stream now,” says Mathies. “I think five years from now we’ll be looking at a doctor shortage as a thing <strong>of</strong> the past.” An educational initiative directly aimed at <strong>com</strong>bating the province-wide problem <strong>of</strong> doctor shortages in northern rural areas is the Northern Ontario School <strong>of</strong> Medicine, established in 2005, which specifically trains medical students to orient their practices towards northern <strong>com</strong>munities. According to Sue Featherston, site administrative co-ordinator for the school’s programs in <strong>Huntsville</strong> and Bracebridge, two new grads <strong>of</strong> the programs will be setting up practices in Muskoka soon – a trend likely to continue. Two years ago, the study <strong>com</strong>missioned by the District <strong>of</strong> Muskoka pointed out some alarming trends. First <strong>of</strong> all, according to Muskoka Cares: Muskoka Health Sector Labour Market Research Photograph:Tim Lum Nurse practitioner Christine Fitchett examines a patient at the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital Site while nurse practitioner student Cheryl Dove observes. Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare has a new mentorship program for graduate nurses. 2009, the shortage is not confined to Muskoka or even Ontario, but happening across the country. It is caused by the <strong>com</strong>bination <strong>of</strong> an aging population requiring more care, and an aging health care provider population, heading for retirement. But it promises to be worse in Muskoka due to a concentration <strong>of</strong> age 65-plus residents – 20 per cent as <strong>com</strong>pared to 14 percent throughout the province. The study found the nursing field in Muskoka was six per cent understaffed, and interviews revealed health care organizations were having trouble recruiting new staff, possibly due to low or disparate pay rates, shift work, irregular hours and extended hours. Perhaps most alarming, the study found that over half <strong>of</strong> Muskoka’s health care force was over 45, and 48 per cent <strong>of</strong> them could be retired within 10 years. “We’ve got some unique challenges in Muskoka, such as a high summer population, so that we have to staff our health care system a lot more over the high summer months,” says Jean Broere, manager <strong>of</strong> <strong>com</strong>munity programs with the district. “Our geography makes it challenging for some health care folks; there’s so much travel for personal support workers and nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.” As well, she notes, housing costs in Muskoka are high for a rural area, and finding jobs is difficult for spouses <strong>of</strong> health care workers. “When families move up here,” she says, “it’s a bit <strong>of</strong> a challenge, finding work in other fields.” A more recent study conducted by the Simcoe-North Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) found a shortage <strong>of</strong> people for clinical and administrative leadership positions in the health care field. “A lot <strong>of</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essionals have retired earlier than normal, so that succession hasn’t happened,” says Susan Plewes, director <strong>of</strong> integrated health system design for the LHIN. Both this and the nursing shortage, she says, were predictable. “We had a purge <strong>of</strong> clinical nurses because the retirement age was lowered to 55,” she says. “I am a nurse, and I remember the day very well. A lot <strong>of</strong> my colleagues left the pr<strong>of</strong>ession. It was predicted that by 2010, frontline care and leadership would be in short supply. That prediction came true. There are a lot <strong>of</strong> <strong>com</strong>peting occupations that allow them full-time work in technical areas – meaning no shift work – that may be more attractive.” Robert Hughes is the director <strong>of</strong> human resources and organizational effectiveness for Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, which manages the two hospitals in Muskoka along with other services. “There’s definitely a shortage that has occurred and is occurring, and it’s probably only going to get worse in the future,” he says. “When a vacancy <strong>com</strong>es up in positions like speech/language pathologist, diagnostic technologist, lab technologist, registered nurse or registered practical nurse, it be<strong>com</strong>es difficult to fill. People are not waiting at the door.” It can take weeks to fill those vacancies, Hughes says, and the gaps are covered by existing staff. “We have amazing people here at MAHC. When the calls go out they <strong>com</strong>e in and work long hours and pick up extra shifts, and really pitch in for the kind <strong>of</strong> health care we can provide here.” But initiatives such as the two-semester personal support worker program available at Georgian College’s Muskoka Campus are helping. According to Broere, the shortage <strong>of</strong> personal support workers in the region has mostly been alleviated. Meanwhile, Georgian College and Nipissing University both <strong>of</strong>fer various continuing education courses for health care workers, which is always www.whatsupmuskoka.<strong>com</strong> <strong>July</strong> <strong>2011</strong> 5
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