Town of Gravenhurst Renews $10,000 funding commitment for physician recruitment

In all, municipalities fund the MAOHT by nearly $100,000 yearly

Gravenhurst Council agreed to renew its funding commitment for physician recruitment, in the August 12, 2025, meeting.

The Town initially committed to contributing $10,000 to the Muskoka Almaguin Ontario Health Team (MAOHT) Health Human Resources (HHR) Task Force for a 3-year term, however, it expires this December.

The decision is in line with other area municipalities that agreed to contribute as well, including $25,000 from Bracebridge, $25,000 from Huntsville, $5,000 from Lake of Bays, and $25,000 from the District of Muskoka, according to the MAOHT report.

They added that upper-level government also “announced investments of $1.85 billion over the next 5 years to create new and expanded primary care teams through the work of Dr. Jane Philpott and the Primary Care Action Team (PCAT).”

The local municipal funding contributions will go toward recruitment efforts and physician funding said the MAOHT.

They added that building trust and getting physicians what they need to stay long-term are key factors.

MAOHT Recruiter, David Gravell, said that his vast experience “provides a pipeline of candidates, engagement, and collaboration,” including working with and pooling resources with other recruiters across the province.

He added that it takes 6 to 8 months to recruit a full-time doctor to establish a practice. 

According to their report, patient service concerns include 13,000 people on the waitlist for south Muskoka, and 5,176 for Huntsville and area, 1,325 for Health Care Connect, and 650 for Burk’s Falls.

Another concern reported is the number of Family Doctors and Nurse Practitioners retiring soon, with 26% of doctors having been in practice for over 30 years, and 18% of nurses over 20 years.

They add that success in the region so far in 2024-25 includes “15 new family physicians and nurse practitioners joined practices with MAOHT.”

Mayor, Heidi Lorenz, said, “We appreciate all the work… We’re getting there.”