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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-11-23, Page 7Huron East reluctant to support hospice steering committee until report naming site for 10 beds is released Shaun Gregory Huron Expositor Huron County is a prime location for 10 new residential hospice beds due to the area's aging population, said Kathy O'Reilly, co-chair Huron County Hos- pice Palliative Care Steering Commit- tee, and she is looking for Huron East's support. However, Huron East is not willing to support the steering committee until a report by an external consultant on where in the two counties the beds should be located is completed. Earlier this year, it was announced that out of the province's 2016 budget, $75 million was to be put towards 200 hospice beds over a three-year period with Huron Perth earmarked for 10 of them. O'Reilly spoke to council Nov 15 ask- ing the municipality to form a partner- ship with the committee. "What [does] that looks like? It could be anything from financial support or it could be snow ploughing," she request from council. For now, Brad Knight, CAO of Huron East, made it clear that council will under no circumstances move forward until the report is completed. Even then, he said the municipality might not enter into a partnership. He said O'Reilly's PowerPoint pres- entation was very good however the councillors may not "revisit" this request in the future. Huron East voted to file the informa- tion as received. However, while one municipality steps aside until the appropriate requested conditions are met, the ques- tion of where the beds will go is still being asked in Huron County and the encircling areas. And for many of these communities an answer as to their future location can't come soon enough as, according to O'Reilly's presentation to Huron East council, Huron County has the highest hospital deaths in the region. The presentation, which featured statis- tics from the South West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), also stated that the county sits first in terms of nurs- ing home supported deaths (31 per cent), quite a difference in comparison to the low 15 per cent in London but not too far from Perth's 24 per cent. Along with that data, in 2015, the South West LHIN partnered up with the Hospice Palliative Care Network in an undertaken known as the "Capacity Plan," an imple- mentation to better comprehend what places need such care. In a detailed interview with the South West LHIN Nov. 17, the Expositor has learned that Huron County as a whole was labelled as a "top priority" for this new health investment. In a similar standpoint as Huron East, Michael Barrett, CEO of SWLHIN says they are also waiting for this report to be available, which he expects to be released in early 2017. "We need to identify to where the most appropriate place for that invest- ment (is). It's not putting one bed in each community, there needs to be enough beds together, to make sure you get the right efficiencies and capacity to deliver that care," explained Barrett about the 10 beds with no specific loca- tion as well as the other four anticipated to land in Grey -Bruce. From recent conversations, Barrett said one of the most significant issues revolving around this topic is whether or not these groups can afford the beds. He said they will be funding $105,000 per year per bed. This includes front line nurses and personal support. The community must fully fund all the other necessities such as medical supplies, equipment, furniture and spiritual care. These funds, he suspects, must be raised annually from dona- tions. As well the community would need to pay for any capital costs required for further construction. From O'Reilly's presentation, this could add an extra $223,000 for three beds a year. However, a 10 -bed facility would be cheaper, Barrett said. The closest three residential hospices are: the 10 beds in London, the 10 beds in Woodstock and eight in Owen Sound. Now, since they are aware of which zones across their boundaries are in demand Barrett says the final decision after the report is finished lies in the hands of the regional LHIN board. Wednesday, November 23, 2016 • Huron Expositor 7 seaforthhuronexpositor.com I Celebrate Incredible. Help us recognize the junior citizens who make our communities better. Nominate someone age 6-17 for a 2016 Ontario Junior Citizen Award! Annaleise Carr, 2012 and 2014 Ontario Junior Citizen, Simcoe, ON At 14, Annaleise Carr was the youngest person ever to swim across Lake Ontario. Two years later, Annaleise swam across Lake Erie. Combined these efforts raised awareness and hundreds of thousands of dollars for Camp Trillium, a family camp for children with cancer. Her book, Annaleise Carr: How I Conquered Lake Ontario to Help Kids Battling Cancer, inspires others to take on great challenges and help their fellow citizens. Do you know someone who is involved in worthwhile community service, is contributing while living with a limitation, has performed an heroic act, demonstrates individual excellence, or is going above and beyond to help others? If so, nominate them today! Nominations are open until November 30, and nomination forms are available from this newspaper, and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association at www.ocna.org or 416-923-7724 ext. 4439. ocna Newspapers AseodaWn ONTARIO JUNIOR CITIZEN AWARDS Sponsored by: 1D