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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-04-23, Page 12A meeting aimed at clarifying the Seaforth healthcare system and dispelling some myths was held last week, featuring presentations from all 13 pieces of the system’s puzzle. After the Seaforth hospital announced its emergency department’s hours would be cut in half, questions arose in the community regarding the state of the hospital and which organization was accountable for which aspect of the town’s healthcare. With the hospital’s emergency department being the only one in Ontario carrying part-time hours, citizens were wondering how long this would last and if the hospital might close. There were also questions of accountability and representation after Huron East council was privy to the news of the reduction in hours at the same time the general public was, without having been consulted. Guides were handed out to the standing-room-only crowd with a detailed description of each committee, its chair, its meeting schedule as well as its mandate. Nearly all of Huron East council was present for the meeting, in addition to Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb and a representative for MPP Carol Mitchell. Presentations and descriptions were given from the Huron-Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA), the Seaforth Hospital Local Advisory Committee (LAC), the Seaforth Community Hospital Foundation (SCHF), the Seaforth Community Hospital Trust (SCHT), the Seaforth Community Hospital Auxiliary (SCHA), the Huron East/Seaforth Community Development Trust (SCDT), the Huron East/Brussels Community Development Trust (BCDT), the Huron East Health Centre Management Committee (HEHCMC), the Huron Community Family Health Team of Seaforth (HCFHT), the Gateway Rural Health Research Institute, Healthkick, Healthcare Recruitment and Retention and the Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN). Each group’s representative explained how their organization contributes to Seaforth’s overall healthcare picture and answered questions after the presentations. One of the most prominent issues was the reduction in hours. According to the decision-makers, hours were reduced due to a staffing issue with emergency department nurses. There has been no change in the status of this situation, said HPHA chief executive officer Andrew Williams. He said that while the Seaforth hospital, as well as the whole alliance is actively recruiting, the nursing shortage is something that is affecting all of Ontario, and most of Canada. In addition, he said, rural areas, have been hit the hardest with the shortage. The shortage can’t be fixed with money, that it’s just a matter of too many retirements and too few new nurses coming into the province, Williams said. “Lots of facilities are literally one nurse away from being in the same position we’re in,” he said. Williams couldn’t offer an immediate solution, but when looking into the future, he said that duplication of services within the alliance would be something that would need further examination. “I think eventually we should be looking into having specialities at each site,” Williams said. “We can better our service distribution and stop duplication of services. We are going to have to be quite creative.” In addition to being creative, Williams pressed the point of change. He said that the alliance is largely working with healthcare systems from the 1950s, which need to be adapted for 2009 and beyond. Williams said the recruiting field, despite the fact that it’s for healthcare, is very competitive. This is where rural areas need to adapt and update their strategies, he said. Graduates are coming out of school with very specific specializations in mind, he said, which could lead to hospitals having to turn down prospective employees if it doesn’t have that specific department. However, when asked about the division of assets throughout the alliance in the case of a Seaforth hospital closure, Williams said he could follow up and consult a legal professional, but that the topic has never come up. Closing the hospital, so far, has not been an option, he added. There were some questions regarding the transparency of some of the organizations, specifically the SCHT, which has four members and closed meetings. However, the group’s books, which were in question by a citizen, are in the process of being audited and the trust’s year-end financial statement is available at its year-end meeting. There was also a concern about the Seaforth hospital opting out of the HPHA. Williams explained the procedure that would be necessary if that was the decision of the SCHT and the SCHF, and said that it was indeed possible, if that was what they wanted. PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009. Morning Star Rebekah Lodge held its regular meeting on Tuesday,April 14 in the basement of Melville Presbyterian Church, Brussels. Sister Sharon Freeman, Noble Grand, presided for the meeting. Fourteen members were present. The church service will be Sunday, April 19 at Brucefield United Church. A donation is to be made to Brussels Fire Department. Social time followed closing ceremonies. Morning Star Rebekahs donate to fire department Perception It was all about perception, said Michael “Pinball” Clemons, and looks can be deceiving. Clemons was in Huron County, speaking in Goderich, but first in Clinton at St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School and asked students, when standing next to one of their teachers, Christopher Grace, who they would think was the football player. Clemons spoke on several topics, including being proud of who you are and how to live each day to its fullest. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Meeting tries toclarify healthcarein Seaforth area This week the Auburn United Church Women met in the church basement on Monday, April 13. The hostesses for the meeting were Shirley Andrews, Teresa Roetcisoender and Margaret Bakker. The guest speaker was Sandy Herbison, who spoke about her recent trip to China. Sandy brought along many pictures of the places she visited, including items she collected on her travels. She spoke about how different the communist country was and gave insight into the troubles of communicating with people because of the language barrier. The Auburn Women’s Institute held a meeting on Thursday, April 16 at 12:30 p.m. with 14 members and four guests in attendance. A potluck meal was enjoyed by all. The minutes of the last meeting were read followed by the treasurer’s report and card report. Jean Fraser, president of West Huron District installed the new officers for the coming year. The West Huron District Annual meeting will be held on May 25 at the OMAFRA office in Clinton. The theme will be, Forward Together. This week Huron Chapel Evangelical Missionary Church was filled with the sound of Article One, a Christian band from London, Ontario. The sanctuary was filled with both the young and young at heart coming out to hear the popular band to start off the missions weekend at Huron Chapel. Get-well wishes are extended to William Anderson who is a patient in the hospital at Newmarket. The annual meeting of the Auxiliary to the Clinton Public Hospital was held on April 6. Peggy Menzies installed the new executive that included Linda Dunford, president and Ann MacLean, vice-president. Twenty committee chairs were also installed. Two new committees were formed, one of the Irish stew luncheon and another for the newsletter. CHP benefitted from the 11,012 volunteer hours given by the auxilians this past year. Larry Zaleski was presented with a cheque for $15,000 for the CPH Foundation. The regular meeting which followed gave details of upcoming events such as the Card Cavalcade in Blyth, Swing into Spring, HAAO conference in Wingham on April 27, Tag day on May 8, yard sale on May 23, hot dog days on June 26 and 27 and volunteer appreciation day April 28. Speaker, Janice deBoer, registered dietician, gave an interesting talk to keep everyone up to date on this aspect of healthy living. The next meeting date is Monday, May 4 at 10 a.m. in the CPH conference room. Clinton Public Hospital St. Marys Memorial Hospital Seaforth Community Hospital Stratford General Hospital HURON PERTH HEALTHCARE ALLIANCE Volunteer Opportunities Alliance Board of Directors: • one Director from the catchment area served by the Clinton Public Hospital, and • one Director from outside the City of Stratford who resides in the catchment area served by Stratford General Hospital. You must be prepared to commit your time and energy to the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance business and offer a good community perspective on health care issues. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit the Alliance’s Website www.hpha.ca and attend the information Session as follows: Information Session Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2009 Time: 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Location: Conference Room Clinton Public Hospital Clinton, Ontario Please RSVP to Brenda Mitchell, 519-272-8205 or by e-mail at brenda.mitchell@hpha.ca if you plan to attend. Information Packages and an Application Form will be available at the Information Session. By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen By AnyaScottCall 526-1111PEOPLE AROUND AUBURN ON $6.00 THURSDAYS Drop into either of our offices any Thursday with your word classified (maximum 20 words) and pay only $6.00 + GST (paid in advance). That’s $1.00 off regular rates. The Citizen CPH Auxiliary donates $15,000