HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1996-11-27, Page 1VOL. 123 WK. 48
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1996
65' INCLUDES G.S.T.
Swift reaction to DHC restructuring options
by Margaret Stapleton
Local reaction to last
week's release of three
restructuring options for
hospitals in Huron and
Perth has been swift and
sure with a call to area
citizens to rally behind
Wingham and District
Hospital (WDH).
An emergency meet-
ing of the board of gov-
ernors at WDH has been
called for this Thursday
evening to fully brief
members on the District
Health Council's restruc-
turing options.
As well, a citizens'
action committee was
formed earlier this week
and will be hosting a
series of public meetings
to inform those in the
catchment area of the
Wingham hospital exact-
ly what they stand to
lose.
Verna Steffler, a
spokesman for the action
committee, said the six
meetings will, be held
prior to Dec. 12, the day
the DHC is holding an
open house at Sacred
Heart Church in
Wingham.
Lloyd Koch, executive
director at Wingham and
District Hospital, calls all
three options "flawed"
and says any of `tie three,
if implemented, will
mean major changes in
the delivery of health
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!Tree lighting is Friday
A
AOnce again the local Camber of hang their ornaments.
ACommerce is hosting the official For the second year, the tree will
A Christmas tree lighting as the prelude be decorated with blue lights as a
to this wonderful time of the year. symbolic gesture to raise awareness
A Everyone is invited to the event of Alzheimer disease.
A this Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the
A And of course, as usual, you will
A post office corner. Children are wel- be treated to hot chocolate to ward off
A come to bring their handmade deco -
A the cold and keep your vocal chords V
A rations to adorn the community tree. V
A There will'te carol singing to add in top shape. A
Ato the ambience as the youngsters Hope to see you there! A
A
A C orrespond with Santa!
A Santa and Mrs. Claus called Pat at Mrs. Claus is busy making nutri- V
AV Sentinel this week and set up a tious meals for Santa and the Elves as 10
A conference call with the Elves, who they are working very hard. A
A were busy in the workshop. Santa asked Pat to, remind the area A
A While Santa says they are really children that they can send their let -
A busy, he said there is still time for all ters to him at: Santa Claus, North V
A the little girls and boys in Lucknow Pole, HOH OHO. Please remember to
A and area to send him their letters. ' to include your full name and address V
A Santa says downsizing did, not V
o, Santa can answer .your letter. Your V
Aaffect the North Fo1e this year and all postage free letter can be dropped off v
his productive workers are churning
Aout special surprises for his friends. at Finlay Decorators or Lucknow A
A The Elves admit things are a little Farm Supply V
Ahectic this time of year, but in the So' far, he and Mrs. Claus do not v
A spirit. of giving, they have not asked have an e-mail address. Maybe in A
Afor overtime pay. 2000. A
A V
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Santa parade theme set
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During the conference call, Santa
confirmed that he has booked Friday
evening, Dec. 6 for his and Mrs.
Claus' big visit to the Sepoy Village:
He just loves the night time parades
with all the lights and sometimes
great big flakes of snow.
Santa said he will be on time for
the 7:15 p.m. parade because
Rudolph has his hooves reshod and is
in tip top shape for the long trip.
Mrs. Claus is really excited about
A.
the "old-fashioned Christmas" theme
for Lucknow's parade this year. Mrs.
Claus talked to Kinsmen Dale
Lougheed earlier and said she under-
stood there were categories for horse
drawn floats, businesses/commercial
and organizations.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will meet
with the children at the sports com-
plex after the parade is over and the
Elves will be handing out treats. And
there's free skating too!
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care locally.
All three options call
for secondary hospitals
in Stratford and
Goderich. Under the def-
inition of service group-
ings, secondary hospitals
provide full services,
including acute-care
beds, emergency,
surgery, clinics and labo-
ratory.
In a telephone inter-
view Monday, Koch said,
"It is apparent that
Stratford and
Goderich have f One-quarter QJl'
gotten together
Although no hospitals
in Huron or Perth are tar-
geted for closure, the
DHC study suggests that
Clinton, Exeter and St.
Marys become primary
care centres, providing
emergency services only
with no acute-care beds.
In a worse -case scenario,
hospitals in Wingham or
Listowel face the same
fate.
Koch said hospital
administration have
the health ministry
merges different health
councils, for example
Huron -Perth with Bruce -
Grey.
"We believe our phi-
losophy of adding as
many specialty services
onsite in order to reduce
the need of patients to
travel to London is
important to the commu-
nity,," says Koch.
All three options
reduce, not enhance, the
level of service
pall provided at
WD "f the
to try to control at ,VDII come from study is to
major services achieve the
for the rest of Lucknow or Teeswater goal of
the counties and
that doesn't repre-
sent where citizens feel
services should be pro-
vided."
Under options one and
three, Listowel and
Seaforth would become
primary hospitals with
acute and chronic beds.
Wingham and Seaforth
would be primary hospi-
tals under option number
two and option number
three proposes that
Wingham be as primary
hospital with its focus on
chronic care and rehabili-
tation.
major concerns about the
alternatives. Under the
proposals, emergency
surgery and obstetrical
services at WDH would
be elinlinated.
The study is flawed
because it only looked at
Huron and Perth coun-
ties, says Koch. One-
quarter of patients at
WDH. come from Bruce
County, either from
Teeswater or Lucknow.
"This is not provided .for
in the plan," adds Koch,
but may be addressed if
improving
health care, it
can't increase the dis-
tance people have to go
for service."
Letters of support for
the hospital have been
sent to the DHC and
Huron MPP Helen Johns
from _ the Mennonite
community and Wescast
Industries in Wingham,
but more public input is
needed if an impact is to
be made on the DHC.
"We encourage the pub-
lic to come out, en masse
(to the Dec. 12 open
*turn to page 6
Julie Hamilton looks pretty starry-eyed as she gets Platers defenceman
Joel Dezainde to sign her autograph book. The Platers were in town last
week for a practice session and took time after to greet local players.
Julie plays centre with the Nightmares. (Livingston photo)