The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1997-02-05, Page 6Page 6 — Lucknio w Sentinel, 'Wednesday, Fe` nliary 5,199' vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvsovvvvvvvvvvvv to ✓ .:,.,`. n W �1654. :. v.. . Sweetheart /� Leglow M v ar v. w w w ✓ . r Social Donee Feb, eb, i5, 9 - p.m, Music by Black Gold Live l' Lad_ies please ` brie l '�n cb for two �,� w Luntilel5' auctioned at .11:30 p.m. :M Age of:Majority - $5.00 per couple • Everyone Welcome wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww • Kings.., Ulm your ueen. of Hearts' to the .,. aufnir git nraut For. a Lovely Valentine Deal Friday, Feb. 14: For Reservations Call Eng at Licensed under L.L:BO LUCKNOW 528.3952 ** OPen Friday and Saturday nights until 1 p.m. thru. Feb.' 22:• D J &;Iaraoke, limited menu LucKNow ;KINSMEN'S .`11 ' ANNUAL•. IIIA SHBAI� ••,T� U �. 0!URNAMENT and,;_ Saturday; ::Februa 8th,1997 . • at the .Luckno�w Communi Centre 12.3o p.m. (sharp):::- 5:0o ppm. NEW -GAMES : arid • ' possible other eVents • weather.perrriitting • 2n.teams.firstcome • basis Ak L TEAMS MU T 5 MEN- tk 5 WOMEN:.. ,• • Entry Fee: $5 O per: ' , - person, dance included. DANCE .Luctnow Corriruntynr:p;m� Musk'. by: D.J.; • Dance $5:06 per person non -players No minors admlited.to dance, Age of Majority only All proceeds to Community Projects' CONTACT: Barry Smyth 5294422 urso says. task foree • 'sold. out (The following letter to Fraser Bell, chairman of the hl uron Perth District Health Council was submitted for publication), Dear Mr. Bell • 1 would like to express the .angerI felt upon reading the latest restructuring planof the.DHC's task force. The task force SOLD OUT, and Huron County, in particular Alexandra Marine and•General Hospital, loses again: • How did A.M. & O.H.• go from being a secondary hospital in the three options released Nov. 22, 1996 to, becoming a community hospital with .19 fewer beds? I : understand that the initial options were by no means final recommendations, However,. • in the release of that date, the task force stated in their so called "Anchor Assumptions" and "Key Thei nes from consultation with 'the Program Planning task force, that 'Huron and Perth counties will EACH have. a SECONDARY HOS- PITAL, with a minimum' of 60 to 80 acute care beds. Apparently the public should not put, too much trust ii1 anything- the DHC and their task force has to.say. The original options seemed well researched and fair- ly represented both counties. This so-called fourth option is nothing more than a knee-jerk response to the* emotional outcries of the communities that stood to lose the most. Somewhere along, the line •cotmon sense askfbrcechair. Dear editor; I am writing' on behalf • of the . Huron. ` Perth. Hospital' . and Related Health Services Study Task Force to address some of the concerns and questions that we have ,.receivedregarding the task force's preferred option for hospital restructuring. The preferred option is a first step to creating a hospital systeth in Huron Perth that Will be 'respon— sive to ;future challenges. In addition, the preferred option,addresses the prior- ities' identified through the task force. consultation process. Issues•sueh as keeping physicians within comnniunities, keeping, hos- pitat's open, providing immediate access to emer, geney services and consol- idating administration' and governance •were heard and addressed by the task force. In., general we have received support' for the prefrerred option: However, some concerns:. have been• raised regarding the bed distribution, the creation of a single board andthe•time frame that the task force has recotnrnend, ed for the .consolidation of administration;` ' With respect to the spe- cific bed numbers identi- fied, by the task .force,. ;it is • important to note that these numbers are not set in stone. The essence .of the hospitals' proposal• has not been changed by. the. task force The .'distribu-. tion of :programs .and ser., 'vices remains the same as ' that of ,the. hospitals' pro-` posal, ; The ben:numbers iden. tified by the task force were determined based on ' the programs and services that are to be provided in ' each c m a h o muriity, .the cur - relit use of services, popu- • lation that ate to be .pro- • vided in -each community,. the. eurtent.use of services, :population' characteristics. of the communities, and;• the existing strengths cif;. the .eight hospitals.' However, once a: Sys-. tern -has been created, sY s-. tent=wide clinical: pro- gramming will take piace with input from. medical.. staff in' both Huron and Perth counties.. If there is a clinical reason why the bed.nurnbersneeed to shift, this swill' happen.through that process. The task force is rec otnmending .that -a; single senior management team be in place by, September. 1997 to address. the clivi- cal :and operational issues ,of a single.. hospital sys . tem. The task force .recog- : nizes that a single interim should prevail. Several question cofne to mind: 1. How fiscally responsible is it to keep 14 -lied hospitals open.? Buildings stilt have to be maintained and staffed. 2. Why is it that Perth County, with 69,000 people gets a total of 247 beds. and Huron County with a population of 59,000 suffers, a loss of 124 beds, being left with a total: of 159 beds? 1 am not a math:whiz but even'I know this, ratio does not makes sense. 3. Does not the fbu. rth option : serve to,. _in fact, ERODE 'the level of care which, is presently provided in Goderich. .and in Huron County?. 4. Why would specialists locate in Huron• county, ie. Internal .Medicines, Surgery, knowing that thehospitals. cannot provide the facilities which their particular expertise provide? • • • 5. Finally, why consider this option when it is admitted ly only saving approximately 13 per cent and the say- ings av Ings target set by the task force was 20 per cent? The whole think is a travesty .and the DHC would be wise notto simply rubber stamp this option. What is lost shall never be regained. Susan Drennan, Reg N.,`' Emergency Department, • ,Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, Goderich.. . s vers questions hospital ,governance coni- mittee with* delegated responsibility • needs to be struckto.proceed with .the hiring of the • Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the system. . ,It will be important develop. .a governance structure: that can manage hospital services in Huron as a e stem; while recognizing the needs of all. comrinunities TherePerth are manat wayssythat this canbeachieved. ' :A,s proposed: by the hospitals, the ,task force will work collaboratively. with ,the current hospital! boards to identify the appropriate governancestructure for.. the:Huron Perth, hospital system. . As . the Ministry :of. Health wiil,be .withdraw.: iirg significant funding from hospitals over the next two years, ids ,essen _. tial 'that the Huron Perth hospital :system, be in a position to address this funding' challenge. Cost savings can :be :,found in . three ways--. by reducing • 'administration and support service costs, reducing. dollars spent on direct patient care or reducing costs of operating •build- ings. ' in recognition ofeach:. community's • commitment to maintain 'localaccess to services, cost savings 'from restructuring can only collie through administra- t.Ne and support service cuts; and savings in direct patient care," It is' essential that, the hospitals move. quickly to create a single system so that adm.inistra- tine• and 'support, service savings can be achieved in the short-term and cuts. to :patient care rnintinized The Health ,Ser.viees Restructuring .Coininission has indicated that they will have plans developed, for' :all hospitals .withinthe, province, bythe. fall 'of. 10991. Movement toward a single system will demon_ .. titrate. Our communities' commitment ..to. .creating_ a' ;unique rural health care system that .flleets the needs of Huron Perth resin' -dents in.•aneffective and cost-efficient manner.. In order•to• retain all` eight hospitals, the task force be ie'ves that we 'must move ;forward.quick-. ly to create a single system befpre'the Commission review's, the Huron: Perth situation. .The task' •force:. extends their ap�, preciatien to the hospitals for'. their: commitment , to work. together. to 'create a :Huron Perth hospital system, • Janet Hoolc; Chair Hospital: and Related ' ` Health Services Study., Task Force.. It's not if your win or I�se, about having; *from page 5 .' . graph of . a speech Patrick ,wrote for public speaking: "At one time, I Was' afraid of being the worst on the team. Now I .know that no one is ` the worst. We all help out. It ;doesn't matterif we winor lose. The best part of hockey is Having fun" Thank .you, Shawn and Bonnie, for teaching my son one of life's important lessons. ` , Jennifer Miltenburg.