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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-03-21, Page 5Lgclmow SentineI, Wedn..day,y March 21, 1979—Page 5 Councillors: don't want beds closed Lucknow village council discussed the hospital issue at their March meeting when Councillor Ab Murray who had attended a meeting of area muncipal representatives in Wingham reported on the meeting to council. The meeting in Wingham on March 7 was to form a steering committee to create an action group tb deal with the surrounding district's fight to keep the provincial government from closing beds at Wingham and District Hospital. A publicity committee and a letter ,writing committee were struck and a brief is to be prepared to, send to parliament under the. direction of Bert Morin. Councillor Murray told council Bruce and Huron counties have an average of 18 per cent of their population over the age of 65. The provincial agerage is 8.5 per cent. Murray also stated the number of chronic ill in our area is :a percentage of 18.5 while the provincial average is only 8.5 per cent. Murray said he did not believe the Ministry of Health should reduce the number of active treatment beds in Bruce and Huron, unless they were willing to provide the money to create nursing home beds for these people, Reeve Geotge Joynt said he was not Choosing sides in. the, dispute. He ' said he thinks there are .too many people in hospital who should be innursing homes because it is cheaper to care for long term patients in a nursing home than in a hospital. Councillor 'Murray said he agreed but there are not enough.. nursing home beds in Huron and Bruce to accommodate all the chronically ill. "'There isn't a nursing home in this area. that isn't busting at the seams, and the government hasn't promised there will be money to build more nursing homes;" said Murray. "I think they should provide the nursing home beds for these people before they take away the hospital beds. Otherwise these people are going to be out in the street," he added. Reeve Joynt remarked that one way to reduce the health costs in the province would Members of the Porter Commission on Electric Power Planning listen intently to briefs presented on Monday night during the first day of three days of public hearings; in Wingham.... Dr. Porter, centre, and his commission were told farmers in Huron would not tolerate a transmission line built through Huron or the locating of a power plant in this area. Members of the organization CANTDU also addressed the commission. Fran McQuail, West Wawanosh, was a member of thlspanel.. [Sentinel Staff Photo] We Have a New Shipment of Calculators From Texas' Instruments, Innovators in Personal Electronics Save Time and Frustration Preparing Income Tax, Come in and See The New Models Sepoy Stationery & Printing Lucknow Phone 528.2919 be to cut down on the number of pills --zprescribed to senior citizens who receive their drugs free of charge. "Once these people get to a certain age, they think they need that pilland this, pill and another pill," said Joynt, He repeated that he believed the chronically ill should be cared for in nursing homes rather than hospitals because it is the , r. Councillor 'Bill Crump arnrOnted he thinks "They (Ontario Ministry of Health) are just trying to closeour hospitals." They will close more and more beds, said Crump until the hospitals cannot run efficiently and then they will tell small hospitals they are not viable and they have to close. "They tried to close our hospitals. two years amigo and we wouldn't. let them so now they're trying to do the same thing, but they're going about it in a different way," he said. . o answers council's chargesof inefficiency... CONTINUED FROM P. 1 an old line," said Murray referring to the four power interruptions in 1979 .caused by electrical storms damaging equipment. These outages were half the interruptions during the year. Three others were due to yehicles hitting poles andone was pre- aranged to relocate circuits. Murray commented it's all water under the bridge now, but added the transformer did not get to Lucknow on February 10 until 11.00 p.m. The power had been off seven hours by .then. "It could have been here. in ✓, hour from Hanover," he noted). Council is dissatisfied because the power outages cost them money and they cannot retrieve a dime from Ontario Hydro for the cost. . Wingham PUC was called in on February 10 to assist the local hydro system restore power to the village. When Hydro restored power at ,the substation the surge of power was floodii:g the local 'system and blowing fuses. "We're expected to pay an energy bill to Ontario Hydro of $205,000, no questions asked," said Murray. Every time a car hits a pole, Ontaro Hydro gets the money for their pole, he. said. "We're likely on the hook with Wingham PUC for $5001to $600 and we can't retrieve a thing." We'd Like To Recommend a Fine Retail Florist . Just ` Around The Corner: US!! Thats Right,. us, Remember Bride to be, beautiful flowers are §o important. And so is your choice of florist. We are confident that every wish will be carefully followed and that ,our designers will provide exactly the effect you, want. Won't you `place your plans in our care If you want fresh flowers we have .them;' dried flowers? we have them too. SILK FLOWERS, of course, truly an unforgettable memento. 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