HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-04-04, Page 29To retain. beds
ospital switches to bi.ilin
Wingham and District Hospital has
switched to an alternative method of funding
its operation" according to a .story which
appeared in the Wingham Advance -Times
on Wednesday, April 4. The Advance -Times
report said beginning April 1, the hospital.
began billing the Ontario .Health Insurance
Plan (DRIP) for treatment of individual
patients, but the new method should not cost
Patients anything extra for treatment in
Wingham,
The billing is a possible way of getting
around the bed cuts ordered by the Ontario
health ministry. Wingham and District
Hospital was to have closed 14 beds on April
1 but the hospital's board of governors has
decided to fight the government's regula-
tion. The hospital had $168,000 stripped
from this year's budget because they were to
have closed the 14 beds, considered surplus
by the health ministry.
The hospital financed its operation
•
previously through a'global budget based on
its operating costs for the previous year. The
global .figure set the "bottom line' for. the .
hospital's operation at the beginning of the
year and OH1P was not billed for treatment
of individual patients.
The Advance -Times story goes on to say
before the ministry introduced the .practice
of global budgeting a few years ago,
hospitals in Ontario were funded on a "fee
for service" basis. Apparently, the ministry'
never closed the door on the possibility of
returning to this type of funding. By
reverting to fee for service funding, the ,
hospital could keep all 100 beds open so long
as they were in .use sufficiently to keep the
money coming.
Norman Hayes, executive director of the
hospital told the Wingham paper on April 2
the hospital is still negotiating the basis of
its funding with the health ministry and the
final dec..ision may be knownthis week.
Representatives of the .hospital and an, action
committee .of concerned citizens presented a
brief to the health minister, Dennis Timbrell
over a.week ago. The board and the
committee were meeting with Timbrell in
Toronto vesterday.
Mr. Hayes told the Advance -Times on
Monday he was very optimistic about the
outcome of the meeting with Timbrell. The
results of the meeting and the ministry's
de'cision may possibly be revealed by the.
board at their meeting tonight.
Even if thehospital continues, charging a
fee for services, patients need not worry they
would be expected to pay for treatment. The
hospital would continue to bill OHIP for all
services covered under the insurance plan
while patients or private insurers would
continue to pick up the tab for suchextras as......
semi private accommodation.
- 28 . PAGES
Isn'fit. spring?
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1979
Single C®pi 25c
er comes back
Winter tookone more nasty swipe 'at
southwestern Ontario on Friday, April 6 and
it proved to be the big blow of the season.
Gale force winds reaching speeds of 100
kilometres -an hour at times raised, •roofs,
uprooted trees;andbIw do power lines.
In the 24 hour period between 6 p.m.
Thursday and 6 p.m. • Friday, the area
received 31 centimetres. of .new snow as
Winter . returned :with a vengeance..
. In Lucknow, trees were uproote and. the
roof of Montgomery Motors gara$e was
raised. Windows on, the'. north side of
, .Ashfield Presbyterian Church .were blown.
out. Sheets of steelile `onKthe roof of the new
Co-op Store. and Warehouse afterconstrue
tion was completed, blewacross the parking
lot wrapping' itself around hydro poles. Some
of the steel .was blown across County Road 1
into the yard of Helm Welding Ltd,
•
•
•
Ontario Hydro worked through Friday •
night to restore power to some . 4,000
customers in this . area. Power was off
between Port . Elgin and Am;berley. Local
trouble spots in Lucknow were handled by
the . Lucknow Hydro crew who restored
power to several parts of the village. Power
in the' town of Orangeville was not restored
until Sunday:
Turn to page 4 '
Winter last hurrah.
Winter waited until spring to lash out with the worst storm of the season. Gale
force winds which reached speeds of 100 Idlometres an hour at times brought
southern Ontario to itsknees on Friday. Blowing snow created whiteouts in
Lucknow and surrounding area on Friday and visibility on highways throughout
the southern portion of the province was nil. Many highways were closed and
storm canditiuns hampered .Ontario Hydro crews who worked to restore power
where lines, had been blown down. Parts of Lucknow were without power for.
some time on Friday and the street lights remained off during the night: The
worst damage in the area was to Montgomery Motors where the roof was lifted
and to Ashfield Presbyterian Church where windows were blown out:::7
• (Sentinel Staff Photb]
This 1903 wedding gown belonged. to
Elsie • Houston's . mother, Margaret
Taylor. The gown was one of the oldest
featured in the spring,. fashion show
sponsored by the Lucknow Kinettes.
Turn to page I4• ,
Juveniles lose.
The Lucknow Juveniles facea sudden
death situation when they return 'to
Godfrey. this weekend to continue their
all Ontario finals series. After losing
both games to Godfrey last weekend,;
the local team must win Friday's game
;in Godfrey to take the best out of five
series.
The Lucknow Midgets' return to
Marmora to continue their point series
in the all Ontario finals this Friday. The
locals' won a game and tiedone in
Marmora last weekend. They will play
in Lucknow on Saturday at 1 p.m,
Turn`to page 11 •
Company
Triplet goats are rare but on the
Gordon Drennan Jr. farm in Ashfield,
triplet billy goats were born last week.
Triplets of the same sex and all three
males is really exceptional.
Turn to page 10 •