Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-07-12, Page 7Yll VD(01) Affolle oCitorri ,>A216 1163,-)r ntelivaTell VD Cu. le, Bolog alafal 1T-2J:it'd 128, SW.)-Attitt FIREWOOD FOR SALE .111W YOUR LOCAL STORE WITH SAV_ N CS Food Markets Tide Laundry Detergent Lemon or Scented 12 Litre or Ultra Tide 6 Litre Assorted Varieties Scrim eour's Food Market Blyth 523-4551 Green Seedless Grapes Product of U.S.A. No. 1 Grade 2.18 kg "California Grown" Coke or Sprite 2 Litre Bottle Unit Price 5.0/100 ml 750 ml Bottle + Deposit Unit Price 9.2/100 ml McCain Cream Pies Assorted Varieties Frozen 340 g Pkg. Values Effective Monday, July 10 - Sunday, July 16. Saving based on our regular retails. We reserve the right to limit quantities to normal fairilly requirements. Corr)piled by IVIargaret McMahon Phone 887-9250 Community congratulates Ont. Scholarship winners THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 1995. PAGE 7. Wingham Hospital seeks public input for goals By Cameron J. Wood The Advance-Times As Wingham and District Hospital's strategic planning process moved to the public input session last week, those in attendance at the presentation heard how plans were progressing to lead WDH into the next century - and a very real report on why doctor recruitment will continue to be difficult. Pat Pietrek, who delivered the strategic plan to the public members, said the process is a way to formulate a practical method of examining how decisions are made. "It's a process we use to align hospital goals with what is happening in the environment," she said. The process of strategic planning involves seven focus groups: the hospital board, staff, admini- stration, the medical staff, patients, community groups/agencies and the public. Each group participates in the four sector analysis. Input is given on the hospital's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in terms of overall service. Overall, the biggest concern identified by the seven groups is the lack of physicians in the area and access to those who currently do serve WDH. Several are no longer taking on new patients. Dr. B. Hanlon, Medical Chief of Staff at WDH delivered the most disturbing news of the evening, much to the chagrin of others involved in the strategic planning process. Dr. Hanlon said the demands of the public will soon outweigh the ability of service at WDH. Of biggest note was the trend of graduating physicians to shy away from emergency room coverage and obstetrics. He said the majority of claims against practicing doctors come from those two areas and have forced doctors to make harsh decisions about service. Insurance rates for doctors providing ER coverage have also skyrocketted in light of the litigation trends, making it more financially restraini,ig for doctors to provide that service. Dr. Hanlon said the trend of the past 10 years of growing government intervention into the medical practice has left Ontario in dire straits. Add to that the reputation the media has built, physicians no longer want to practice in the province and are leaving for more fertile and friendly grounds. Ontario, unlike other provinces and states, will not provide a billing number to offshore physicians, meaning those who earned a medical degree overseas, in the United States, or even our own nation are not allowed to practice here. The WDH Chief of Staff was solicited to come to Canada from his native Ireland several years ago. That practice changed two years ago under the NDP. Dr. Hanlon struck a few nerves when he went on to say that with the greater number of women graduating from medical school in Ontario, the worse the situation will get. He said the new physicians no longer want to maintain a rural lifestyle and seek the bright lights of the cities. In addition, women, he said, often will follow their spouse in their careers and do not want to work full time. The Chief of Staff made it clear that communities like Wingham will continue to struggle to attract physicians. Communities as such have little to offer, he said, and are too far inland to use the lake as a drawing feature. "Eighty communities in Ontario are looking for doctors, the resources in Wingham are limited as compared to Goderich or Collingwood," he said. Physicians in Listowel, he added, live in Waterloo and travel to work. "There are no easy solutions," Dr. Hanlon said. "Radical changes are coming in the future. I don't think there will be a hospital every 20 miles." Dr. Hanlon said the time has come for hospitals to examine how to deliver ER coverage and educate patients on the purpose behind the service. Drop-in clinics may relieve some of the pressure felt in the ER. When consulting with the physicians under the strategic planning process, Pietrek said the concern from them was the need to educate the government on rural physicians issues and medical associations. In the region, people are beginning to move to other hospitals due to the lack of doctors in Wingham. Brussels residents, she said, have started towards Seaforth for example. WDH Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Koch said the board and hospital have identified five areas where the strategic plan will focus; improving communication, physician recruitment, improving obstetrics, establishing a medical clinic (tied in with recruitment) and developing relationships with tertiary care facilities. In terms of recruitment, he said, the search committee is aiming at two doctors. In addition, they are examining the potential incentive possibilities to aid in that process. Despite the bleak picture presented at the session, Pictrek pointed out that 90 per cent of the patients treated and surveyed had responded they were pleased with the care they received at WDH. Ninety-three per cent reported the hospital's services met their needs and 93 per cent couldn't make any recommendations on service. However, 97 per cent of the surveyed patients felt the need was greatest to keep 24 hour emergency service. The idea of developing Wingham as a regional centre was discussed as well. Part of the difficulty in that concept, as stated at the session, was the narrow approach of the District Health Councils' approach to preserving their own areas. Wingham is on the fringe under the Huron-Perth DHC and too far removed for the Bruce-Grey DHC, despite the obvious geography between Owen Sound and London. The strategic plan will be finalized over the summer and presented at the September board meeting. The news from thel There were 10 tables of euchre at the Ethel Hall, Monday evening, hosted by Helen Cullen and Grace Smith. Winners were: 50/50, Richard Elliott; most lone hands, Mar- guerite Beirnes and Scott McLean; high lady, Hilda Holmes; high man, Richard Elliott; ladies' high, Linda Stevens; ladies' low, Velma Sleightholm; tally card, Iola Sub- Continued from page 1 told council that the new govern- ment will now allow incineration and that with recycling and com- posting of household wastes, 80 per cent of the waste stream could be removed before incineration was necessary. A tour of Victoria Hos- pital's energy from waste plant in London showed that 95 per cent of the energy in that 20 per cent of garbage left is converted to steam for the hospital's needs or to create electricity. Only five per cent of the garbage fed into the incinerator comes out in ash and residue after burning, McNay said. While an incinerator costs more than a landfill initially, McNay said, "how much will it cost to decomission a landfill later? Would it not be immoral, irresponsible and incompetent to pass that burden on to our descendants?" Robert McQueen appealed to the integrity of councillors: "I'd like you to think about living beside a landfill site. Would you like it? If the answer is no, how can you pos- sibly ask others to live beside the dump if you don't?" ject, Adrian Verstoep, Gertie Lam- bkin, John Subject, Shirley Verstoep, Harold McNaughton, Eva Harrison, Betty Krotz, Mel Jacklin, Ruby Armstrong and Frank McKenzie. The next euchre will be July 17. Congratulations to Ontario Scholars, Molly Morton, Jennifer Stratton and Rachel Van Veen, who were students at LDSS. No one can give 100 per cent assurance there will be no contami- nation of ground water from the leachate from a landfill, McQueen said. He warned about the cumula- tive effects of small things like thousands of bottles of nail-polish that, in each one, give little danger. "Green garbage bags hide a lot of things," he warned. Richard Payne said that it's seven years since the Waste Management Master Plan study process began. Rejection of incineration as being too inefficient for Huron's small size happened early in the process, he said. Since then there have been huge changes in energy from waste technology, he argued. Craig Metzger, project co-ordina- tor for the master plan study, said the consultants have been asked to review their earlier data on inciner- ation, with the change in govern- ment policy, to see if the economics might have changed. The county had turned down the idea of energy from waste initially because Huron does not have enough garbage to make it econom- ical and because a landfill site would still be required for the ash. Council talks incineration