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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-12-04, Page 17Public's chance to argue options A series of open houses has begun this week to provide the public with information on the three options regarding the future of the county hospitals. The meetings will also be an opportunity for feed OPTION #1 back from the public. Faced with having to cut between 18-25 pr cent from the budget the task force presented three options last week. ° Two Secondary Hospitals — Stratford/Goderich ° Two Primary Hospitals with Acute and Chronic Beds — ListowellSeaforth Clinton, Exeter, St. Marys and Wingham would be investigated with respect to needs, community interest, and cost to determine the non-inpatient service level required. Options generally include no institutional service, a Primary Care Centre configuration or a Primary Hospital with no beds. 000000000000000 OPTION #2 ° Two Secondary Hospitals — Stratford/Goderich ° Two Primary Hospitals with Acute and Chronic Beds — Wingham/Seaforth Clinton, Exeter, Listowel and St. Marys would be investigated with respect to needs, community interest and cost to determine the non-inpatient service level required. Options generally include no institutional service, a Primary Care Centre configuration or a Primary Hospital with no beds. 000000000000000 OPTION #3 ° Two Secondary Hospitals — Stratford/Goderich ° Two Primary Hospitals with Acute and Chronic Beds — ListoweliSeaforth One Primary Hospital with a Chronic and Rehabilitation focus — Wingham Clinton, Exeter, and St. Marys would be investigated with respect to needs, community interest and cost to determine the non-inpatient service level required. Options generally include no institutional service, a Primary Care Centre configuration or a Primary Hospital with no beds. 000000000000000 The open houses concerning local hospitals are: Goderich, Dec. 4, Knights of Columbus Community Hall; Listowel, Dec. 9, Royal Canadian Legion; Seaforth, Dec. 10, Community Centre; Wingham, Dec. 12, Sacred Heart Parish Hall. Clinton's was held on Monday evening. WHERE DO YOU TURN TO FIND OUT WHAT'S AT THE MOVIES? YOUR NEWSPAPER: The link to your community Definition of Service Groupings This is an outline of the various service groupings to be provided with the ''Hospital Restructuring Options. These definitions were used to design the list of options. SERVICES OFFERED 'SECONDARY HOSPITAL • Beds: acute (inc. ICU/CCU), chronic (Incl. palliative), rehabilitation (may include), psychiatric • Emergency (Level C): 24 hour general practitioner in-house or on- call; nurse on-site 24 hours; specialist on-call/on-site within 30 minutes, full diagnostic imaging and laboratory services • Specialty Services: Core includes internal medicine, all inpatient general surgery, all outpatient surgery with a general anaesthesia, anaesthesia, obstetrics, and radiology. Other services may include orthopaedics, urology, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, paediatrics, psychiatry, ear nose throat (otolaryngology) • Primary Care Services: general practice, specialized nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, social work, pastoral care. • Clinics: May include day surgery, oncology, cardiac, gerontology (link with reg. Geriatric Program) diabetes, nutritional counselling, foot care, breast feeding, day surgery, endoscopy/colonoscopy, community mental health • Lab and Imaging: 24 hour lab and diagnostic imaging PRIMARY HOSPITAL WITH ACUTE/CHRONIC BEDS • Beds: acute (medicine), chronic (incl. palliative) • Emergency (Level B): 24 hour general practitioner on-call; nurse on- site 24 hours; transfer by ambulance to level C if necessary • Primary Care Services: conditions which can be managed by a general practitioner, minor procedures/local anaesthesia. Visiting physician specialist clinics as well as social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, and pastoral care may be provided. • Clinics: primary care related clinics (e.g. breast feeding, nutritional counseling, cardiac rehab/education, community mental health), outpatient cancer care • Lab and Imaging: 24 hour stat lab and diagnostic imaging PRIMARY HOSPITAL NO ACUTE BEDS • Beds: Chronic (incl. palliative) • Emergency (Level B), Primary Care Services, Clinics, Lab and Diagnostic Imaging: as described above in Primary Hospital Acute/Chronic Beds PRIMARY HOSPITAL NO BEDS • No Beds: Observation Only (flexibility in winter for weather conditions) • Emergency (Level B), Primary Care Services, Clinics, Lab and Diagnostic Imaging: as described above in Primary Hospital Acute/Chronic Beds PRIMARY CARE CENTRE • Basic Emergency: Nurse on-site (extended hours - up to 24 hours); general practitioner on-call after office hours; no diagnostic imaging or laboratory services on-site • Primary Care Services: conditions which can be managed by a general practitioner, minor procedures/local anaesthesia • Clinics: potential for clinics to be offered by visiting practitioners. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1996 PAGE 17. Carnochan asks for alternatives `Citizen' loses in 1996 North Huron Publishing Compa- ny Inc. lost money in 1995-96, shareholders of The Citizen's parent company were told at the annual meeting in Brussels Thursday. President Keith Roulston told the seven other shareholders present that rising printing and mailing costs in 1996 were significant fac- tors at a time when prices for advertising could not be raised suf- ficiently to offset the increases. The result was a loss of $10,960 for the year ending Sept. 30, 1996. The company's two publications performed financially in opposite directions at opposite times during the last year, he said. The year began with The Citizen badly behind in sales while The Rural Voice was performing well. By this past spring, however, The Citizen had recovered while sales for The Rural Voice were flat. Roulston said the year ahead seems to offer much more stability than last year with newsprint prices, which are reflected in print- ing costs, actually declining, at least for the present. There also appears to be no large-scale postal increase in the foreseeable future. The sitting board of directors was returned to serve for the next year. The five-person board is comprised of Diane Radford, Blyth; Sheila Richards and Hank TenPas, Brus- sels, and Jill and Keith Roulston, Blyth. Continued from page 1 together the options the best they could. There will be plenty of opportunity for the public to respond at 10 open houses to begin this .week, he said. "These options are not written in stone. If anybody has a better idea of how to provide better health care in the county then bring it forward." "I don't buy into the argument that the committee is listening," said Carol Mitchell, reeve of Clin- ton, pointing out the preferred option is to be announced Dec. 19, only shortly after the last open house. McBumey questioned the oppor- tunity for the public to be heard, noting Task Force members have said they won't attend public meet- ings. But Carnochan said members of the DHC have been asked to attend the open houses. Clifford explained that it is the DHC that will eventually make the decision on which option to recommend to the provincial Hospital Restructur- ing Commission. Carnochan kept coming back to alternatives to the proposal. "Some- body explain to me where you're going to do the cuts" he challenged. Pat Down, reeve of Usbome, said the goal should be to save a basic level of service at all five county hospitals so that if circumstances change in the future, the hospitals can be put back in service. "If we shut something up, we'll never get them back," she said. Bert Elliott, reeve of Morris said that as someone who uses hospitals a lot "it scares the death out of me to see them closed. Bill Vanstone, reeve of Colborne, proposed a motion of council to reaffirm the county's position, approved previously, that all five hospitals should remain. "At what level of service would the hospitals be maintained?" won- dered Carochan. Vanstone said he'd think big and ask that the current level of service be kept at all the hospitals. Carnochan suggested the council- lors should then be telling the gov- ernment not to cut hospitals. Murray said he didn't think it is realistic to think every hospital could maintain full service. Carnochan reminded councillors that Clinton Public Hospital, which is mentioned in none of the three options, is his own hospital "and I'm there a lot." Carnochan has had two extended leaves of absence from council because of illness. Mickle argued that the DHC must present a study of the impact of these changes on the public. It is also impossible for the public to have the background if people are to be able to say what can be cut, he said. Quoting broadcast comments by Fraser Bell, director of the DHC, Mickle said there is no assurance some hospitals won't be closed entirely. "Once you remove beds you don't have a hospital," Mickle said. "Once you don't have a hospi- tal you don't have the service peo- ple need. Once you do that, you may not have doctors. This is a bloody serious situation." Cunningham argued that move to cut is the philosophy of the Harris government but may not be the phi- losophy of the people. Beyond money, he said, the most important bottom line is sustaining life and the extra time needed to get to a hospital if one of the present hospi- tals is closed could be the differ- ence in life and death. "It is time we stand up to this government. It is important that the input of the people be listened to." The motion to support the contin- ued operation of all five hospitals was carried by council. "I can assure you I will carry that message forward to the DHC," Warden Clifford said. Hospital Restructuring Study Options Open Houses Monday, December 2, 1996 Clinton Town Hall Clinton, Ontario Wednesday, December 4, Knights of Columbus Community Hall 390 Parsons Court Goderich, Ontario 1996 Tuesday, December 10, 1996 Seaforth & District Community Centre 122 Duke Street Seaforth, Ontario Thursday, December 12, 1996 Sacred Heart Parish Hall 220 Carling Terrace Wingham, Ontario 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Presentations begin at the following times: 4:00, 4:45, 5:30, 6:15, 7:00, 7:45 and 8:30) The Huron Perth Hospital and Related Health Services Study Task Force needs your input! This Open House is an opportunity for you to: • find out about 3 possible options for hospital restructuring • learn how each option would affect health care in your community • provide feedback on each option Everyone Welcome For further information, please phone the Huron Perth District Health Council at 519-348-4498 or 1-888-648-3712 en v I v HURON PERTH 015TRICYWC A 0...11.