HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-01-31, Page 22gatttlicanting
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ZEHR/SIERTSEMA
Tara, Ryan, Luke and Kelsea
are happy to announce the
forthcoming marriage of their
mom Vicki Zehr to Steve
Siertsema. The wedding will
take place on February 17,
2001 at Blyth Christian
Reformed Church at 4:00
p.m. with an open reception
at Blyth Community Centre at
8:00 p.m. Vicki is the
daughter of Vi Roulston and
the late William Roulston of
Stratford, and Steve is the
son of Murray and Doreen
Siertsema of Blyth.
, f
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Looking for local heroes
There are so many. people out there who do
so much to improve their community.
Now you have a chance to say thanks.
Nominate that special person for the 15th
Annual Citizen Citizenship Awards.
Each year a committee chooses an outstanding citizen from each of
the Blyth and area and Brussels and area communities to receive an
award for contribution to the community. If you know someone you
think should be honoured, please fill in the ballot and send it in. You
may attach a longer explanation of why you think your nominee
should win, if you like. If you have nominated someone before and
he or she didn't win, please feel free to try again.
I nominate
as Citizen of the year for
Blyth j Brussels
& area & area
I feel she/he deserves this award because
Nomination Deadline March 30, 2001.
Name and phone number of nominator
PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2001.
Hospital board hears of restructuring progress
By Jim Brown
Wingham Advance-Times
Much has been accomplished
toward hospital restructuring during
the past three and one-half_ years,
members of the board of governors at
Wingham and District Hospital heard
last Thursday night, including the
establishment of the Huron Perth
Hospitals Partnership.
The partnership is networking with
other health facilities, including the
Ontario Ministry of Health and
Long-Term Care. Gail Ure, south-
west regional director for the min-
istry paid a visit to the Wingham
board meeting last week. She said the
HPHP is being used as a framework
for Northern and Rural Hospitals.
The ministry's vision of these net-
works is to promote wellness and
improve health through accessible,
integrated and quality services at
every stage of life as close to home as
possible. This does not mean just
long-term care patients or the very
young; it means everyone, according
to Ure.
As close to home as possible does
not necessarily mean a hospital in
every community, but one that is as
close as possible.
There are approximately 11,000
long-term care beds in Southwestern
Ontario. Huron County has 608 beds
or six per cent, while Perth County
has seven per cent with 703 beds.
Hospital Consultant Gary
Rowlund, who accompanied Ure,
said the ministry developed its
framework in June of 1997 to ensure
24-hour access to health services
while at the same time supporting
hospital restructuring.
Although there would be no hospi-
tal closures in rural communities, the
role of the hospital would change.
"We have found that people are
very passionate about the hospital
and their community," he said.
IMPROVING CARE
There are numerous ways of
improving patient care while keeping
the services as close to home as pos-
sible. These include networking and
partnerships.
Networking provides access to a
wider range of human resources
while keeping costs to a minimum.
There is also be less duplication and
fragmentation of services.
According to Rowlund, all hospi-
tals within a network would be
expected to participate in the net-
work.
The key principles of networking
are that it provides a comprehensive
range of programs, with 24-hour
access. It encourages the develop-
ment of flexible and innovative
approaches to services delivery and it
improves the ability of small com-
munities to recruit and maintain
physicians and other health care pro-
By Jim Brown
Wingham Advance-Times
Site Administrator Margret
Comack updated members of the
Wingham and District Hospital
Board on the clinical program plan-
ning process at the board's January
meeting.
Comack reported a "positive meet-
ing" was held with the clinical plan-
ning task team on Jan. 10.
A report from that meeting has
been prepared for the strategic plan-
ning committee, which it discussed
at its meeting on Monday.
The report will then be sent to the
joint executive committee of the
Huron Perth Hospitals Partnership
for discussion next Tuesday.
Comack said the document will be
distributed to other groups for dis-
cussion, including the local boards,
fessionals.
"This is important to the small hos-
pitals across Ontario," said Rowlund.
It is people who provide care, not
machines or hospital walls. Ure indi-
cated while the ministry is pleased
with HPHP and the decisions it has
made regarding improving service
delivery, the challenge is to build on
this success to come to a solution for
the delivery of an integrated yet a
high quality level of patient care.
UTOPIAN VISION
Wingham and District Hospital
Chief of Staff Dr. Marie Gear said
while this vision is all quite positive,
it presents a different view than that
taken by the physicians.
Calling the ministry's vision
"utopian", Dr. Gear said this is not
really happening, it is not even close
to happening.
Problems have arisen and many
physicians feel these changes are
being instituted "way too fast".
after Feb. 7.
The document will be discussed at
the February meeting of the
Wingham board.
Comack also said it is anticipated
that the document may be approved
by consensus earlier than the original
April date.
Late last fall, concern arose in the
community when it was learned that
a consultant's report had proposed
in-patient surgery and obstetrics
being located in either Wingham or
Listowel hospitals, not both.
Wingham and Listowel comprise the
partnership's "northern cluster".
As a result, doctors from both hos-
pitals prepared a section option
which would see services remain
intact at Wingham and Listowel.
That document was presented at a
joint meeting of the two boards and
was well received.
Some of the assumptions in the
recruitment of physicians are not
clear, the chief of staff said. "It is not
all a bed of roses," said Dr. Gear.
Ure replied that vision is what the
ministry would like to see happen
and is attempting to go in that direc-
tion.
She stressed the need for "transpar-
ent borders" when it comes to pro-
viding health care, noting all hospi-
tals should work together for the bet-
terment of the patient.
First wobbly strides
Young Ken Hiusser of Grey Central Public School got sup-
port from Early Years teacher Laura Scott and parent helper
Allyson Cardiff when the students, staff and families spent
the afternoon at the BMG arena in Brussels last Friday.
Board gets update