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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-09-30, Page 20Page 20 - Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, September 30, 2009 SHEAR TALENvir for men men 45 West Street GODERICH — Please call — Melissa or Debbie D. 519-524-6555 Walk-ins Wekome! Epilepsy Huron-PerthBruceB lLLZAG centre faces closure other 65 per cent is a result of fundraising by volunteers and staff. "There would be a huge cost burden on the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Educa- tion without us," he said. When LHIN board member Linda Stevenson asked what the impact would be if the local Ep- ilepsy chapter closed, Epilepsy board member Laura Brown responded that clients could be referred to London where a huge geographical area is already being served. Melady also pointed out that many family physicians and other health care workers are not experts in epilepsy and don't have the an- swers the organization does. "As difficult as it is, we need to focus on ser- vices, not organizations," responded Gamble. Armstrong said after the meeting that she has been asking for base funding from the LHIN since last November and has submitted a pro- posal for one-time funding from the LHIN's surplus budget. She said Epilepsy Huron -Perth -Bruce is ask- ing for $60,000 per county. "If you support one person with epilepsy, you've educated 100 people so the thought of closing the doors makes me profoundly sad," said Brown. Outsan Hundertinark - signal -star publishing Epilepsy Huron -Perth -Bruce will be making the decision on Sept. 31 about whether it will have to close its doors. Executive director Lynne Armstrong, along with several Epilepsy Huron -Perth -Bruce board members, attended the first-ever South West LHIN "board engagement session" in Seaforth last Wednesday to repeat a request for base funding for the local organization. "If we don't receive public funding, we won't be in operation next year," said Armstrong, adding that Epilepsy Hu- ron -Perth -Bruce is cur- rently $40,000 short of the $85,000 it needs to fundraise .every year to exist. The South West Local Health Integration Net- work (LHIN) is hold- ing board meetings out- side of London to talk about shared concerns in the healthcare system throughout Southwestern Ontario. Lorraine Devereaux, chair of the Epilepsy Hu- ron -Perth -Bruce board, told LHIN board mem- bers that despite a high need for the organiza- tion's services, financ- es are threatening the group's "survival. • "We consistently have to fundraise to keep go- ing and we are now at a point where we can't sur- vive without funding. It's a terrible environment to exist in, being dependent on the general population to keep the doors open," she said. Norm Gamble, chair of the South West LHIN, C29I - I r - Fresh Brewed Organic Fair Trade COFFEE 1/2 PRICE 3 - 4 PM Weekdays - 10 Courthouse Square Goderich 524-5392 1)f\itiG • cxriatlNG • i \Ki.:\'\'\Y "TO BE OR NOT TO BE" We can't answer that question but, is it time to refinance - your mortgage or buy a new home? For the answer, can or stop in today and speak face to face with Mike or Christy. Or, we will work around your schedule and come to your home. Mike Hodges Mortgage Agent Christy Alcock Mortgage Agent F:4Ca Lk. , 210i F c( Lic. M96O0120 mike.hodgesernigroup.ca christy.alcock@migroup.ca 14 West Sts fleilerk6 11114241-7772 tact. 6 responded that the LHIN doesn't have the abil- ity to add organizations which have not tradi- tionally been funded by the provincial govern- ment. "We might be able to give one-time funding but that type of spoon-feeding is not good for an organization and will eventually come back and bite you," he said. However, Gamble acknowleged that the South West LHIN needs to get to the point where it reviews the 150 organizations that are provincially funded and determine if that fund- ing is justified. Brian Melady, a board member for Epilepsy Huron -Perth -Bruce, told the LHIN board mem- bers that the Epilepsy organization significant- ly reduces costs for both the provincial health care system and the education system by edu- cating families and school communities about the neurological condition, preventing visits to emergency departments and ambulance rides. "When my five-year-old has a seizure at school, rather than calling the ambulance they realise they just need my seven-year-old to make my son comfortable and 45 minutes later, he's running around healthy as can :be," explained Melady. He said 35 per cent of the organization's funding comes from the United Way and the Photo submitted AMGH Auxiliary September 21 marked the begin- ning of a new year of AMGH Aux- iliary meetings, to be held after- noons at the McKay Centre. Verla Russell, (above) Region 2 Chair- man of Hospital Auxiliaries Asso- ciation of Ontario, was the guest speaker. Russell is a life member of the South Huron Hospital Aux- iliary in Exeter, where she has been a member since 1983. The AMGH Auxiliary is still ac- cepting used grocery tapes as a hospital fund raiser. Zehrs has had to discontinue the box sys- tem in their store, and we know that .many of you have always put your tapes there. Happily, Zehrs will still pay for submitted tapes. If you have been saving tapes for us, please continue to do so; all funds raised will go to the hospi- tal. We ask that you now drop your tape donations off at the Hospital, at the Auxiliary Portering desk in Emergency (top drawer) or at the gift shop. Or you can leave them in the mailbox at Colborne Bed and Breakfast, 7'2 Colborne Street, in Goderich. McCANN ELECTRIC MOTOR & GENERATOR SALES AND SERVICE • MRO itg" REPAIRS TO ALL MAKES We use and sell 5IUT Bearings EMERGENCY SERVICE AVAILABLE 519-440-6472 14 -5th AVE, VANASTRA Phone 519-482-8604 "Medicine is the only profession that labours incessantly to destroy the reason for its own existence,"