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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-04-26, Page 3News Huron East council discusses support of FHT for Seaforth Prom Page 1 be a lawsuit." Before going into closed session, MacLellan said the province has "bent over back- wards" to work towards a FHT for Seaforth and is "100 per cent in favour •of having it in Seaforth." But, he added there won't be a FHT if the doctors don't participate. "When I sat down with the doctors, they. said it (the FHT) would be a benefit to Huron East and bring ser- vices to Huron East that it does not have access to now. What has changed that tune, I can't answer that," said MacLellan. If an upcoming time limit expected in the next few months passes, MacLellan said he is afraid the FHT could be lost. "There is a time limit. We can't jump on board after the fact and it'll be unfortunate if the timeline passes and we haven't got on board. Hopefully, they (the doctors) have a change of heart," he said. MacLellan added that if the internal issue he's heard about is the problem, "there's isn't a hope in hell of that being resolved in the time- line." Seaforth Coun. Joe Steffler said he thought the person who wrote the proposal, Gwen Devereaux, should be allowed back on the team. "The captain of the ship has been thrown overboard," he said. But, MacLellan said that issue should have no bearing whether the FHT proceeds. Steffler said after the meet- ing that as chair of the Seaforth Community Development Trust, he invit- ed Devereaux to make a .pre- sentation after she and Dr. Dan Rooyakkers, a member of the FHT steering commit- tee and site chief at Seaforth Community. Hospital, appeared at council several weeks ago to ask Huron East politicians to get involved in the process. `jWe wanted to reassure her and Dr. Rooyakkers that we at the trust are behind them 100 per cent," said Steffler. "Let the person who wrote the proposal finish her job," Steffler told council. At council, Seaforth Coun. Lou Maloney said council should support Devereaux and insist she rejoin the com- mittee. "The minute we do that we'll get politicians from all over Huron County on it. If four or five can't make a deci- sion, 20 won't. We can't tell the doctors to sign it," responded Mayor Joe Seili. "Then, you're going to lose it if you carry on the way you are," said Maloney. "The statement you made a month ago hurt as much as any- thing. The night Gwen and Dr. Rooyakkers were here, they were begging for help." At that meeting, Seili told Devereaux and Rooyakkers that he didn't have time to get involved personally. At council, Seili responded that he assigned the deputy- mayor to the task. "He represents Seaforth - the people of Seaforth voted for him," said Seili of MacLellan. After the closed discussion about the FHT, councillors said they are united behind the idea of a FHT in Seaforth. "We're going to meet with anyone who will meet with us and ask more questions," added Seili of council's plans. Seaforth will go ahead with FHT, says Rooyakkers Susan Hundertmark Seaforth doctors are going ahead with a family health team (FHT) but are still trying to decide the best method of payment by the province, says Seaforth Community Hospital site chief Dr. Dan Rooyakkers. "We're trying to figure out the way that's best for Seaforth doc- tors," he says. "We are not starting up quickly in the next couple of months. Our intention is to explore all our Options," say Rooyakkers. While Clinton doctors have been operating under a Family Health Network for the past two years, Seaforth has not and Rooyakkers says Seaforth doctors are exploring a second model of payment involv- ing salaries. "It would be a very simple transi- tion for them (Clinton doctors) for the FHT but Seaforth doctors may be more interested in the salary model and we should be exploring all models," he says. Rooyakkers says Seaforth will be part of the FHT business plan for both Seaforth and Clinton that will be submitted to the province by May 24 but the plan will include different start dates, with Clinton beginning earlier on the FHT and Seaforth projecting a start date of late summer, early fall. "It is a combining of the two towns into a FHT but the two towns and two sets of doctors would have a separate governing body," he says, adding that a third body would com- bine representatives from both com- munities. Concerning Rooyakkers' and Gwen Devereaux's appearance at Huron East council a month ago, Rooyakkers says he was hoping to add some community representa- tion onto the FHT's board of direc- tors. 1. 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