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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-05-30, Page 4Page 4 May 30, 2007 • The Huron Expositor Opinion Proprietor and Publisher, Bawes Publishers Limited, 11 Main St., Seaforth, ON, NOK 1WO Healthklck putting Huron on map As a small rural town competing with m or cen- tres chock full of specialists, the latest technology and the standard of living that conies with big city life, we often feel at a disadvantage while recruit- ing for needed medical personnel. But, Healthkick Huron's recent recognition by the province as an: award-winning innovator - par- ticularly in the field of health human resources - demonstrates that with enough creativity and tenacity, rural Ontario can still teach the urban centres a thing or two. The Huron Family Health Team, along with Healthkick Huron, were chosen from over 1,000 applications as one of 200 displays at the Celebrating Innovations in Health Care Expo in Toronto last week. As a finalist against projects in Toronto and Ottawa, the Seaforth project cameout on top, receiving an award from Health Minister George Smitherman. Last week's award is Healthkick's second of the year - the project, along with the Huron Business Development Corporation, also received top hon- ours in February from the Ontario Economic Development Conference in the category of physi- cian recruitment. Originally known as the six -pronged Skills for Healthcare Attraction and Retention Pilot (SHARP) project, the project received $300,000 in provincial funding m 2005 as well as a contribution of $150,000 from the Seaforth Community Development Trust to promote healthcare careers in Huron County. Since then it's been encouraging high school stu- dents to consider a healthcare career, providing experience for youth at local health facilities, pro- vRding nursingtraining for the local workforce, cre- ating temporary work placements for recent health graduates, making the area attractive to interna- tional medical grads and creating community ambassador teams to promote the area. Organizer Gwen Devereaux acknowledges that much of the project's pay-off is in the longterm when the high school and university students encouraged to enter the medical field return to work here. And, while Seaforth and the rest of Huron County are still considered underserviced by its local doctors, the continuing provincial recognition we're receiving can't help but draw the attention of a few more healthcare professionals. Susan Hundertmark Slowly losing my mind on a disorganized moving day Moving is a terrible thing and I've somehow managed to do it every year for the last six years. You'd think I'd have it down to a science, or at least an art. You'd be wrong. This weekend was the big move. I'd been transporting car loads of boxes every other weekend since I started at the Expositor six weeks ago, but I'd apparently barely even dented what we had in the apart- ment in Guelph. Don't ask how we'd accumulated so much stuff. It all seemed necessary at the time. But we'd been prepping for this move for weeks. So it was something of a shock to me that when my parents, Christa's family and a cou- ple of our friends showed up to help us move the furniture and the remaining boxes, that we weren't anywhere near ready. Christa knew. She cleverly let me figure it out for myself. Smart woman. I would've been tempted to flee the country if I'd known what was coming. She knew because while I was splitting my time between the Expositor, the Advocate and an empty Seaforth apartment, she was still living and working in Guelph and packing boxes. We weren't ready, not because she'd lazed about - she hadn't - but because she'd been toiling alone. Which I'd been wor- ried about while in Seaforth. Everyone converged on the Guelph apartment at the same time on Saturday - my first day off in two weeks - and started asking what they could do. There was no plan because instead of working one out, we'd been frantically trying to organize the stuff that was all over the apartment. I require plans. Without plans I lose my mind. I lost my mind. Slowly. Our dads joked about expecting us to be ready, only to find the opposite. A little later I heard Ian, an old friend of mine, tell my dad about the time we'd moved his dad out of his house. "It was about as disorganized as this," he said. "Except instead of being a one bedroom apartment, it was a house that a family of four had lived in for a decade." Ian's the friend I go to when I need perspec- tive. I `organized' three of us - Ian, my dad and I - to cart packed boxes down to fill my parents' sports utility vehicle. At some point while we were doing that, See NO, Page 6 Ron & Dave This book says that a tornado can pick up a semi -truck and blow it miles away. Scientists say that it's the most destructive and frightening force on earth. by David Lacey Except of course Sr for Mom when ...goes she's in one of her without moods. saying. r Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 E-mail us at seaforth@bowesnet.com Visit our home page at www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com Canada WM MET OUEBECOR MEDIA "We acknowledOe the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing costs " SUBSCRIPTIONAATES: LOCAL - 36.18 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. SENIORS; - 34.17 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. Foreign: 36.18 a year in advance, plus $181.48 postage, G.S.T. exempt O.S.A.: 36.18 a year in advance, plus $92.56 postage, G.S.T. exempt Published weekly by Sun Media at 11 Main St., Seaforth. Advertising is accepted on condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occu- ped by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or service may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT 40064683 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 7605 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO Circulation Department P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, ON., NOK t WO Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association & the Ontario Community Newspapers Association L") Tom Williscraft Publisher Susan Hundertmark Editor Bernie Pugh Advertising / Office Aaron Jacklin Reporter Dianne McGrath Front office Editorial and Business Offices - 11 Main Street.,Seaforth Telephone (519) 527-0240 Fax (519) 527-2858 , Mailing Address - P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, Ontario, NOK 1 WO