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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-12-16, Page 29Nutcracker o11 stage Usbome Central School took on an ambitious Christmas concert program this year, present ing several performances of The Nutcracker. Here the Sugar Plum Fairy, Melissa Prout, does her dance for "Nutcracker" Lindsay Holdworth; and "Marie" Amy Cassell. The show continues this week with performances for both visiting schools and in the evenings for the general pub- lic. Below, the The primary choir provides a musical prelude to their school's performance of the Nutcracker Monday afternoon for a visiting school. Sandra Newton conducts the group in singing "Somewhere in My Memory". "Bid bad business" Private health care companies see province pushing them out of market Times-Advooete, December 16, 1992 Page 29 By Adrian Harte T -A Editor GODERICH - Private sector companies offering health care ser- vices -in Huron County fear the pro- vincial government is getting pre- pared to squeeze them out of business. Para -Med and Community Nurs- ing Services are the two companies operating in Huron County, em- ploying 75 and 25 employees re- spectively, but they and the associa- tion which represents them feel the NDP government will be acting against the companies based on an "ideological argument" - that all health care must be delivered on a not -tor -profit basis. Sandi Davidson, Huron County branch manager for Para -Med, said "yes, we are concerned, very con- cerned" and added that while the province's plans for the companies "isn't in black and white anywhere" it appears from what they arc not saying that government contracts to the private companies will be phased out, effectively putting them out of business. Like other home health care ser- vices in the provinces, Para -Med provides therapy and treatments to patients in their homes so they can avoid hospitalization, and provides homemaking services so entry into .a nursing home isn't required. While an expansion of such servic- es is planned by the government for future years, Davidson says the NDP appears committed to the not- for-profit organizations like the 'Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) or the Town and Country Home- makers. Para -Med currently serves about 250 clients in Hurou County, most on a government contract basis. Although the private companies arc believed to 'make a profit be- tween 1.5 and 5 percent in Ontario, Davidson says they don't charge any more than the non-ptofi organ- izations for their services. "In Huron County the rates are identical, whether it's a not-for- profit or profit health care provid- er," she said, adding that the health ministry agrees both categories pro- vide a good service. "They (the NDPI must feel we arc eking out a profit by abusing our employees," said Davidson. "Thc big had business - for a while there they thought we were all American companies." Only two of the 35 private health care companies in Ontario have connections with American opera- tions. The Ontario Home Health Care Provider's Association, which rep- resents the 35 companies, has tried to meet with health minister Fran- cis Lankin, but has been turned away. "1 have a feeling the facts are there, but they don't want to hear Basement facility too small Zurich thinking ahead to possibly rebuild library ZURICH - Following up on last month's county report on the Zurich Library, village council were plan- ning how to make necessary im- provements to the facility which is located in the basement of the mu- nicipal office. Reeve Bob Fisher said council should be able to come up with a solution to the complaint that the h- brary does not offer a drop box -for after hours book returns. An out- door bicycle rack is another easily - solved omission: but Fisher said the county report recommends im- provements that cannot be made without significant, and expensive, changes to the building. "The handicapped access is a problem and it depends how much the province is going to push us on that one," said Fisher, but added "The biggest problem is the size." The reeve said the high rate of use of the Zurich Library, the suc- cess of which he attributed directly to the efforts of the librarian Helene Ducharme, meant the building was sadly undersized for its needs. "Perhaps we should have another ratepayers meeting...with this land- fill site, and now the library, there's no way we can keep taxes at a rea- sonable rate," said Fisher. "Once you start all this, even the washroom downstairs is not handi- capped accessible," said Fisher. "You're opening a whole can of worms," agreed councillor Barb Jeffrey. "We can all sit and dream about 'things, but I thought if you added on the back [of the municipal build- ingi...you could put in a ramp and get some handicapped access as well," said Fisher. "Rather than sit an do nothing should we form a lit- tle subcommiuee...and form some plans, they'd have to be long term plans. We can't do anything this year, there's no way," said Fisher. Council agreed to move quickly to improve the hallway' lighting which the county said was inade- quate and to find a way to add a drop slot to the downstairs door for sometime in 1993. A bicycle rack is also on the list for immediate im- provements. Local policing reinstated in Ailsa Craig after 38 years AILSA CRAIG - Another old val- ue was returned to this village over the weekend when local polic- ing was reinstat- ed after an ab- sence of 38 years. A ribbon was cut on Saturday opening another in a growing number of "satellite" On- . tario Provincial Police offices in small communities. Ailsa Craig's "town cop" will an- swer to senior officers at the Lucan detachment of the OPP, but be available during his daily shift to get to know the people of the vil- lage and environs and address their concerns and best interests. "It's come full circle," observed OPP District Superintendent Doug Ormsby after Saturday's brief speeches and ribbon cutting at a small office in the village town hall. '"Every town used to have a police officer. He knew people by name and they knew him by his first name. He was there if there was a problem... and he knew where and why and usually when, problems were most likely to dc- velop." Ailsa Craig is the third small • community in the London District : of the OPP to have its own police otTtcer under a program•bsing car- ; ried-out-province-wide.-Attars arse • at Arva and Mount Brydges. One of the ribbon GUMS on Sat- ' urday was George Keen of Ailsa Craig. His father, Bert, was the vil- lage's lone police officer from 1920 to 1954 when he died in a off-duty vehicle crash and policing duties were assumed by the OPP. Ailsa Craig reeve Don Shipway recalls those days with a wide grin. "Old Bert used to patrol in a Model A coupe. On Saturdays we'd sec him heading down the main street one way and we'd ride our bikes down the sidewalk the other way. He'd crank that old Model A around and chase us, but we could cut across the back yards and he'd never catch us. We'd see him later telling Dad about "those darned kids on their bikes". Shipway said the "games" with Constable Bert were just games. "We trusted him and we respected him and we always knew he was there if we needed flim." The reeve said Ailsa Craig's costs for having a locally -based police officer arc negligible given the benefits to everyone in the community. "We had the space in the old town hall - wc even have the old jail right there if someone gets rowdy and has to be settled down fora spell. "The policeman really is the good guy's friend and with a local police officer children will be able to identify with the same, face and thename and be able to de- velopa with that person," -Shipway said, Coast. Dwight Peer will be Ailsa Craig's "town cop" and staff sp. Bob Erskine of the Lucan OPP said them," said Davidson. Davidson said there are rumours in the industry that the private com- panies. will be reduced to 10 per- cent of the market and then within two years phased out entirely from provincial home care contracts, upon which Para -Med relies heavi- ly for business. One of the rnarri reasons past pro- vincial governments welcomed contracts from private health care companies was to invite competi- tion and keep the costs of the whole home care system in line. "It's our philosophy that you need to have competition out there," said Davidson, who agreed that the pri- vate companies don't rely on volun- teer help or charitable donations for support. Davidson said that with private bidders out of the home care mar- ket, incentives to keep the system efficient and economical will fade and costs will soar. "It also comes at a time when they talk about doubling the num- ber of hours out there and we don't know how they expect to do that," said Davidson. The private health care contrac- tors say they arc going to continue to lobby the province for their sur- vival, perhaps holding on long enough to sec a change in the prov- ince's philosophy. Hospital dresses up for Christrnas Peer will gradually gather together a citizen's liaison committee repre- sentative of the community. Peer and the committee will meet peri- odically to discuss mutual concerns so they can be resolved in the best interests of all parties. "You can bet we'll have some youngsters on that committee, too," Erskine said. A locally -based police officer was requested by the council of the Village of Ailsa Craig. The village provides an office and will pay for telephone and other office expens- es. The telephone will link directly with the Lucan OPP office in the event of an emergency when Peer is off-duty, or there will be a re- cording device for messages of a non -urgent nature. A second officer will be an "un- derstudy" to Peer, benefitting from his local knowledge and contacts and be able to step in when he is ill or on vacation and when his is transferred, likely within three years. Space for the police office was created by moving the village's works deparunent to a new build - east end of town expected to be toted in several weeks. Moving that department also per- mitted expansion of --tile library from 600 square foot to 14500 square feet and library. officials cut • -ribbon-et- -stair-deanvay-t#te same;tlme;policce cut a ribbon next door to their new office. South Huron Hospital staff tried something new this year, a deco- rating contest that pits depart- ment against department. Staff agree It both boosts Christmas spirit and makes the hospital a cheerier place for patients. Judg- ing will be announced at today's staff Christmas dinner. Above, all good boys and girls, the doctors of South Huron Hospi- tal added a fireplace to their lounge so they could hang all their stockings. At right, in a very real sense, this guy represents the Ghost of Christ- mases past. The x-ray department dressed up their skeleton for the season and for the hospital deco- rating contest. And below, the nurses' station at South Huron Hospital became one giant tribute to a teddy bear's Christmas as the staff entered the decorating contest. Behind the desk are nurses Marg Inson (cen- tre), Marion Cornish (right), and Marion Snider (left).