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).