Loading...
The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-01-31, Page 11 i'. ital receives 8.5percent budget iI3cease BY SHIRLEY J.KELLER Elmer Taylor-, the administrator at Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, says he's pleased about the Ontario Ministry of Health's ,annouricement•last week that AM&G will receive an 8.5 percent increase over last . year's operating budget dollars. Taylor confirmed thait.in 1980.81, AM&G will be allocated $4,165,924. Last year's allocation was $3,837,377; This amount does not include •:out-patient psychiatric unit medical•salaries or ambulance - services. Extra money comes into,the hospital budget at AM&G for those operations.' And it does not include the grant for beds in • lieu of ,property taxes paid' to 'the town of Goderich and to Goderich Township at the rate of $50 per bed. ,AM&G pays $50 per bed to • the town of Goderich foreach of 81 beds at the hospital, and $50 to Goderich Township for each of 20 beds presently located at the psychiatric unit at the Bluewater Centre for the Developmentally To this end, the ministry of health set out an Handicapped." f. increase of nine percent on all hospital out- Allocationsare up in -all Ontario hospitals, of i;j patient services, plus an additional one percent, course. Health Minister Dennis Timbre!'. has for a total;,of 10 percent on out-patient service in boosted his department's spending by,; $164 hospital centres where the ministry active - million over the past fiscalyear's $2.269:bi1lion treatment bed guidelines have been achieved. to Ontario hospitals. Taylor acknowleged that the work of the Small Hospital Committee, of which he was a member, did- have some impact on the ministry's decision to give an increase of 8.5 percent on 'active . tratment beds in small hospitals having 50 or fewer approved beds or whose net budget last year was $2 million or less. , Timbrell's announcement also advised that funds would be made' available for projects recommmended by district health councils or local planning bodies to expand other services which would enable hospitals to achieve the active -treatment guidelines. Timbre]] said that the budget planning this year continues the ministry's thrust toward the best use of in-patient hospital beds while en - Emphasis this year is on encouraging dqctors and patients to tltili a out-patient services for, xrays, laboratory work, '.occupational therapy • and more : important, perhaps, day care surgery. Taylor , pointed out there ,, are about 100 surgical procedures which can be safely, and adequately handled by the patient coming to hospital in the morning, having the surgery, staying for the day and going home in the evening. The administrator claimed this practice frees up existing hospital beds for the people who really need them ... andreduces the need in many instances for providing more costly hospital beds in a community. couraging alternative forms of care. • He said the trend toward alternatives is accentuated in Ontario by the aging of the population and the decline in the birthrate. "These two factors are a challenge to our capability of dealing with chronic arld degenerative illness," Timbrell said last week. "Our planning last year reflected these needs and proved effective. Bed numbers in the province have not changed: Their use has changed „according to the need$•" He said that 450 active -treatment beds were converted to chronic care beds. Through to the end of March, 1980, 400 new nursing home beds will either have been opened or approved for Ontario. •. The AM&G administrator said the consulting ' firm of Pete Marwick, Toronto, has been engaged by hospitals in Huron and Perth to study the need for nursing home beds in this. area. Work will begin immediately on that vital project. ' Goderic; 132 YEAR -5 THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 1980 andidates ou BY JEFF SEDDON If voters in the north end of the Huron -Bruce riding feel any one issue should keynote the February 18 election they failed to show it at an all candidates meeting in Lucknow Monday night. • The three candidates in this riding, Liberal. Graeme Craig, - Progressive Conservative Murray .Cardiff and New Democrat. Tony McQuail, faced between 300 and 400 voters in the Lucknow Community Centre highlighting their party policy and fielding questions from voters. The meeting was organized by an in- dependent group of citizens interested in ir� hearing what each candidate felt he could offer voters in Huron -Bruce. Craig told voters he felt energy and finances were at `'stake- in the election. He said the government put in power by voters would have to manage national finances , ensuring ';that taxpayer's money was used efficiently, strive for energy self sufficiency with nationalenergy prices fair to all Canadians, promote economic growth with the aim of increasing the number of jobs and greatereconomic strength in every region of Canada and helping those that need assitance., The Liberal said his government would "hold the line'on government spending". He said any DIatforms increase in-goveenrhent spending would be less than the increase inthe gross national product. Craig told voters a Liberal government would not `impose'a tax on gas or diesel fuel and would not continue with the Conservative mortgage, interest deductability scheme. He added that "interest rates should be lowered". Conservative Murray Cardiff told voters the PC government was "brought down in the middle of business". He said .the election was "unnecessary" and would not have happened had not the Liberals and NDP joined forces"in December of 1979.. The PC candidate sad'Canada would have to The three federal candidates for Huron -Bruce then faced voters in a question and answer McKinley announced his retirement shortly in the February'18 federal election faced about period. The candidates, from left, NDP Tony after the election was called. (photo by Rick 350 voters Monday night at an all candidates McQuafi, Conservative Murray Cardiff and Shaw) meeting _in Lucknow, The three highlighted Liberal Graeme Craig, are all seeking the their party's platform In a short address and federal seat vacated when incumbent Robert 4, What a big difference a year makes BY DAVE SYKES What a difference a year makes. The .board of governors of the Alexandra Marine and General Hospital were somewhat relieved in learning their -1980-81 operational budget allocation from the Ministry of Health was increased by 8.5 per cent over the'previous year. In a presentation to the board at their monthly meeting Monday, hospital ad- ministrator, Elmer Taylor, said the base sul.S1idy from the government was increased to 8.5 per cent,. That means the government subsidy will rise to $4,165,924 from last year's figure of $3,837,377. "We will be able to maintain the 50 bed level in the hospital," Taylor commented. ,"But it certainly is a big improvement over last year." The improvement is substantial' considering air—Ministry limited the increase to 2.86 per cent last' year. That stringent allocation forced the board -to approach the' Ministry on two separate oc- casions for additional funding. They were' subsequently granted 'further increases in amounts in excess of $100,0170. The grants for 1979-80 were based on a bed ratio of four beds per thousand population or 43 active treatment beds in the case of -Alexandra Marine and General. For 1980-81 the ratio has been altered to' 3.75 beds per thousand which will reduced the active treatment beds to 40. But small hospitals have also been granted a 10 -bed cushion which raises the Goderich limit to 50 beds. `"• - Last year, With the government's 2.86 per cent base subsidy plus the additional funding, the increase amounted to 6.14 per cent over the previous year. The fiscal year for 1979.80 end March 31. The board is operating under budget for a nine-month period ending December 31 and although the. $3,972 is a modest figure it also includes payments for a Woods -Gordon Management Consultant study requested by the government. The study, requested by the: Ministry at itcost of $40,000, was conducted over a°seven-month ,period by three personnel from the company's 'London office. ' The board reviewed the lengthy document' and its cost saving recommendations but Mrs. Jo Berry claimed the report offered little new evidence in the cost reduction department. "The report just confirms what we already knew," she said. "Our department heads were well aware of most of these measures." iavlar. reiterated 1 Taylor .Berry's statements claiming the report offered nothing startling but did offer methods of.implemehtation. "We have implemented a maj8rity of the recommendations," he said,. "The Ministry requested the study on the condition of grants and the hospital will the $40,000 fee from the savings resulting from the report's recd„f- mendations.” Taylor insisted the implementation .of the recommendation did not result in a loss of jobs but rather better utilization of the same staff. While the majority of the report's recom- mendations have already been implemented, the medical staff -vehemenq denounced a few of the study's,proposals. Dr.J. L. Hollingworth, ,president of the medical staff, told the hoard his group could not accept the recommendations. "I didn't like the statements about excessive use of the lab and radiology department," he said. "These services are needed for the well being of our patients." Joe Buckley of Woods Gordon said the report merely suggested that the medical staff give consideration to the utilizations of these departments. "If you already have, then we pass," he added. The report also investigated the use of an Turn to page 16 • Value of bush not in BY JEFF SEDDON The Goderich economic development corn, - mission learned recently that 54 acres of bush •berdet'ing `the town's Industrial Park may not be worth much to any developer. Inaport to the commission the Maitland • Valley, onservation Authority placed the yalue of tli'e woodlot at 'about $15,000. The 'MVCA report, completed in October 1979, considered the bushlot as a valuable commodity but not for 35 CENTS PER COPY land development, Dave Gower, chairman of MVCA and Goderich's representative,on the authority, told -take'a•hard stand "on- energy. , policies; He said the country was'a net exporter of oil in.1974 and now relied on oil imports. - Cardiff said that situation forced Canada to rely on Oil Producing . Exporting Countries (OPEC) nations for its energy needs and that reliance was shaky due to political instability in some of those nations, "We can't be controlled by the whims of OPEC nations," he said. • He said the tax the Conservative government proposed in the 1980 federal budget reduced the subsidy paid on imported oil leading to lower taxes for Canadian oil producers. He said that lower tax returned money to the oil companies for increased exploration and production. He added that the higher prices prompted' Canadians to conserve energy to save their money. Cardiff said the goal of the Conservative governnient was to establish a Canadian oil price 15 percent less than the American price. • He said another important piece of legislation that died when the election, was called was the farm tax credit for money paid by a farmer to. his spouse. He said that credit was a bonus for, most farmers in Huron -Bruce. Tony McQuail told the audience` "in power there was very little difference between the Liberals and the Conservatives". He said "insanely high interest rates" did little more than encourage foreign investment in Canadian agriculture and business. He told voters that policies imposed by government for the production and exporting of Canadian natural resources amounted to a "sellout of Canadian jobs". He said govern- ment should use those resources for Canadian industry. He claimed Canada exports resources and then buys back expensive -manufactured goods. from other countries rather than' manufacturing those goods here. the_...economic_ development_ .commission_it is. possible the woodlot's greastest value may be in leaving it intact. He told the commission the 54 acre woodlot plays an important role in'water•drainage of the surrounding landsand in recharging ground water: He explained that the bushlotis a very wet area anti that the water contained in the lot eventually mks its way into the water - table of surrounding lands. He said removal of the woodlot may lower.the ,water table of `surrounding areas to the extent that the VLA' subdivision mayhave to be supplied with water rather than•°relying• on • drilled' wells. ' ' The report also, indicates the woodlot would be very difficult to develop because of soil types. He said the soil in ,the lot -ranges from sandy loam to muck. If the trees were removed to any extent a developer would have to 'dump fill into the area to allow the land to be built_on. The report recommends the • area be preserved for some recreational use and as a natural habitat. Gower said because of the soil types and density of the bush recreation may be limited to hiking trails„ cross country skiing, snowshoeing and nature and wildlife study. •He added that the area be an ideal site for -nature courses being taught in the county schools. Gower said the study of the area shows that if any attempt to remove the bush was made the town may have to consider some type of flood control. He said the bush,retardS spring runoff and ,reduces chances of flooding. If that was removed increased drains would have to be installed to handle spring runoff. . • The value placed on the bush was done so by an accredited real estate appraiser. The value was based on the fact that the land is best suited for natural habitat and has no value in a speculative -sense. • The economic development commission plans to meet again to discuss the report before making any recommendations to town council. McQuail said the NDP has never been given dans to move an opportunity toogovern Canada but pointed Vv out that many NDP policies have been im- plemented. He said governments have seen the wisdom in many New Democratic policies used them after elections. He added that much of that policy Was established because of, " the needs of Canadians" and not the wants of corporations or -foreign investors. ' The Lucknow area farmer said the NDP promised to lower interest rates that' were causing small businesses and farmers to suffer. He said the prime interest rate would be lowered two percent by an NDP government suggesting more Canadians "will invest in their. country if they canlborrow money at decent rates He said government taxation policies should be established for the gqod of the country suggesting the Conservative budget ,was set "by.a misguided Robin Hood like John Crofbie who gave to the rich by robbing the poor". At times candidates were at a' loss when asked to comment on their- stand or their - party's stand on Specific issues. The meeting organizers offered the audience an opportunity to querie the candidates on anything perceived to be a national topic and some of those questions.caught candidates -off guard. The session indicated that .many voters disagreed with what the candidates felt were number one issues and at times showed that and unit underway • voters were better informed than politicians. Graeme Craig was asked to comment on his party's agricultural policy and could only say party leader Pierre Trudeau planned to reveal that policy later in the week. Murray Cardiff was told one of the -1°C television ads claimed the Liberals had run up a $47 billion deficit in 11 years while`Crosbie's budget would better that in four years. Cardiff offered a weak suggestion that inflation factors had to, be considered but was at a loss to respond to the comment. The three did have a tenden4 to agree on some matters. All three indicat d they were opposed to legalizing abortions. Craig said he couldn't justify allowing a • Turn to page 16 • fi Tie building committe of AlexandraIiIarine, and General Hospital will meet with representative of the frim of Tillman and Ruth to , move ahead with plans to relocate the Psychiatric Unit from the Bluewter Centre to the hospital. The hospital currently operates ,a 20 bed psychiatric unit at the Bluewater Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped south of Goderich. Recently permission was obtained to move the unit into Alexandra Marine and General Hospital. Hospital administrator, Elmer Taylor, said the groups will be ,discussing more detailed plans when they meethis week. Tentative plans call for the utilization of 3,000 square feet - of space on the second floor of the hospital plus a new addition of over 9,000 square feet. The cost of the addition is estimated at 41 million with the Ministry paying two-thirds. The hospital's share of the addition will be $337,000. ' Taylor said the board is a few months away from borrowing the money and interest rates are being watched carefully. The loan would be paid off from savings realized by the move. One estimate claims that as much as $115,000 will be saved from the move. There is also a saving in the staff structure.- that includes a psychiatrist and a psychologist instead of employing two psychiatrists. Board members noted that the previous system resulted in conflicts. The consulting firm of Peat, Marwick and Co. was hired to undertake a Tong -term needs care study for the counties of Huron and Perth as ._.suggested by Mr. Timbrell. The study is to be administered and funded by the Ale9candra• Marine and General Hospital. Allowances have been made int he hospital's 1979-80 settlement to cover the costs.