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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal Star, 1976-01-29, Page 7some psyc�ii�tric`serv��. -�iA be reta1ned .. • Jack•Rid:dell, I•Iuron-Middlesex MPP, said he is a little :more optimistic this week that'some psychiatric service will be retained' in •H°uron County., perhaps even at Goderich Psychietric`Hospital. The hospital is scheduled • to be closed by the Ministry of,Health on April1,.1'976,'and •.• to become ..the property of the, Ministry of Commuteity, ': • .:.and-S.00ialServices.. ';_,.,„-, 7: • .• Mr. Riddell told the Star;on Tuesday that recent , ' tal,ks'withG.J, Chatfield, General Manager of the Direct. Services, Division of -the Ministry :of:.Health, and 'the*° Minlstex•of. Health,. Frank Milletr.,have-strengthened his hope: that''governanent officials would ser.iously review the comments. and 'concerns of area residents and find • >, sotne•alternative to the complete closure of GPI -II and'all its facilities., ' • • : • •• '"They are now, looking at a'lternatives.'.' Ir. Riddell .4 told the Signal -Star. • Meetings, are continuing this week • and next in Queen's Parkr and an announcement is ex- , pected within a few days. Indications are that some beds •as• well as ant -patient -servicescould be maintained for psychiatric patients in. the area:; . . Mr. Riddell; who has-been working steadily to retain ' the facility in Huron," said that he has submitted all. the petitions of the,people hereto the Minister -of Health. "A11 the people can't be alithat wrong," concluded Mr. Riddell. In answer -to a question concerning rumors th•at'some • general _hospitals in the county would beclosed because of government spending cutbacks, Mr. Riddell said he understands the entire list of hospitals slated for closing • is also being reviewed during the meetings thisweek and next by Ministry officials'. • - The Huron -Middlesex MPP suggested, that one option to. closing Borne hospitalsicornp•letelymight be to close a - number of .hospital beds in all. hospitals and to' delay some construction: projects already being planned. • In'Goderich, a construction project already underway • • .. at Alexandra: Marine and General Hospital will not likely bby,ee delayed. However, plans for renoyationsat South Hurn H i Exeter have een submitted to the uron Hospital , n 1) b provincial ministry and as yet, have not been•approved. • A'decision is expected within two weeks.. a 129. YEAR BY JEFF SEDDON-- • . . The closing : of Goderich Psychiatric. Hospital and opening of a Community' Resource Centre for the Mentally Retarded is, the result of a broken promise by the provincial government 'and a breakdown of com- munications between the :province and the Ontario Association for the Mentally .Retarded according to OAMR president K. R.•Kurisko, : Mr. Kurisko, a Sault Ste. Marie lawyer,. - said Wed- nesday. "in a telephone in-. terv%ew With the Signal -Star' that the .province is paying OAMR hp service when they Call GPH a resource centre r • THURSDAY? JANUARY 29; 1976 President charges gov't with ,s. *00.0 t ds -ariti. that° they are Oiol'ating: several years of a spirit of co= ' operation and working Com- munity/ the Ministry of Com- munity and Social Services and OAMR. ' Mr, Kurisko said that when the ,province took the men- tally ''rfetarded out .of the jurisdiction of the. Ministry of • Health: and' placed them under Social Services they promised to work withOAMR • to • take • the retarded out ,of institutions and• ,put , them • back in :their "own: 'com- munities.. ,He said the government's plan to convert. the Timmirtis. and Goderich hospitals was just "musical' beds".' t+Quoting Rene Brunelle, the past minister of Social Ser vices, Mr. Kurlskoesaid that at the tirrie''of the 'chabge of ministries OAMR was told that the province recognized that organizational changes were needed to, deliver ef- ficient care :to •the' mentally retarded•, The .minister said that the province planned, to Mork closely with local' work' groups and that the problem of the retarded was not a medical one but a social one and that suitab.le:care for the retarded could '• not be achieved .in • institutions but' rather in the community:. - The minister later told -are, an•. OAMR . convention, .that progress had Been made since the co-operation of local BY JEFF SEDDON • Goderich.. Psy"chratric Hospital .lost in a close vote. with -its counterpart,in Owen. Sound and more hospital beds in . Huron' County . will fall under Health Minister Frank Miller's budgetcutting knife. rThat . was . the news the pro' ficial '•health Manager gave -to about 10,0. municipal politician's; health professionals and 'citizens • who battled thro.ugh snow last week to witness Mr. Miller's.' • arch of .Dimes blitz Feb. 2'=9' bport -f fund too The March of .Dimes' drive for funds will be co-ordinated again this year by• the Goderich Kinettes under president F'reid.a Thomson. The can- vassers Will be•visiting you sometime between February 2 and 9:. The same week., February 7' and 8, 'students of. GDCI will be out, gather#ng donations to the Canadian Heart Fund. Convener'for that d ave is Harold Knisley. Keep the- ,sidewalks Shovelled and the porch • lights burning for the .canvassers. Both causes deserve generous' sup ort." reasoning far -cutbacks' it'fithe: 1976 .health budget. The meeting in W.ingham, held' in the wake• of Ontario eTreas'urer • Darcy McKeotigh's' restraint an- nouncements, was' designed; to allow Mr. Millet' to reveal his 1976 health spending.plans and then • answer questions• from. the floor. on what those plans'meant.to.Huron, Bruce, Perth and G reyCounties., Hazardous ountie's;- Hazardous driving con- ditiong,..`however,'' restricted the size of the audience at the • meeting preventing what was expected. to . be a -.minor donnybrook with angry • delegations front: Chesley and Goderich.` present to dispute, •.-the• re'as.ofts . for. •closing _hospitals in.•.'both: coni- • munities. •. • Mr.`Miller-echoed m.anyof :Darcy McKeough's reasons. for cuttirigbackexpenditures • at theprovincial level citing ' many facts;=• figures :and.• prophesies . to support health spending•reductions. He said • his' ministry . expected to spend $300 million in 1976;.the highest thegovernment ever spent in health..' .' He .added that the $300 million will not•fulfy meet the effects of .inflation and that some "selective pruning" will be dene with no intention of "downgrading" health care in Ontario:' "In short we shall still be able to meet all the needs of the people in this proviincebut. not necessarily all the wants;" said the minister: tegibri.cuts r� The Goderich Branch 109 of. the .Royal Canadian Legion' cut the ribbon Saturdayof- ficially opening the: $214,000 : addition to their Kingston Street. headquarters. - Members .of thelegion and .the Legion -'Ladies' Auxiliary ga'thered•on the front -steps of the new addition • to witness the , ribbon cutting acid to be officially piped into the, building by Branch0109 Piper John Stevely, Reverend' Lockh_�a� .12oya1 ° opened the' ce'remoilies' and, branch, president Ed. Tonks teamed up with Jini Bisch in teying the cornerstone for the addition, • -Mr. Bisch is the building superintendent for D&K• Construction, Mors on the job. • m David McMillan, oneof two • charter , members at Branch 109, cut the ribbon for the Legign and provincial vice •• president of the Legion J.C. • • "Bing" Forbes cut another .. ribbon for the Ladies Legioh, 'John Stevely then struck up the pipes and lea.d ; the Members into .their new facility, The procedures. used in the Goderich" Psych•iatric: 44e§pital closing were Wrong; according to Mr, Miller.: He. told- the group that when he announced the decision to ,close GPI -I he was -acutely aware of the political aspects of the move, as he was when. he closed the Chesiey' •and Tirnniins hospital: :He said that as an elected -representative : asked to. direct the health care needs. of Ontario he felt' it was :his responsibility to -do what he thought was right despite the problems he •created for his •fellowpoliticjans. .-.;He. ex - :plained' that he knew of -the closing in . early fall but delayeis announcement until he had' more time after .the election. "I realize this government_ is putting its future on the line,". said Mr. Miller. • "We: •.feel we.must,do what We do'. We don't close"hospitals with. glee. We close there because we believe we must" . Mr. filler told the audierice -the closing came,down to a choice between the Go.derich -Psychiatric and the ;Owen Sound Psychiatric, He said When :looking at: the two' hospitals the milrister realized. • that seVeral programs' were being operated on 'a co-operative basis between the psychiatric, :hospital and the, Owen';Sound public hospital and the result • was the ciesure:of GPH. . "It • Was that close,' he pointed out. The: closing of GPH results in a direct saving : to :the i ist WV million and Mr. Miller said in. addition,to that- ' hospital and. Timmins being ' closed, another 1',000 ••' beds will be taken fromthe system. • He said the total .restraint package.. .relative • to psychiatric, hospitals is ex • pec.ted_to. result in a : net saving of $9 million: T;Ze ;minister .refused 'to reveal what hospitals are up • for closure but said that•inore beds in .Huron 'County will, be. removed, He said his fist includes :' both small rural - urban -based facilities and large hospitals•-. in the provinces. cities.. He said that Up td 3,000 beds • • " workers and -the province had. been established and that the province was -prepared 'to . advance further : funds, to OAMR and that any plans for policy changes. or expansion would '. be • • th.orolrg'hly discussed • between the two groups, Now the local work groups told they will be moving .to a • work -groups over the switch despite the fact that OAMR had nothing to do with the. • plans. "We were not talked -to but at," said Mr. -Kurisko: " Vl were. not consulted for our opinions .but merely told what to do." He said OAMR was not Opposed to government. restraints or attempts to save neje resource centre and . money. but pointed out that given, a very tight time GPH' was ,a.''`hell of a schedule to make the move hospital,' :and that its 'closing in,": said Mr. Kurisko. was .not doing a: thing for the, He said ..that -no previous : community. He said the move discussiond. . habeen made on .;,had, saddened ..._..and: •the government plans adding disilTusioned many local work that th,e.Goderich work group groups, because the isolation" heard about. the : proposed ofthe. hospitals .would, not' move on the radio. The proposed switch from :psychiatric to resource planned for GPH is .merely a "label change" according to Mr. Kurisko, He said that the terminology the government -- adopted calling the hospital a • resource centre is merely another'' name for . an in stitution- • allowing: ';the province`. to keep.. a five year • old.' promise' they made to OAMR • to emptythe will come out of service in the restraint program leaving approximately 3,000 surplus beds in service. He said that • „ • (continued on page 12) enable• the retarded, patients to be associated .• with the, Community which •the . workers are now promoting. ; $'Where are they goingto go; if they are put in _a hospital•. five miles away from the eentreof the commithity,'' questioned .:Mr. . Kurisko. 'They .are going to stay there all the time,. that's 'what's going to.happeta.'.': ; Bonnie `Graham, principal: of Queee Elizabeth School for . Retarded- Children, said she. was' :• confused with the .government plans.. She said she did not know for sure what effect the changeover 'would have 6%04 Goderich work group' but pointed out .that a move to'put all retardation programs in the hospitalwould be a "back r ward Step". She said she. was ; not yet.'aware of OAMR op-• position :to the ;move ' but . would not hesitate to contact Queen's. ;Park through the. 'area MPP and would hope that'the province would listen. ,to the OAMR opinions. Icyrotrdsieadio erous accidents provincial . ret'ardation in-' . Slippery: road ' conditions stitutaons: He said, that, if the anti poor visibility led to •government wanted to open--umerous•. accidents • in. GPH as`aninstitution.on an Goderich during the . past interim basis OAMR avas:h•ot week and the Goderich Police': opposed •but suggested the Department was called ...to province "should calla spade investigate 14 mishaps. a spade" -adding that`•OAMR .. • did not really. need another A two -car: collision January institution. TS: at the • intersection of Opposition to the GPH and Bennett Street and Bayfield Timmins closings has been • Road • 'resulted—En a_:total detrimental. to •OAMR local • damage estimate of $400 to. programs according to the ' vehicles driven ''b'y Dwight association pi esident.•He.said. Aldham, 190 Strang . Court, that in Timmins 13,000 people Goderich- and • Albert had signed •a .petition op= Alexander, 245 Catherine St. posing the closing and a ' Goderich, Mr. Alexander and similar number stood against Larissa Aldham, a passenger the GPH closing andQ,that the in the Aldham vehicle, were coinmunit'y feelings made it. -treated for minor injuries. look like people did not•want Da"ma a ran to•an estimate the retarded in the corn- g of. $1,000 following a t:o-car triunitybut in institutions. He. collision on Essex Street J:air. said in seine. instances. t•he 23 .between vehicles driven b -y public is-an'gi y • with local Jason Ainslie, 92 St. Georges' • • • Crescent,Goderich and•Mike Miller, . 269 Eldon St: Goderich. Damage , to the Ainslie vehicle was'estimated • at $800 and $200 to the Miller .••• vehicle. There were no in - •juries.• '• 'High snowbanks obscuring •vision resulted in a two -car • •collision on Strang Court January 24 between :vehicles driveri`oby a'therine Boddy, 185 Strang Court, and John .. tans ink of Seafor th. Darrrag•e— '.to the Boddy. :vehicle 'vas`. ,'- .estimated at $200 and $150.to- the Lansink_ vehicle.- There: were no injuries, • • A. two -car collision Jan. 26 onSeecoast Drive resulted in a total dema'ge' estimate. of - $80.6 to. vehicles driven by . Dennis LeBlanc,'•91•West.St. and Dianne Hoy, 63 Suncoast Drive. 'There were no in- juries. tition s o s law; not belts o ose Residents of 'Huron and Bruce counties aren't cotn- • pletely •''against fastening their seatbelts but they do seem'to resent being told they • have to, The resentment is showing in a• petition :being circulated in the two counties that questions the right ;the province• has to make tbe: use of seatbelts mandatory in Ontario • Ray Hanna, • a rabbit producer from Auburn, has been, working throughout the two counties in the' last 'two • weeks interviewing people and asking them if they wish to sign a petition as a person who believes in. the "nights of the individual to decide things for themselves", ' He has • been . mildly sur- prised at thea 'response the petition has received adding that he was unaware when he started working on it that public opinion was as strong on the matter as it seems to bc. Mr. Hanna discovered the ,use of 'the petition, now on`a • new additio : i B '" EdTonks,left, hei- s Jim '13is•rh.l':r, thi corm rstthw on the I.1.l,tQn Manch. 109 president �' headquarters iii Z helps ch: Mr, iBiseli was the. builcllnt; new addition totheitgion heaclqu<arte ',meerinto :Went on the construe't1on project. (staff photo) • • province wide scale, through . Scott of,pLucknow•, .Mr..Scott two brgthers ;tieing in Guelph, has carried the petition to The two asked i•f Ray. would A rn b e ri y , K i nc ar din.e , sin - release le tt' nand • Walkerton Ripley ga eiw twhen he agreed he -received a sheath of-therntocirculatein Budget set So®n e,p Teeswater and'Lucknow. The date for confronting Queen's: Park with the signatures has not been set.: Iris own community, Credit for the petition.goes • to Karen Hepinstall of Elora, Ontario. - She started the project shortly after the New Year's seatbelt laws took lei affect and through the media her efforts have spread across the province.' The first two days •Mr.• Hanna worked on the•petition netted'him 102 signatures. He interviewed 107 • people in Luck,now, Wittgham: Wroxeter, Gorrie, Harriston, Clinton arid. Auburn and of. those, 100signed against the government's action and two . agreed with, the Seatbelt law. • The .Auburn man said he began working:on.the petition not because h'e was against • the . use of seat- belts' but because he was against the.. "infringement on a person's rights".' He said that most of the people signing the petition felt the sane• way and some were even regular users,,:of the safetyde.vice. • ".? berrirve the person on the street has as much sense as 1 , feel 1 do," said Mr. Hanna. "E•.very one is entitled to their opinion ' The aims of _the people Working on the petition are.to possibly have the legislation chahged., They .feel that if the public ' reaction to any'" legislatign promotes an'ob- vious opposition• .the gover- nment could possibly-5,Wrid to make' better legislation. ,according to Nlr. Hanna. • '."1h•' northern. end CI Huron • • , The Goderich - police Commission intends to set their 1976 budget in February and 'as, a result ;;of •their Janu•a'ry meeting they have he:en requested to consider several equipment additions. . in the budget to increase .the effectiveness -of the Goderich. p<tliee department. TO 'commission heard requests from both the ^ Goderich Police Association, which the officers belong to, aind Police Chief Pat King for purchases... of equipment. _Listed 'in; the requests •froni, the .,association were. sirens• and new. -roof lights 'for the cruisers, 'a bigger motor for the-- cruisers or some car- buretion changes -to the present motors., The chief told the com- mission the department would need`a,„,new cruiser for 1976, soiine clothing changes' for the officers and a bullet• proof vest: .The police association in a 1etter.:to'thteenmmission said the new ereiser markeriights would increase, the safety aspect of the police vehicles and make it easier forthemtti County and p•artkof Bruce ti -re • hi,;,si-ett- by motorists• being an st The. petitions have ' .been placed.•in Goderich at Argyle , Marine, the Goderich Legion ,; - and S,k.y Ranch Restaurant. • fences. Theletter said .that• with the present•single roof - ligh•t many motorists' claim they' didn't ' sea the officer trying to stop them on the road. The letter added that when• the cruiser is involved fn a street:pursu, it or is stoppedat an accident, the new lights - would be seen easier by passing motorists and would increase the _ safety of the Officers . in the car, • • Chief Pat King told •the core'reission 'he. thou.plrt the lights v3ould be a good tdea for the cruisers. He said that most forces• have adopted the new light racks which are , easily - interchangeable ;without narking the Cars, are brighter and are more ef. fcctivc: ".' The siren', the chief thought • was not as needed as the association , claimed. In the letter to the commission the. association said the siren • would bevery effective in' warning - motorists and pedestrians if the,eruiser was moving feet and' would- in- crease the 'ability Of officers to attract thea attention, of other motorists. }icing' attended to by Marvin pulled over.,. for . traffic of- The chief told the com- .y: 3. 'siren rna ha e mission .the 1r• uses in isolated situations but 'Was not deSperately needed. He said: that new , cars are • :almost soundproof%..nicking sirens hard to hear, adding that if 'the sirens weep pur- cha would set . down.. sttingent rules governing their use. - • The. association • .also requested the commission to investigate larger, motors for the police cruisers -t0 increase their performance' and . to avoid the carbon buildup the current engines. are 'plagued ' '. with, They. suggested, if the commission did npt like the idea of the larger engine they • tnay.egree to a change in the. cars carburetion to: give a similar increase in per- formence, • • Chief King said he thought the engine :Changes were impractical, poiriting.out.that ,the cruisers eeldom are used in highway 'chase's wh t e --the ... '' large engine wouldbe host • 'effective. -He added that the 'changes .would increase the • gas consu mptiun r,f the vers, ixeinti ere' ng out that if . o_ ,� th�'ears Were suffering g frm oaiAliorr buildup he did. not (cont.inued'on plago 12) •