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) •