HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal Star, 1976-02-19, Page 1fi
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Don. Hullah of the uron County Health `Unit examp p
ines fans for -the expansion ansion. of
Alexandra"•Marineand; General Hospital:`with Don' Greene at' the site.. Once the work is •
proceeding Don will` perform :rough -in water: tests and ;final pressure tests at the coim-
pletion: (staff photo) . .
BY DAVE SYKES •
Working for the protectiO
-el the public is, often a mos
difficult task,
'There always exists that
..certain uneasiness. and
sometimes paranoia against
peoplewho enforce laws
despite the objectives a
assurances that_enforcemefit.
"cart provide. •
tlae inspection of food and Jack MacKienon is.
p re e.e s sing and responsible for environment
inspection and investigates
all sewage complaints related
either to industrial,
municipal,. school "or,farm as
well as- inspection of septic
tanksand, open dump or land
fill sites. 'Related coxnplaints
of garbage or sewage also are
,inv-estigated by the en-
vironment division:
Don Hullah -and ..-.Phial
Paquette '•` handle „plumbing
inspection duties, that include
commercial and .residential
rough -in and final, Water and
pressure ° rests as well aS
enforcing specification of the
plumbing code and handling
related complaints. . Plum-
bing inspection is basically •
done on demand er referral
and in, all cases inspection of
specifications is' done
beforehand. . . '
slaughterhouses and ,dairies
w,s'very important for health
preventative measures.
.The medical .officer . of
health explained` that such,
expansion of services were
ece:ssary for control of ..
hee.lth practises
Thus the groundwork 'was
But people : and:. attitudes laid' for the jurisdictionofthe-,
change and : subsequent • toCounty health units.. It was an
••thatwas a social'•awarenes '.attempt to get to the root of
of A. need .for welfare and the problem and curb un -
public healthprotection sanitary • conditions in • the
• Public health protectiOf processing of food before it
always existed as a malof ever), reached the public.
priority but prior -to Woritt.ss From this point the role of the
War iI in Huron County its health unit becam, a basically.
application' was done on °a one of prevention.
• part tirne basis. The public health in-
.
-in the pre-war period the . speetion unit has now grown'
medical officer of health in to a five` inspectors plus Dr.
the county worked -part time Frank '` Mills,: • the County
and was mainly responsible MVledical Officer of Health.
to look after sanitary earn. The unit's duties are divided
plaints ` and infectious into four categories, of in:.
diseases. There. was •also a spection under the, direr-,
Core of nurseswho performed torship of chief. health in-:
e. oral specter Jim McCaul: : ••
John Orr of the Huron County Health Unit takes .a•water sample from the pool at -the
"Vianastra `Recreation Centre. to Check..�chlorine content, Random checks• on such. public
recreational facilities are reutine calls for public health inspectors.'(staff photo')
v cci at ns n.
schools and their `functions
-were approached witha great
degree` of apprehensien and
'scrutiny by the residents.
Dr. W.F.-Gallow worked 'as.
a member of ' the ' Goderieh
Board of Health from .1.900"to:
1949: It' was in July of 1949 •
that.County Council : im
plemnted a , county wide
h d td all•
healt unit i
an ' re re - G
i�
Most •food and related•food
processing outlets and`
.restaurantsinspection is done
-by John Orr whoseThsp.eetion
territory covers one-third of
uestirs
9
the count -37. Unlike the other
division of the unit his work is
a combination of:routine and ..
demand. A new 'computer
s•ystein outlines routine calls
to -be made . during a period'
and complaints and demands
,are worked in around the
routine•inspection's"'
John's responsibilities
involve food' control . and. food
and water sainples. 'Food:
control .involves . inspection of
all.' food, meat and dairy
'products processing plants.as
well as inspection of outlets
such as:restaurants, school
and institutional cafeterias,
public .halls and ,food store
outlets. Food. and water
samples, are taken" at
designated intervals.
Aside from the routine
work involved in insPectien of
,facilities the unitanswered
several calls last year•
relating to . complaints ' • of •
insects : and rodents • and
cornmunicable. ' diseases of
hepat.itfi rabies "''and
,salmonellosis. Mr. McCaul,.
indicated that • most. of the': '
rabies reports-ar'e unfounded'
and, there was not One• in-,
stance of rabies in,d+ogs last `,-
year. •
•
Last ' year the unit ,was
involved . in :approximately
10,000 routine inspections and
inspections relating •.to
referrals 'and complaints.
•- Chief Health Inspector
McCaul viewed the units
basic role as prevention
through the enforcement of
Public Health Act.
Public Health has made.
great stridesin the county
since' its inception in 1949`and:
the broad range of services
and inspections ensure basic
and sound preventative .
measures. There. is • even a
clause ' in the Public Health
Act, enforceable by the in-
spectors, that states a farmer
may not have more than two
wagon loads of manure in
front of the barn unless they
• are properly covered..
It`s little .wonder the in
" �apeetcii- 'wear':rubber boots to •
work.
motio
statement
boards Of health and existing
s, ,Goderich. town council` A letter. from, the Chesley costly operatingbudgets programs.
medical officers of : health endorsed a resolution,, last.' town council•claimed that the • It . also requested that the • Council .agreed:to express '
rved the :u';eek from' the :"`town of •closing of their hospital will employees ofhospitals under their support of the resolution
Dr GaTiow had ser p
r -s: health board'' fist'? . 's .ty r'equ'esting the "create the��precedertt' fiat wff 't�hre6t'-i rin�attri l :e aSstiketr -'ttt* .ill .. ; Rata avis':
nearlyihalf a centuryand was Minister, of Health • to, present set tire Minister's hospital
;a,' detailed and complete' - olioy in motion and. the first,
appointed'the medical officer p p
of.health in 1929. - - . statement of his. policy and .,closure will be `:the • most
program gelating. to hospital 'difficult for them`to carry:out.
In•.its infancy.tbe. board's closures to the Legislature. • They• claim that, subsequent
'functions ' centered around ...• .: closures will be much easier
answering complaints of a 'The.. Chesley council also. to achieve.
sanitary nature and • curbing asked that the operation of
infectious diseases. Dr. the hospital be extended until The' Chesley' council will
Gallow explained that people' the : entire closure policy of ask the support of all
would. compiain,tiiat a neigh- ` the Ministry has been municipal. councils in the
e h that the,
boor kept' a cow. too close to presented. to the legislator
Ills house or that a Man failed and adopted. -. The resolution
to. bury. his dead :horse .•• stated that the •Ministry of
properly and• these were : Health has' not conclusively.
classed as, 'sanitary com demo.nstrated• that the-,
..__ .. _ ,_._-- ....proposed- cutbacks-- --would.:
-plaints. �- •
produce- economies without
But the major concern of detriment to essential health
the unit in its earl ears• was -
Y:3' services.;
-m the control of. infectious. It: also read that' the
diseases and: there was a -big 'Ministry has not presented a
epidemic of small ;pox. in 1906.- comprehensive. hospital
There were : some 3.0 cases program ` and the proposed
reported in Goderich, one of. closing of= -small' hospitals
which, resulted in death and • would lead to curtailment of
froro :that time.health units- necessary health . • facilities
province ho in t a
Ministr.y, will present e
'general plan to.. the
Legislature and the publics
H:owever,•• of..':se.condary.
importance ...is.. the assurance•
that the plan will save
dollars and the building .will
simply not he turned over to'
another Ministry for other -
purposes-
The resolution questions
the cost saving factor .of the
closing of small hospitals
when patients`' normally
treated • at such a facility
would have to be transported •
12 or.30 miles to other hospital
• stressed preventive presently provided and would -
measures in their role. create serious -.hardships in
the affected communities.
From such epidemic scares facilities ' with more
.the peoplegradually became
mote health conscious and
---he-• woe -k --of health - boards--
becamemore" .widely ac-_
cepted. At his retirement in
1949, Dr: Gallow pointed out
that people were beginning to
accept im,muniiation.
Previous to 1950 both
teachers and parents took'.
some convincing before
school children couldbe
immunized. The fact that all
• soldiers. in 'the' Canadian
forces wereimmunized
gradually paved the wayjor
clinics,
Jost to touch on the times,
the prevalent :fear was of
polio. Without the.trust of the
work of the health unit the
fear of such diseases as polio
bordered on paranoia,•
One girl from Blyth phoned,
the health unirclaiming she
wanted to, shop in .Gbderich
but was afraid atter hearing
rumours Of polio cases
Goderich. Dr. Gallow.assured
her therumors were untrue
and she ventured into -town.
Bet' the fears and telephone
calls were not uncommon and
the evolution of public health..
has alleviated those fears.
By the end of , 1949 the
'county realized the . need to
- expand public health servivices:
and Dr. R,JyI. Aldis recom-
mended ---that the • unit's
jurisdiction ;rover
restaurants and other eating
-,places as well, as testing all
municipal water supplies. It
MA also suggested then that
Public health inspector ,Toho Orr performs a swab teston the silverware in the kitchen at
the Vnnastra recreation. complex outside'of Clinton.'xamination of silverware andoth•er
kitchen fac,iiities in.public eating places is .just .part of the health prevention measure
rondueted by the inspectors: (staff photo) ' •
•
other• related employment so .Minister of Health. 'Fra.
as, to prevent increased stress Miller, ''NDP leader Stephen
being; placed on federal Lewis and Liberal leader -:Dr,
unemployment :'and Welfare- Stuart Srnith. '
Free tax service
for senior citizens
Once: again in 1976,•'a group,•of. trained local men and
women „will be available twice weekly to 'assist senior
'citizens in filling out their income tax form's.
;Under the leadership of Mrs. 1.M. MacDonald, . this
group Will be in tbe basement of MacKay Hall on Mon..
days and Thursday from 10 a.m.' to 1 p.m.. beginning;
February 20' through March and April: The service is
absolutely free to seniors whose income is under $5,000.
Perso[is interested in helping with this work should.
attend a Meeting Friday,: February 20 at the home of
Miss Esther Garrow, 105A' North 'Street. Call Miss
Garrow at 524-7175.•.At this meeting, a representative of.
the District Taxation Office -will instruct the group'in..the.
'preparation of income tax returns; specifically for senior
citizens: . ' •
Taxpayers who use .the 'free service are requested to
bring their own returns, T4's and relevant documents,
The story• is old,but the
perspective is up -dated and
brought into sharp focus by.
the filmThe Gospel Road to
be` shown on Sunday,
February 22 -at Huron Mens
Chapel, Auburn.. The showing
will begin at8p.m.
The ' Gospel Road,
distributed by World Wide
Pictures, was conceived and
produced.by.JohnnyCash and.
"his wife, June. Carter Cash,`
whose desire was.to tell the.
story of Jesus Christ in a
realistic and meaningful way.
The fil'rri-is a unique blend
of scripture -based narrative,
!:. an abundant s supply of
specially written songs, and a
series of in-depth, character
portrayals, with Israel iteelf.
as the mixing bowl.
You are there, walking
beside the -Jordan and the Sea
of Galilee;, you are there,
seeing Hint in ninny, human'
• situations 'P!that establish a
. practical •arid personal
rapport with.every viewer.
Ydu are there, .being M.,,
traduced to the disciples, and
gaining insights into their
varied • personalities. You are
there, experiencing the
highly charged emotional
impact of the trial before
Pilate, • and becoming so
personally, involved that you
feel sympathetic pain when
'Robert Elfstrom, in an out- •
standing portrayal of Christ,
suffers the physical attack
that precedes the Crucifixion.
Adding to the effectiveness"
of The Gospel. load in its
endeavor to convey reality
for ` 'this day are: the
fascinating treatment of the
Cr'ucifixiori,' making this
tragedy ari event of
significancy that reaches
from its own time across the
years to take on meaning for
all men of all ages; and the
•songs and -background music
of Johnny Cash and other
outstandingmusicians
whose contemporary style i•'
,out of •keeping with: the
story...' a story that reveals
that His . darkest day has .
become our brightest...