HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-08-17, Page 1New administrator
BY JOANNE WALTERS
A new administrator was chosen for
Alexandra Marine .and General Hospital at a
board meeting held last Thursday evening.
Elmer Taylor of Exeter has been chosen over
32 other applicants to take the place of former
administrator Jim Banks who resigned earlier
this year:
Taylor has been the Exeter hospital ad-
ministrator for five years and prior to that he
was in the grants department with the Ministry
of Health. He is married with one daughter and
will be moving to Goderich to start his job
which goes into-effeet -September •15:
•
r'ik--e- er--ted
The threat of Huron County schools not
opening this fall because of a custodial strike
has ended.
About 50 custodians and maintenance
workers ratified a two-year agreement here
Sunday afternoon. The members of Local. 210
of the Service Employees Union have been
without a contract, since May 31.
Tony Borg, union international represen-
tative, said Monday an agreement was
reached after four meetings with Huron
County board of education representatives.
He said the differences centred on wages.
Although complete details of the contract
are yet to be released, Borg did say the new
agreement contained a . "major
breakthrough" in the form of a cost of living
clause in the second year of the contract.
The custodians have never had a cost of
living clause before, he said.
Woman remanded
BY JOANNE WALTERS
Bertha Ann McCullough, who has been
charged with second degree murder in con-
nection with the death of her son Christopher
has been remanded in custody until August 21 at
which timeshewill appear in.Provincial .Court_
.
here.
Mrs. McCullough, 28, of 55 Pauline Crescent,'..
London and formerly of Goderich was charged
August 1 and returned to Godericlhfrom London
August 2. She was then taken to Walkerton jail
and appeared in Provincial Court in Wingham
last Wednesday morning.
Mrs. McCullough, her husband David and
sons Michael David and Christopher, resided at
48 St. Patrick Street in Goderich. She and her
two-year-old son Christopher were taking an
afternoon nap when a fire was reported at the
McCullough home. Mr. McCullough was at
work and Michael David was away.
The fire, reported in 1974 to be of un-
determined origin, was under investigation by
the Ontario Fire Marshal's office. Christopher
had been found dead in his crib
People can help keep doctors in town
BY 9HIRLEY J. KELLER
Deputy -reeve Eileen Palmer and Councillor
John Doherty got approval Monday evening for
their motion to advertise immediately in the
medical journals for doctors to locate in
toderich.
But Dr. Brian Lynch, the Huron County MOH
who left general practice in Goderich last fall to
take the county post, feels that the people of
Goderich and area who are the patients here
will have to develop a new attitude toward their
medical men if they want the doctors to come
and to stay.
"The people, when they have doctors, should
respect them," Dr. Lynch said. "They should
remember that the same people staff the
doctors' offices, work in the emergency
department at the hospital, deliver the babies
and visit patients in hospital. They are called
out all over the place day or night in any
weather."
According to Dr. Lynch, he couldn't believe
how "peaceful all of a sudden my life became"
when he left private practice last fall.
"Now when the telephone rings it is usually
for my wife and I enjoy answering the
telephone," he laughed.
MANY CALLS, TOO
Deputy -reeve Palmer told council Monday
•-e•v ing•-she-h•as-had--man-y-tel h e-ea•lls-€rem
distraught citizens who just don't know where
to turn for medical attention.
"There are just not enough doctors to go
around," said Palmer. She suggested that the
town should "offer some assistance if that
assistance is required" to attract a doctor to
Goderich.
The fact is there probably aren't enough
doctors in Goderich to handle the patient load.
Dr. Lynch said the province recgrnmends one
doctor to every 600 persons. In that cease there
should be about 12 doctors to serve the
population of Goderich, and probably five,
more, considering the patients, From the
district, as well as the summer tourist load.
Instead there are four doctors in active
practice in Goderich at the present time - Dr.
David Walker, Dr. Bruce Thompson, Dr.
James Hollingworth and Dr. Mario"Cauchi,
Dr. Kenton Lambert and Dr. Michael Watts
are also in practice in Goderich, but they are
not considered family practitioners but con-
sulting surgeons.
Dr. William Watters carried a limited
practice and . Raymond Flowers of Clinton
is available as a consultant.
In recent months, Dr. Roy Lomas has left
active practice in Church St. Medical Clinic,
and while he does take a regular shift at the
emergency department of Alexandra Marine
and General Hospital, he does not have an
office or see patients regularly.
__Dr:._Barry_Licathe-an,d_Da:._IJarr-y Cies-lar-brave ___
also left Church St. Medical Clinic where Dr.
Lynch was in practice. The death of Dr. John
the
derich
Wallace this summer left another vacancy
which hasn't been filled. As well, the practice of
the late Dr. Dorman Jackson was never taken
over by anyone new.
There are doctors from the city in the
emergency department at the hospital for the
summer months, and Dr. Yvonne Verbeeten is
filling in this month for Dr. Cauchi who is on
vacation.
DOCTORS RELUCTANT
At _the council meeting, Mayor Deb Shewfelt
said problems at the local hospital, and the
threat of beds closing would have an adverse
effect on doctors who might otherwise consider
relocation in Goderich.
"Doctors are nervous people," the mayor
observed.
Dr. Lynch says that the biggest problem with
doctors all over the province is that "they are
not enjoying practice". He said doctors may
have the respect of some of their very own
patients, but they are not revered by govern-
ment and they are not revered by the press.
"When you hear something over and over
again, you begin to believe it," Dr. Lynch said,
noting the adverse publicity given to doctors in
recent years. .
Dr. Lynch had the highest praise for the
emergency department at the local hospital,
•sayj g-it-vyes- ceeitentservice.:•__._W____.._._�.
"It functions almost like a city emergency
department 24 hours a day, seven days a
week," he said. "It is almost too good with the
manpower that has to run it."
He explained that the problem is com-
pounded by over-anxious patients who make an
appointment with one of the local doctors for
three weeks hence. The patient doesn't want to
wait that long, so goes to the emergency
department where theAdottor is called from his
office. Ultimately, thar puts the doctor behind
at his office and slows down the service to some
Other patient.
But Deputy -reeve Palmer believes that even
though doctors are in short supply in Goderich,
people here are still getting sick and are in need
of medical attention. She said it was council's
responsibility to make some effort to attract
some doctors to Goderich and her motion to
advertise for doctors to come here passed
easily.
Gets car allowance
An in -town car allowance for Clerk Larry
McCabe of $50 per month was approved Monday
evening by council.
Reeve__ Rill Clifford said he 'was personally
satisfied that McCabe is "out of pocket" because
of the additional expenses he_has_while_,driving,
aroundtownon municipal business.
"No one on this council would do it," said
Clifford.
IGNAL
STS- R
131 YEAR -33
THURSDAY. AUGUST 17. 1978
30 CENTS PER COPY
own to pay skunk trappers
BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER
It, was unanimous. Town council agreed to a
man(woman) that skunks in Goderich need to
be controlled and that bounty hunters are the
best people to rid the community of its smelly
squatters.
No one really called it bounty hunting. But
that's what it amounts to. Council readily
accepted.the offer of trappers Ronald and John
Glazier to dispose of skunks -humanely -at $10
per head. The men who have their trappers'
licences, will set their traps at the homes of
consenting residents between the hours of 8 pm
and 8 am. They say their traps will not be a
danger to family pets, either.
rr�
The town will pay the bill. There was some
suggestion that homeowners should pay all or a
portion of the cost to have their properties rid of
skunks, but that idea was vetoed. Clerk Larry
McCabe said it would be an administrative
nightmare to deal with the problem in that
manner, and one citizen who attended Monday
evening's meeting feared that residents might
not ask to have their skunks removed if they
thought they would have to pay for the service.
"We don't hesitate to spend $1,000,000 on a
runway or on a highway," said Councillor John
Doherty, who supported the move for the town
to pay the trapping bill.
Doherty said skunks in Goderich are -'up in
the hundreds now" and there are "a lot of
concerned citizens". Deputy -reeve Eileen
Palmer concurred, and referring to a story in
last week's,Signal-Star about the problem, said
"In no way shape or form is the skunk problem
like a rat or mice problem."
Reeve Bill Clifford agreed with Councillor
Elsa Haydon that the town should check the
legal ramifications of paying trappers to catch
the skunks. Clerk Larry McCabe will get in•
touch with the town's solicitor and the town's
insurance agent to determine the respon-
sibilities of the town in the event that something
unforeseen should happen while the skunks are
beingtrapped on private property.
Only a handful of people attended council
about the skunk_ problem. One observer said
skunks had been reported at the Kinsmen Park
sandbox and on The Square in broad daylight.
Council received a letter from another citizen
who feared that skunks with rabies could
spread the disease to 'family pets who might
then infect children and adults.
"If it's a health problem, the Huron County
Health Unit should be involved, like it is for
polio," said Councillor Elsa Haydon.
It was reported, however, that the county
medical officer of health won't get involved
until rabies is proven to bea problem.
Huron MOH plans September immunization clinics
BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER
The immunization clinics in Goderich are
continuing this week at the Huron County_
Health Unit: They are planned for every day -
Monday through Friday - from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Just a5 soon as stocks of vaccine are
replenished, probably by mid-September,
Huron County Health Unit clinics will be re-,.
opened in Goderich to ensure that every adult
who wants to be 'vaccinated against polio and
tetanus will have ample opportunity to do so.
Dr. Brian Lynch, Huron County Medical
Officer of Health, said this week the health unit
has supplied vaccine to all family physicians in
the county. People getting their immunization
from doctors in their offices will be covered by
the Ontario Hospital Insurance program.
However, those persons who choose to go to
an emergency department at any one of the
local hospitals will likely be billed for the
service. Dr. Lynch said that unless the Ministry
of Health has waived the ruling because of the
polio scare in the province, OHIP will not pay
for immunization shots given in hospital.
The most economical way to be innumized, of
course, is through the local health unit. People
are reminded this service is free but it is not a
hand-out. The service is provided pre -paid
since the Huron County Health Unit is funded
through provincial tax dollars as well as
through Huron County tax dollars.
Dr. Lynch said he had been advised by the
Ministry of Health there is "no need" to operate
the immunization clinics in Huron County since
the risk factor for Huron residents is low in
relation to the polio outbreak in Oxford County.
Still, Dr. Lynch feels there is a definite need for
the people of Huron County to be up-to-date
with their immunization protection, and
believes that because. of the Oxford County
situation, people all over the province are
suddenly interested in immunization.
"We have a captive population at the..
moment," reasoned Dr, Lynch who, wants to
grab this opportunity to get people immunized.
Stocks of the Salk vacbine as well as the
tetanus vaccine are running low due to mass
immunization job which is going on at the
present time in Ontario. At the moment, the
. health unit is using a "structure of priorities"
to ensure that those persons at high risk have
access to the vaccine right away. Some of these
priorities are age, previous immunization
record and the degree of risk of exposure.
"A nurse, for instance, working in an
emergency ward at a hospital is at greater risk
than some others," explained Dr. Lynch. "Or
someone at 50 years of age with no previous
immunization record is at greater risk than
someone who was immunized at some time in
his life."
Dr. Lynch says that, for people who have
never been vaccinated against polio or tetanus,
a series of three shots, one month apart, is
necessary. For people who have had the
originalseries, only a booster shot onceevery
fiveyears is required.
The MOH said that while there is not one case
of polio in Huron County at present, and the
likelihood of one being identified is remote,
immunization for the entire population is vital.
"It doesn't have to be this week, though,"
said Dr. Lynch. "I'm just hoping people won't
forget about it. That's why we're operating
clinics in September once the supply of the
vaccine has been replenished."
Joy Mahon, 0, of Goderich, bravely stood for her
polio inbculatlon last Friday at the Huron County
courthouse while her mother Karin held her
reassuringly. Joy's three-year-old sister Susan kept
a watchful eye as Public Health Nurse Becei Burton
applied the needle, and then interrogated Joy as to
whether or not the whole operation hurt. The two
girls were among hundreds of people who lined up
for the three-hour clink in Goderikh, prompted by, a
recent outbreak .of half-dozen cases of polio in
Oxford County. (Photo by Jim Hagarty)
This was the scene outside the Huron County courthouse on
Friday afternoon as a line-up of people awaiting their polio
inoculations continued from the time the clinic opened at 1: 30
p.rn, until it was due to close three hours later. Though area
medical experts have stated there is no need for alarm following
the discovery of six polio cases in Oxford County, 'a good many
'people weren't taking any chances. (Photo by Jim Hagarty)
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