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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-02-22, Page 1Wingham and District, HOSPitaIhas taken o n another step toward beginning is of a new emergency and oubent wing the decision of the hospital week to call for tenders on the project. Bids on the estimated $1.4 million ex- pansion are due by April 3, at which time the board will have an opportunity to review the numbers and make a final decision whether or not to proceed. Judging from the tone of discussion at the meeting last week, however, there is little doubt that, barring an unexpectedly high price tag, the project will go ahead as planned The decision to call for tenders came immediately following final approval of the expansion plans by the Health Ministry, which is contributing $250,000 toward the building. The remainder of the money is expected to come from the hospital, the community and grants from Huron and Bruce county councils. •The recoinmendatton from the board's property committee topro. eed at once Fah Galling tenders ran into opposition from one or two board members, who suggested it would be better to have a full-scale discussion Of the pros and cons of the project first, before taking this step. However it was pointed out that asking for tenders does not commit the hospital to proceeding with the project, and the final vote was overwhelmingly in favor of calling for tenders. Hospital Administrator Norman Hayes told the board it would be impossible to make the final decision to build without knowing exactly what it will dost. He also expressed concern that the Tong delay in reaching the tender stage — some of which he said is the result of the board dragging its feet — could cost the hospital some of the pricing advantage it had hoped to gain by calling tenders last fall. Another factor in setting back the time - 1 4 • 6 d 'Ira u 4.4 kw ii'�M ,6014 >� ww rr or. table has been the unexpectedly long wait for the health minister to grant final ap- proval to the plans. Before voting on whether or not to call tenders, The board heard the final report from an ad hoc committee established last year to "heal the rift" between hospital and community and improve the chance? of mounting a successful fundraising cam- • paign. This committee, made up of both board" members and individuals invited from the community at large, was responsible for producing and showing the video presen- tation on the hospital, which was shown to hospital staff and community groups throughout the fall and early winter, mendations, decisively voting down the In its report to the board, the committee•. second. noted it had made nearly 70 presentations to The first recommendation, which was a total of over 1,000 people, receiving a great adopted unanimously, is that the board deal of positive feedback in the process. should develop "timely, ongoing methods of "The outcome appears to be acceptance of communication wIth the public," also the (building) program and support for it," { establishing ways to monitor, assess and the report says, noting teat support has been change these methods as necessary. Among evidenced by a number of public donations and pledges, and offers to help with the fundraising campaign. "In summary, the committee believes its work has been positive, constructive and has laid the groundwork for better com- munication and mutual understanding ►between the community and its hospital." "The report concludes with two recom- mendations aimed at ensuring better communication between the hospital and community continues, so that a rift will not re -open in the future. However, while the board expressed appreciation for the work of the committee, it accepted only one of the recom- PUBLIC SPEAKING WINNERS at Sacred Heart School, Wingham, were chosen last Thursday, Topping the Grade 7-8 division were Jeffery Sanders, Bill Kinahan and Julie Koopman, with Tracey McInnes, Lori Belanger the methods suggested are letters to councils outlining board business, open houses for the public and making the execu- tive director, Mr. Hayes, available to ac- company board members in their reports to municipal councils. The second recommendation, which provoked considerable debate before being rejected, was that board meetings should be opened to the public, after the manner of municipal councils and boards of education. Members of the general public would be permitted to attend and observe at board meetings, but not to take part in discussion. The proposal, which had been strongly supported by community members of the ad hoc committee on the grounds that it would signal a willingness by the board to be completely open and let the public see how it operates, as well as that, as a publicly - funded institution, it should bbpen to public scrutiny, found little favor with the board.' Board members Dr. Walter Wong and and Healey Hallahan winning the Grade. 4, 5'and 6 divi- sion. No individual winners were named; the top three speakers, in each division will move on to the next level of competition. Audience is supportive of teacher's .peace protest One member of the Huron movement continues, to County Board of Education conflict with her duties as a berated Joanne Young for ' Grade 10 mathematics "costing the' board more teacher at the South Huron (time) than any other issue and District High. School in we have everfaced," but Exeter. She was suspended most of the rest of the without pay last December audience seemed solidly after taking time off without supportive of the Zurich- permission to attend.a peace area peace activist who demonstration at the Litton spoke at Clinton last week. Industries plant in Toronto, fk Y 1 o s o en un claims she The tiny, s t p ,. Mrs, 1; teacher spoke for nearly an was legally entitled to time hour on her personal in- off .under the terms of her volvement with the peace - contract, but says the board movement, which has led to refused on the grounds that arrests and jail terms in both she "intended to commit a Canada and the U.S. crime." School Board Trustee "I don't know how they Frank Falconer of Clinton knew that," she added, also objected to Mrs. "because the judge in Young's presence because of Toronto still hasn't made up her prison record, saying he' his mind whether any crime felt she was setting a -poor- has been committed." example for her"' students. Ontario Provincial Court However his comments were Judge Milton Cadsby has shouted down in ' a noisy delayed judgment on the confrontation with other case until next month, when members of the audience the Supreme Court of who defended her courage. ' Canada rules on the validity "Sometimes little crimes . of cruise missile testing in must be committed in order Canada. to try to avert a much larger While she spoke, Mrs. crime against humanity," young was interrupted Mrs. Young said. several times by sustained ' There is a warrant out for , applause from the audience. her arrest in the U.S., issued During the question period when She failed to return to the crowd also en - Syracuse N.Y., for sen- thusiastically cheered Jarl tenting last fall for her part Fisher of Bayfield, who told in a peace demonstration at Mrs.. r Voting he was Griffis Ari Force Base. reminded, in her example to However the warrant ex- the youth -Of Huron Courtty, of pir"es next September and is other great teachers of not being pursued outside the humanity such as Christ and U.S. Gandhi. The Huron Board of Following her talk, many Education has warned her members of the audience she could be fired if her crowded around the teacher involvement in the peace to speak to her and offer their support. The meeting, which also featured the controversial film, ' "If You Love This Planet", was sponsored by Women Today, a self-help and advocacy group for Huron County women. In introducing Mrs. Young, the group's coordinator, Toby Rainey, explained that, "While Women Today does FIRST S>;ION Robert Pike both expressed strong support for the recommendation,, while Dr. Brian Hanlon said he would support a modified version specifying that public attendance could be only by written request to the chairman. However other board members said they feared that opening meetings to the public would discourage discussion or could lead to disturbances at board meetings. Chairman Mary Vair pointed out that it is not common for hospital boards to permit the public, or even the press, to attend their meetings. In the end, the recommendation' was rejected by a vote of 9-5. A concluding suggestion that the board should recruit a fundraising chairman "as quickly as possible" to ensure the momentum from the video presentations is.' maintained was noted by the board without • comment. It was pointed out that, while this had been discussed by the committee, it was not a formal recommendation. xit bron Wingham, Ontario, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 1984 Daae Gower heads Maitland Authority A Goderich man has. been named chairman of the Maitland Valley Conserva- tion Authority for the fifth year in a row. At 1VMVCA's annual meet-. ing on Feb: 16, Dave Gower was again chosen to head the Conservation Authority. Vince Judge. of Listowel will .continue,+;its tie -vice chairxpan thairmek,s! advisory b!baiids'.a ere . also named:.at the•annudi meet ing. These positions are for two years. Carman Kaye of RR 1, Palmerston was newly nam- edto head the water man- agement advisory board. ' • Don .Dodds of RR 2, Tees - water, is chairman of the land management advisory board. Continuing two-year ap- pointments are Bruce McCall of Brussels as chair- man of the community rela- tions advisory board and William Manning of Blyth as chairman of the conservar tion areas advisory board board. . `These chairman, - along with Mr.. Gower and. Mr. Judge, make up the author- ity's executive committee. Members of. the water IT anagement board are Doug Trench, Listowel; Don Wheeler, Goderich; Norman Alexander, Londes,horo; Grant Farrish, RR 3, Luck - now;, William Leeming, RR 1, Seaforth; John Vander Eyk, RR 2, Listowel, and Hans 'Feldmann, Wallace Township.. The land management ad- visory board is made up of Norman Haid, RR 4 Lis- towel; Harold Errington, RR not necessarily advocate civil disobedience, we do recognize the historical role it has played in the women's movement. You may or may not support some of the things (Mrs. Young) says or does, but if we are to remain free we must fight to the death for her right to say ,them." 2, Auburn; Joe Vandenberk, RR 2, Monkton; Rog 'Taylor, RR 1, Belgrave; Hery Clark, Lucknow; Catherine Kele- her, Palmerston, and a Clin- ton representative who is yet to be named. On the community rela- tions board are George McBride, . RR 5, Lucknow; Pat. Osborn, Goderich Town- Ard+of¢ stet'Wrox*'. Leona Ariist img, RR 3, Brussels; Michael Brown, RR 2, Kenilworth; George Wicke, RR 2, Gadshill, and Bill Crump,. Wingham. The conservation areas advisory board is made up of Lorne Murray; Morrefield.; Robert Grasby, RR 4, Brus- sels; Randy Scott, RR 1, Wroaieter; William Dale,. Seaforth; Russel Kernighan, RRA, Goderich; Norman Young, HarrIston ►o d•• Storey, Milverton . and Mar- garet Bennett, Wingham. Fire dispute. is still unresolved The dispute between '•th •%: •'•• He `said._ the, proposal is Wingham Area Fire Board final. "They tthe accept"it and officers of the fire de- or it's all over." partment remains unresolv- However he sought to allay ed, but an end may be in: public concern over a sight. possible breakdown in fire that Single Copy 50c Members of the fire department met Monday. night with a representative of the Ontario Fire Mar- shal's office `and, following that meeting,) Fire Chief Dave Crothers said they had agreed, on a proposal to be submitted to the fire board. "We have all come to a tentative agreement as far as ' we're concerned," he said, adding that the fire marshal has been asked to relay the proposal to the board. "We have nothing to do with it anymore." GOLD DANCE MEDALS were presented to Curtis Moore and Olive former Olive Lapp, by Fran Brady during the Wingham figure skating week. The medals represent top achievement in their skating skills. a protection, promising the fire department will continue to respond to any fires. Their dispute is with the board, he said, , notwith the public. DougFortune, chairman of the fire board, said Tuesday he knew nothing of any new offer, but added that some members of the board would be meeting Tuesday night with a representative from the fire marshal's office. "We'll know better after that what's going on." FRED HYNDMAN of the Geri Care Nursing Home in Harriston, formerly of Gorrie, celebrated his 90th birth- day last Tuesday. He was born Feb. 14, 1894, in Minto Township' and spent his early life farming and even sold insurance for one year before starting Hyndman Transport in 1937. Mr. Hyndman also was a,drover for cattle and hogs before his retirement., He has. one daughter Greta, Mrs. Bill Bennett of Gorrie, and two sons, Harold and Allan, also .of Gorrie. His wife Bessie passed away last year. Local hospital is losing patients to big -city centres, board is told d a discussion about Emphasizing that these Big -city hospitals are adding it would certainly sparke s opinions are his own and not providing stiff competition for the' Wingham and District Hospital when it comes to attracting patients, members of the hospital board were told last week. And unless the hospital can find ways to encourage people to come here for their health care, it will have trouble reversing a recent trend of declining activity levels. In a report to the board, Administrator Norman Hayes said he had obtained Health Ministry statistics indicating that while this hospital is competing very successfully with other hospitals in the area, it is losing patients to London. "In reviewing ,,,the statistics, we find that our biggest competitors are not the hospitals in the area — make quite a difference to just why so many patients the hospital's activity are referred to other ilY thheose the e statistics if it could get even hospitals. medicalthat 50 persta cent ofpatientd half of the patients currently The medical staff mem-currently being sent else- where could be treated here. It is fine to talk about specialists, to Page 5 going to the city. The problem is made even more serious by the fact that the Health Ministry uses these statistics to determine a hospital's referral popula- tion, which is the basis for setting its size and funding, he not . I or example, 400 people from Wingham are hospital- ized in a given year and 100 of them go to Lond, then the ministry takes the popula- tion of the Wingham area and the Wingham hospital gets 75 per cent as its refer- ral population while the Lon - bens of the board had been called out to an emergency when the report was given, but returned to take part in the discussion. Dr. Walter Wong, medical staff president, said referrals could be cut down if local doctors were more willing to take advantage 'of their colleagues' expertise. He suggested that in the future the hospital could define various departrpents of medicine, with a doctor appointed as head of each department. The board could then make a policy that a don hospitals get the other 25 patient could not be sent to per cent. an outside specialist until the Getting more patients head of the appropriate coming to Wingham would department had been con - we get a fairly large pro not likely mean the hpspital suited.portion vis-a-vis the will need more beds, he said, Such policies are already surrounding hospitals— our .but it would boost the out- commonplace in larger biggest competitor is the Patient activity. hospitals, he saidcan, whilerefera 1,ondonhospitals,"he said. The administrator's re doctors here he reported that it came as a port, made in response to patient to an outside persistent questions from specialist without ever surprise to one member of Jaffray, the the medical staff to find half Finance Chairman Robert considering whether another Pike about the long-term local doctor is qualified to carnival last the work from his tom- munity Was going to Londori, effects of declining activity, handle the case. bringing Please turn in he L. Dark retires after 42 years as photographer A former resident of the town of Wingham, Lloyd Dark, has retired after working for 42 years as a photographer -journalist with the daily Stratford Beacon - Herald. Mr. Dark was born in Brussels and raised in Wingham. He moved to Stratford in the early 1940s and in 1941 began working for the Beacon as a photographer. Following his retirement, he hopes to spend time at his _hobbies, sailing and gar- dening, and will also maintain his interest in photography, this time for personal enjoyment.