HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-06-01, Page 1Blyth Branch Lit, vary
Box 2t;2
Blyth, into NOH 1H0
Jon. 4 -
THE HAPPY WINNERS—Trophy winners, with the
highest overall scores in their divisions, at the Turnberry
Central field day Friday are: (back) Rodney Nicholson,
int. boy; Brett Martin, senior boy; Erika Hooftman,
senior girl; Sherry Lynn Double (tied with Trina Jeffray
who is not shown), int. girl; (front) Shane Pegg, midget
boy; Jason Bloemberg, junior boy; Shaunalee
McGillivray, junior girl; Kerrie Dichert, midget girl.
Conestoga Chair Ca
-' in usiness
Conestoga Chair Company of Wingham is
back in business this week under new
ownership.
The company, which went into
receivership at the end of March, has been
purchased by Strathearn House Group of
Toronto, a firm which owns a number .of
furniture companies including Kroehler
Furniture Company of Durham.
The sale, which had been rumored for the
past month, finally took effect last Friday:
By Monday a few key people had been called
back to the plant to begin preparation to
resume production.
Some production work started Tuesday,
and a spokesman said he hopes that.within
three to four weeks the plant will again
employ a work force of about 30 people.
While Philip Creswell, who has managed
the plant for the past several years, will
remain as plant manager, there will be a
number of new faces too. As a division of
Strathearn House, the chair company will
be closely affiliated with Kroehler and
Orville Mead, general manager of the
Durham company, will hold that post here
as well. Ronald Morris, controller at
Durham, also will perform the same fun-
ction here.
Mr. Morris said the company intends to
keep producing the same lines of products it
had prior to the sale. There are not too many
chair companies operating in Canada, he
noted, and this is one of the best.
"They have a good work force, good
R fi peopleJieie; fgood quality. We've bought
from them for years."
He noted that prior to the sale the com-
pany had been plagued by cash flow
problems, which should be solved through
the infusion of fresh capital.
It will take some time to get everything
going again, he said, but with the economy
starting on an upward swing prospects look
good. There are no immediate plans for new
equipment or other major changes. "We
want to get this year over with first.
- "I imagine there will be some building in
the future, but it won't be in the immediate
future. We're just getting over a recession,"
he noted.
Doctors are asked
to keep on learning
Doctors must be prepared
to keep on learning if they
want to retain their
privileges as members of the
active medical staff at the
Wingham and District
Hospital.
in a report to the hospital
board last week, Chief of
Staff Dr. J. Chong Ping said
the medical staff plans to
make it a condition that all
physicians on active staff
must receive 30 hours of
continuing education each
year. and be qualified to
GRADUATES
Joanne Sanderson, daugh-
ter of Leonard and Christine
Sanderson of 4orrie. gradu-
ates this week with a Bache -
for of Science in Agriculture
degree from the University
of Guelph She is presently
employed near Copenhagen,
Denmark
perform CPR (cardio-
pulmonary resuscitation).
Dr. Ping later explained
this policy is intended to
make sure doctors keep up
with new developments in
their fields. A number of
local doctors are members of
the College of Family
Physicians, he noted, and the
college requires a minimum
of 100 hours of continuing
education every two years.
He said that while some
other hospitals have similar
requirements for their staff,
he does not think it is very
common. The rule was first
introduced by the local
medical staff association a
year or two ago, he said, but
this year the requirement
has been increased to 30
hours from 20.
He said the continuing
education can take a number
of forms, including attending
medical lectures or
seminars or completing
other forms of post -graduate
study. Lecturers come up
from London regularly to
talk on different topics, he
noted, and seminars are
given at the various teaching
hospitals.
To be reappointed to the
active medical staff, a
doctor must certify that he
or she has cornileted the
necessary hours of con-
tinuing education and
provide some details.
The annual reappointment
of doctors to the medical
staff was one of the items on
the agenda for the hospital
board meeting last week.
Staff members are ap-
pointed on the recom-
mendation of the medical
advisory committed follow-
ing a review of credentials_
HospitalExecutive Dir-
ector Norman Hayes said
there is a "fairly intensive
process" of verifying
credentials before any new
appointments are recom-
mended.
"We don't want to get into
a situation like the doctor in
inuvik, who had also served
in a destroyer but had never
been to medical school."
He said a number of
factors are considered in the
review, and doctors have
been turned down.
In response to a question
from a board member about
medical malpractice suits,
Dr. Ping said they are
becoming more prevalent in
Canada, to the point that
doctors are facing increases
in the cost of their mal-
practice insurance. However
the Wingham hospital has
never been involved in a
malpractice suit.
There are currently about
a dozen members on the
active medical staff at the
hospital. in addition to five
dentists and 17 doctors ap-
pointed on a consulting or
courtesy basis. Medical
specialties represented on
the consulting staff include
internal medicine: ophthal-
mology: geriatrics: psychi-
atry: surgery: ear, nose and
throat: urology: obstetrics
and gynecology: pathology:
pediatrics, and orthopedics.
Dr. Ping reported that a
new orthopedic surgeon will
be coming to this area.
permitting the orthopedic
clinic to resume sometime in
July,
'1
PHILOSOPHY GRAD
Alison Claire . Roberts,
daughter of the Rev. and
Mrs. John Roberts, Bel -
grave, received her honors
BA degree hi philosophy
from. McMaster University,
Hamilton, on May 28. A
former pupil at the East
Wawanosh Public School and
F. E. Madill Secondary
School, Wingham, she at-
tained Dean's Honors for
outstanding achievement.
Alison has been accepted
into graduate school at
McMaster and is planning to
continue her studies in the
field of philosophy.
•
3155,000 surplus last year
Wingham hospital sets aside
fund for future capital projects
ti..kRe,,
Aided by a sparkling
financial performance
during the past year, the
Wingham and District
Hospital has been able to set
aside a significant sum of
money for future capital
spending, including the
planned $1.4 million ex-
pansion of emergency,
outpatient and X-ray depart-
ments. .
The financial statement to
be presented at the annual
meeting of the hospital
association June 16 will
recommend appropriating
for capital projects some
$645,000 in donations and
interest income which has
accumulated over the past 24
years_
The statement will also
show a surplus on operations
of $15$,000 for 198283, off-
setting the previous -ye
_-o wratigdelicdE$152;00ti.
In presenting -the- report to
members , of the hospital
board last week, Robert
Pike, chairman of the
finance and audit com-
mittee, explained . the
reasons for distinguishing
between donations and in-
terest ":income and . the
operating surplus.
"Interest income and
donations really are not for
the day-to-day operations of
the hospital," hf noted. They
• 'are intended of he used for
capital projects.
As a result, in preparing
the year-end statement, the
committee and the auditors
decided to show these
amounts separate from the
operating funds.
"The reason is basically
psychological," he said, "to
show the reader of the
financial statement that we
have set aside money for
that purpose."
He said the figure of
$645,000 was arrived at by
going back to 1959 and ac-
cumulating all the donations
and interest earned since
then. The board was told the
reason for using 1959 is that
is the year the hospital began
keeping careful records of
exactly what money was
donated, as well as the year
the Ministry of Health
became involved in the
operation of hospitals.
The surplus on operations
last year works out to
$155,000, Mr. Pike reported,
explaining the difference
between that figure and the
more than $200,000 which
had been reported earlier is
a result of separating out
some $70,000 in donations
and interest income the
hospital received during the
year.
"This number ($155,000)
basically offsets the deficit
last year," he said. "We
broke even -over- a two --year
period from an operating
point of view, which is the
intent of the funding from :the
ars---m1111 stry. '
He-adrted that the auditors.'
indleatedWiingbam Is not the
only hospital to chalk up a
large surplus over the course
of the past year. "All of them
are wrestling, with how to
present it to the readers of
their financial statements
and this is how they thought
it would be most appro-
priate."
Dr.. J. Chong Ping, hospital
chief of staff, inquired
whether this is likely to
affect the level of funding the
hospital lrechirit►es 'cin' ' the
Health Ministry next year.
Mr. Pike told him the
reason for the change in
format of the financial state-
ment is to avoid showing an
"unrealistically large"
surplus, and to show that the
hospital's accumulated
funds are appropriated for
something, "they're not just
sitting there," so the
ministry will not be tempted
to adjust the funding.
"1 hope they will look at
other factors and not just the
bottom line."
The board had earlier been
told that the reason for tie
operating surplus last year is
a decline in activity at the
MORE THAN SPEED—(t takes more than just a fast pair of legs to win the boot race.
After running to one end of the field, you must find your shoe and lace it on before
racing back to the starting line. This was one of the events for youngsters at the Turn -
berry Central field day.
a
hospital, allowing it to save
on wages by hiring fewer
staff.
Commenting on the trend
of a decreasing occupancy
rate, Mr. Pike inquired
whether the administration
expects the trend to con-
tinue, or whether it is a
short-term phenomenon.
Executive Director Norm-
an Hayes said the figures
MAKING IT L GAL -Keith Metcalfe watches as Lorne
Hamilton affixes .the licence and engraves an identifica-
tion number on the frame of his bicycle. The'registration
and licensing was part of the Optimist bike rodeo held at
the Wingham arena on Saturday.
Response is overwhelming
at Optimists' bike rodeo
"I never would have
guessed there were so many
bicycles in Wingham!" is
how one participant
described the turnout for the
bike rodeo last weekend,
sponsored by the Wingham
Optimists and the local
police department.
So great was the response
that the organizers used up
all 600 of their bicycle
licences by the end of the
.second day and the police
reported they *ere still
getting telephone calls at
their office Monday asking
for licences.
Anyone who did not get his
or her bicycle registered
over the weekend is asked to
wait until additional licences
are obtained. At that time a
notice will be inserted in the
newspaper and people will
be given a period of grace to
obtain the licences , free of
charge before a fee is im-
posed.
In addition to the licencing
and registration, the rodeo
featured a bike safety course
for young riders, run by the
Optimists. The top three
finishers in the junior
division are Gavin Hodgins,
Shawn Gedcke and Andrew
Mann, with Rob Harrison,
Matthew Hunter, Janie
Bateson,. Jennifer Jones,
David Bower, Scott Neil and
Christa Crawford rounding
out the top ten.
In the senior division, Ken
Hill, Bruce Latronico and
Brad Crawford finished in
the top three spots, with
Julie Moffat, Mark Under-
wood, Dheran Bodasing,
Kendra Moffat, Jamie
Robertson, Heidi Strong and
Nancy' Walton also in the top
ten.
Winners received prizes
and awards from the
Optimist club.
relate to the kind of winter
we had, "very open; people
stayed healthy."
"I don't think it will
continue," he said, but there
just is no way to accurately
predict the level of activity
in advance.
He noted the hospital is
quite flexible and able to
respond to changes in oc-
cupancy level because of its
practice of employing a rela-
tively small core staff and
then adding to it with part-
time nurses as activities
increase.
He said the hospital tries to
staff to what it expects the
occupancy level to be with
full-time staff, and then add
as necessary.
He explained there are
.__..three --categories of •nursing
- staf€full time -or core -staff;
_permanent .part.-tirne, who .._
_are called in: on a .regular .
basis and average about 24
hours work per week; and
casual, who are called upon
when a full-time staffer is
missing o when the oc-
cupancy rate is very high.
In other business at the
board meeting, the property
committee reported that its
building committee has
accepted the last revised
sketch for the new addition
and has instructed the ar-
' ghitect tS„ proceed with
working drawings.
The committee had met
with the various department
heads , in the hospital to
finalize the plans.
The board also heard that
it should be • getting the
report on the feasibility
study for a. major fund-
raising campaign by its June
meeting. Chairman Mary
Vair reported that the field-
work has been completed
and the report should be
ready soon.
The board hired a Toronto
firm to conduct the study,
which it hopes will provide
some asirance the hospital
will be ' able to raise the
$300,000 to $400,000 it needs
from the community in order
to proceed withthe ex-
pansion.
The rest of the estimated
$1.4 million cost would be
funded through a $250,000
grant from the ministry,
about $120,000 in grants from
Huron and Bruce counties,
$50,000 from the Wingham
and District Hospital
Foundation, and from the
hospital's own accumulated
capital reserves.
The addition, which would
take the form of a one -storey
wing at the south end of the
existing building, 'beside the
present emergency' en-
trance, would provide space
for an expanded emergency
and outpatient department,
relieving the presently
cramped facilities -and
permitting an expansion of
the X-ray department.
Program spruces up
property in Wingham
A crew of painters hired under a joint
federal -provincial make work program is
sprucing up a number of municipal
buildings in Wingham this spring.
The auditorium upstairs in the Town Hall
has been the first to benefit from the at-
tention, its drabness relieved by panels
newly painted in contrasting shades of
brown, white and tan.
Also on the list for a new coat of paint are
the arena interior and dressing rooms, the
Centennial pool, bleachers at the ball park,
fire hydrants and bridge guard rails.
The crew was hired under the auspices of
something called the Canada -Ontario
Employment Development Program. ('lerk-
•Treasurer Byron Adams explained.. This
scheme provides funding to municipalities
based on the rate of unemployment in the
area
Wingham was allocated 915,0(f0 to he used
for wages. with the town expected to put irp
an additional $5,000 for materials. The
money is to be used for projects the
Municipality would not otherwise get done.
Some municipalities chose not to take the
money. Mr. Adams said, but Wingham saw
it as a chance to do a bit of sprucing up at a
minimal cast to the town, so the various
department heads and board chairmen got
together to draw up a list of projects in time
for the deadline.
The program is designed to provide
temporary employment for 'unemployed
workers who have used up their WC
benefits and crew members must be
referred through Manpower. Mr. Adams
explained.
f i nfortunately, not everyone is eligible
for employment under this program."
('rew members -- three men and one
woman started work in early April and
will continue e for IR weeks.
ti