HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1975-10-09, Page 5Health council not compulsory
Huron County will not be
forced into joining Perth
County in a district health
council, Huron County offic-
ials were assured last Wed-
nesday night.
Alan Backley, assistant
deputy minister of health,
said "no one is going to force
a marriage between Huron
and Perth counties."
However, he and ministry
planning co-ordinator Stephen
Skorcz explained a proposed'
Huron -Perth district health'
council to about 30 Huron
County hospital board memb-
ers administrators and county
officials.
Huron medical office of
Planning board
hires two Wren
Malcolm J. McIntosh has
been engaged as Community
Planning technician with a
salary range of $10,660 to
$13,910 over five years.
Roman Dzus was engaged as
Rural Planner to replace Nick
Hill who left the cunty empl-
oy. Mr. Dzus' salary is
$16,000 per annum with a
salary adjustment for 1976
to be negotiated with the
planning board.
An additional planner will
be hired for the county in
January. The proceeds of the
six Community Planning
Study grants approved across
the county will finance this
staff member.
The extra planner is req-
uired to speed up the compl-
etion of secondary plans in
Huron.
health Dr. Frank Mills expl-
ained that the meeting with
ministry officials was held to
see if 'a consensus exists for
Huron County to take the init-
ial steps in forming such a
council.
The health ministry has
been urging Huron to join
Perth in order to have the
100,000 population figure
deemed sufficient for the for-
mation of such a council.
Mr. Skorcz conceded the
100.000 population require-
ment "may.appear to be arbit-
rary,.,but the underlying need
is self sufficiency., without
relyinu on neighboring areas.'
Huron County, he said,
is sniply not self-sufficient
in it !icalth care.
M Skorcz said only 68
per nt of persons requiring
hospital treatment in the coun-
ty actually remain in county
hospitals. The remainder
require specialized services
at hospitals outside the county
In the combined Huron and
Perth area, however, 78 per
cent of those requiring hospit-
al treatment receive it entirely
within the boundaries of the
two counties.
Huron County has 350 hosp-
ital beds while the two count-
ies combined have a total of
about 800 beds, he said.
He said the concept of dist-
rict health councils did not
originate with the Mustard
report 011 health care planning
in Ontario.
Huron County, in fact,
he said, endorsed the idea in
August. 1972 and was thus
one of the first councils •in
Ontario to openly support
district health councils.
The planning co-ordinator
admitted health care planning
as administered in the past by
the health ministry "has been
somewhat less than adequate.
District health committees.
which he called "Consumer -
dominated bodies," are a
vehicle to improve health
planning.
Warden ANson McKinley
said that while county council
Zurich. Citizens News, October 9, 1975 - Page 5
supported the concept of dist-
rict health councils, it is not
yet in favor of the cuncils
proposed by the health minist-
ry.
"As warden, I will not ask
county council to approve any-
thing over which they have no
control," he said.
The health council issue,
he charged, is another ex-
ample of how the province
k attempting to erode local
autonomy.
While supporting creation
of a steering committee to
appoint such a council, county
council and the board of health
have now "backed -off"
that position.
Warden McKinley said if
the provincial trend towards
giving authority to appointed
bodies continues, "we won't
need locally elected people
any more."
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