HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-04-22, Page 9Laura Broadley Clinton News Record
Wei Shao, owner and operator of Brentwood on the Beach, was the
keynote speaker for the evening. Shao is originally from China but
moved to Huron County in 2013.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015 • News Record 9
Multicultural Association of Huron -Perth
helps celebrate International Women's Day
Laura Broadley
Clinton News Record
The Multicultural Associa-
tion of Huron -Perth (MAPH)
held a celebration last Satur-
day in support of Interna-
tional Women's Day at the
Festival Inn in Stratford.
Twenty-six countries were
featured in the buffet as the
audience was entertained by
three different musical acts.
The MAPH was founded in
2013 to assist newcomers
adjust to life in Huron -Perth.
It relies heavily on volun-
teers and donations to pro-
vide immigrants support in
finding employment, start-
ing a business, housing or
buying a home, banking,
training, getting a driver's
license and obtaining family
counseling or legal
assistance.
Among the food and
music there was an opportu-
nity to purchase Moroccan
jewelry through an organiza-
tion called Leyla's Legacy.
Since 2011 Marie Struthers
has worked to honour her
daughter's memory by sup-
porting Moroccan women
and their children. Struthers'
daughter took her own life
after suffering for years with
mental illness.
The organization funds
medical treatments, pro-
vides school supplies and
clothing and finds sponsors
for needy children. It has
also helped provide birth
registration documents,
which are essential for chil-
dren living in impoverished
countries as it allows them to
register for school and
obtain other government
services.
Struthers frequently trav-
els to the North African
country to witness first-hand
what she has accomplished
and what still needs to be
done. Struthers is confident
when she says the organiza-
tion would be nothing with-
out her former sister-in-law
Meriam. "Meriam is a force
of nature", said Struthers,
"It's what Leyla would have
been like had she lived."
The keynote speaker for
the evening was Wei Shao.
Shao was born in China but
found her way to Japan to
study International Econom-
ics. Through her passion for
learning she quickly moved
through the business world
and took the position of
Chief Financial Officer for
Hitachi Japan. Shao soon
realized that her work was
infringing upon her life as a
mother to her daughter. In
2011 Shao, along with her
family, moved to Canada
before ending up in Huron
County in 2013. With her
daughter in university, Shao
wanted a new challenge so
she opened Brentwood on
the Beach almost five
months ago.
It wasn't until a winter
storm found Shao and her
car spun out and stuck in a
snowdrift that she fully
understood her new com-
munity. The number of peo-
ple who braved the danger-
ous conditions to help
inspired her.
Shao ended her speech by
saying, "I believe, even if
technology develops quickly
or looks like it will change
the world in the end only
people can improve the
world:'
County committee opts for costlier beds
Marco Vigliotti
Postmedia Network
Putting forward the lowest
bid was not enough for one uni-
dentified firm to win a contract
supplying new beds to two
Huron County -operated long-
term care homes.
County council's committee
of the whole on Wednesday
voted to purchase 93 electric
beds for its Huronlea and
Huronview facilities from Car-
dinal Health Canada at a com-
bined cost of about $194,000.
In doing so, the committee
heeded a recommendation
from municipal staff to not
select a cheaper bid offeredbya
rival firm whose previous sale
of beds to the county has since
erupted in controversy.
Council, though, must still
ratify the agreement at its next
meeting. However, the
endorsement carries heavy
weight, with all council mem-
bers sitting on the committee.
Becky Jervis, business man-
ager for the care homes, said
she recommended the tender
by Cardinal because of ongoing
issues with the beds purchased
from the competing firm two
years ago that will most likely
require an additional $2,000 in
repairs over the next few weeks.
When weighing these addi-
tional costs, the agreement with
Cardinal offers "much better
value for the service;' she said.
According to Jervis, county
maintenance crews are cur-
rentlyworkingwith the manu-
facturer on required alterations
to the beds after they were
slapped with non -compliancy
orders by inspectors over con-
cerns that patients could
become dangerously
"entrapped.'
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Entrapment, as defined in a
2008 Health Canada guiding
document, refers to a situation
in which patient is caught,
trapped, or entangled in the
space in or about the bed
rail mattress, or hospital bed
frame.
Health Canada said it
received 51 reports between
1980 and 2006 of "life-threaten-
ing" bed entrapments in Can-
ada, 26 of which led to deaths.
Jervis said the facilities have
"spent nothing but money and
heartache trying in remedial
action" to get the beds up to
code over the past years.
Purchasing additional beds
from the same firm might lead
to further safety standard issues
that could threaten the reputa-
tions of the Huronlea and
Huronviewhomes, shewamed.
"If we go with our lowest
tender knowing that the bed is
going to cause us problems,
it's a loss of reputation
because those sightings when
we have non-compliance
issues are posted on the pub-
lic website," Jervis told the
committee.
"So then we have a reputa-
tion for not caring for our resi-
dents' safety."
When asked whether the
beds were ever compliant or
the issues were prompted by
alterations to federal safety
standards, she said the
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guidelines had only changed
"superficially" during that
time, with inspectors now
testing for seven so-called
zones of entrapment in the
bed rails as opposed to four.
The warranty on the current
stock of beds has almost
expired, meaning the
county would most likely have
to pay for any further repairs
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iii
to the units, Jervis added.
Located in Brussels, the
Huronlea nursing home first
opened in 1993, the same year
that the newly renovated
Huronview in Clinton once
again welcomed patients.
The original Huronview
building was opened in 1895
and was the first long-term
care home in Huron County.
tictep9 Jath
Paul & Carol Greenwood
Friends are invited to
Celebrate with our family
at an Open House
Sunday, May 3rd, 2015
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Royal Canadian Legion, Clinton, ON
- your presence is their present -