Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2016-02-24, Page 5Wednesday, February 24, 2016 • News Record 5 www.clintonnewsrecord.com Insurance Brokers of Canada supports rural Ontario CONTINED FROM > PAGE 4 Rebecca Heessels of South Huron was invited to speak at the reception. Her family is well- known to Thompson and is one of the examples of why more needs to be done to address gaps in health care services and to help families in Ontario who are dealing with a rare disease. Heessels and her husband Robert have been struggling with the illness of one of their sons, Cole. Cole was taken to Exeter hos- pital and later transferred to Lon- don due to kidney failure and has had to have his left hand and left leg amputated. He has been in and out of hospitals for surgeries and treatments for most of his kinder- garten through grade three years. Cole was diagnosed with a chronic, life-threatening disease with no known cure, atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS), a rare illness that occurs approximately once in every one million births. He was in need of a kidney trans- plant, however he was not eligible for the surgery until he was on a specific medication, one which is and orphan drug not covered by health care benefits. Without the transplant or medication, there was no other alternative but dialy- sis. Heessels related that it was dif- ficult for her family to maintain a normal life while juggling the needs of their son with his illness and his two siblings while running a farm. Much time was taken up in letter writing and advocacy to get the medication that Cole needed, but they were eventually successful and Cole did get his transplant two years ago. Heessels assured every- one that, although there are ongo- ing therapies for Cole, including the ongoing medications that go along with receiving a donor organ, he is now in every other way a nor- mal healthy and thriving nine- year-old boy. Heessels is upset that, although her son has been helped, "There are still so many patients out there being denied." She states, "Getting a diagnosis is key and getting ther- apies is tough." Both are difficult when dealing with a disease many doctors are not aware of or familiar with. There is still much negotiat- ing that needs to be done between the government and the national strategy for treating rare diseases. She urges people to make them- selves aware of the issues and relates, "It will be interesting to meet other families and hear their stories" during World -Wide Rare Disease Day on February 29. Following Heessels talk, Thomp- son drew attention to the interest that the Insurance Bureau of Canada has already shown in rural Ontario and in this area specifi- cally. They have already donated carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors to be distributed in the area and have earned the trust of the local Amish community by working with them to find alarms that are acceptable to them. Thompson introduced DeRabbie and together they made the presen- tations of the $5,000 donations to each of the hospital foundations in turn. Each foundation was given the opportunity to speak briefly on what their current goals and projects are and how the funds would help. Myles Murdock, Chair of Alexan- der Marine and General Hospital Foundation in Goderich remarked that it is often difficult to convince people in Toronto that rural is dif- ferent than urban. The population AMGH serves is older and is in hospital more. They have to travel more for health care service, but still expect to receive the same level of care as in urban facilities. Mur- dock stated that the role of the Foundation is to "ensure that peo- ple in our municipality have the best health care possible in their circumstances." Sustainability is an issue that will take a major change in political processes to address. "It takes many hands to make it hap- pen." Goderich is now doing strate- gic planning Murdock thanked Thompson for her work in making this donation possible as "there is never enough money to go around." Virginia Steckle, Administrative Assistant for Clinton Public Hospi- tal Foundation, thanked both Thompson and DeRabbie. The funds will go towards work that is being done in the OR department in Clinton. Sally Kidson, Executive Director of Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation (SMHF) in Southamp- ton, said of the foundations, "I wish we weren't needed." She knows of families in her area that have simi- lar stories to the Heessels. "They are dealing with rare diseases and are so lost in the system:' Kidson pointed out that farmers are unique in Ontario's population. They are spread out in rural areas making it necessary to have hospi- tals in their small communities. Another thing that Southampton struggles with in reporting their needs to government is that it is a tourist area, therefore healthcare needs go up greatly in the summer, coming back down afterwards. Andy Bingham, Treasurer of SMHF, asserted, "Volunteers are the key to keeping the health care system working." He added, "We need things like this today to recognize rural dynamics vs. urban." The funds received will help as the hospital is in the middle of expansion. Ron Lavoie and Dick Burgess of the Huron -Perth Health Alliance expressed their appreciation. The Seaforth Community Hospital is in need of a new ultrasound unit which will cost approximately $50 thousand. Burgess commented, "The alliance is collectively a large organization and a lot of money comes in, but it is not enough." He is appreciative of the generosity of the community adding that, "Rural people are more attached to their hospitals:' Kimberley Payne, Executive Director of South Huron Hospital Foundation (SHHF) accepted the donation to Exeter. She opened by suggesting that Heessels should be invited to speak to the Inspiring Women of Huron program. Payne exclaimed, "I am excited to see everyone today as we don't often get to see others from other foun- dations often!" Stories of how peo- ple and families are touched by the local hospitals are important to share as they help to bring in dol- lars. Exeter has a unique model for their health care facilities. They also struggle with the tourist fluc- tuation as they serve Grand Bend. The funds received will go towards digital imaging and new beds for the hospital. Tim Mancell, Chair of the Walk- erton District Hospital Foundation, acknowledged that there are four hospitals within Grey Bruce Health Services including Walkerton, Kin- cardine, Durham and Chesley. Mancell observed, "It has been a long time since government has given even inflationary increases to health care payments." The Walker- ton District Hospital is currently fundraising to replace their 25 -year-old CAT scan, which is the oldest in the province of Ontario. He pointed out that all equipment needs to be maintained and even- tually replaced. "There will always be projects and there will always be equipment needed?' Mancell also accepted the donation for Kincar- dine and Community Healthcare Foundation in their absence. Russ Taylor, Chair of the Wing - ham and District Hospital Foun- dation (WDHF), stated that the donation will help to reach their current campaign goal of $4 mil- lion. Expansion of the Oncology Unit is a priority and is something that has touched Taylor person- ally. "I was one of the first patients in that unit. It was timely, as I would have had to drive to London for treatment. I could drive myself to Wingham but I Virginia Steckle, Administrative Assistant for Clinton Public Hospital Foundation, accepted the donation made by the Insurance Bureau of Canada in Lucknow on February 19. From left: Doug DeRabbie, Director of Government Relations, Insurance Bureau of Canada; Virginia Steckle, Administrative Assistant for Clinton Public Hospital Foundation; Lisa Thompson, Huron -Bruce MPP. Valerie Gillies Clinton News Record Rebecca Heessels was a guest speaker at the presentation ceremony hosted by MPP Lisa Thompson at Lucknow Sports Complex on February 19, 2015. She spoke on where there are still gaps and challenges in securing health services for families dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases in Ontario, sharing her family's experiences with her son's illness. could not have driven myself to London." In closing, Thompson admitted that she is known for wearing her rural heart on her sleeve for Huron - Bruce. She had spoken to the Insurance Brokers of Canada about the 100th anniversary of 4-H this past year and the leadership skills that are taught through the pro- grams. Thompson was pleased to announce that the Bureau had not only donated the $40 thousand total to the hospitals that day, but had also made a $1,000 donation to each of the Huron County 4-H and Bruce County 4-H foundations, bringing the total donations on that day to Huron -Bruce to $42 thousand. Thompson thanked all for attending and said, "being around people like you is the shot of adren- aline that keeps my spark at Queen's Park to keep going." Now that she is busier with her appoint- ment as Environment and Cap and Trade Critic, Thompson expressed her appreciation that she has the ongoing help of her team.