The Huron Expositor, 1997-04-02, Page 1Spiritual needs
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Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 Seaforth, Ontario
Grants down
BY GREGOR CAMPBELL
Expositor Staff
The Huron County Board
of Education's major grant
from Ontario's government
has been reduced by 5.8 per
cent this year.
Both area public and sepa-
rate school boards got official
notification from the
province of this year's grant
late last week.
This year's big grant for
HCBE is $25,859.053, down
from last year's provincial
estimate of $27,447,376,
Director- of Education Paul
Carroll said yesterday
(Tuesday) morning.
He said it is not good news,
OPP in town
were looking
for missing
teenager
Seaforth was crawling with
cruisers and police" officers
Thursday morning, looking.
for a local girl the ht miss-
ing..
A press_ release from the
Huron detachment of the .
Ontario Provincial Police
early that day noted
Samantha Sturge of Ann
Street went -roller blading at
approximately 6:45 p.m.
Wednesday evening "and has
not been heard of or seen
since then."
• However, another press
release later Thursday morn-
ing stated she was located
"fine and -well" at 10:20 a.m.
"in an apartment at 46
Church St. Seaforth."
The press release noted
emergency response team of
the OPP and two canine units
assisted uniformed officers of
Huron County in searching
parks, golf courses, etc.
Spring forward
Don't forget: "Spring for-
ward - Fall back!"
Clocks should be set
ahead an hour when you hit
the hay this Saturday night.
Daylight Saving Time
begins early this Sunday
morning.
Smiles an
BY PATRICIA GRIFFITHS
Adult Co-op Student
considering the province had
previously said this year's
total transfer for public edu-
cation in Huron would not
change.
However, the education
director added the 5.8 per
cent decrease "is softened"
by a $600,000 special assis-
tance grant from the govern-
ment, because the HCBE
spends less than any other
board in the province.
He says the transfers are
hard for the press and public
to graspbecause some grants
are directed specifically to
cash and transfer to property.
spending, which means when
translated that dollars per
pupil will actually go down
• 12.2 per cent and the tax
base may be affected.
The Superintendent of
Business for the Huron -Perth
County Roman Catholic
Separate School Board,
Gerry Thuss, though it fair to
say there "was more of a
grant reduction than antici-
pated" but did not want 10
comment further until he had
a couple of days "to roll
through the figures" with
trustees, who next meet
Monday.
Watching Mercedes •
"Sadie" Tenpas race around
the living room of her home
in Brussels, it is difficult to
believe that this attractive,
affectionate child is afflicted
with the most serious form of
spina bifida, myelomeningo-
cele. In Sadie's case this may
involve the loss of
bowel/bladder control, and
some feeling in her legs.
The eldest of the'Ibnpas'
two children, Sadie, was born
on September 9, 1993.
Although spina bifida can be
detected before birth on the
basis of a high resolution
ultrasound, or monitoring
maternal fetal protein levels,
Melinda and Brian had no
idea there were any problems
with their child. Therefore it
was a terrifying experience
for thcm when Sadie was
born with a curved dinc with
April 2, 1997 — $1.00 includes GST
if tl4�1M ir+i •�.
DAMPN 88'D SNT KO GGt SEEKERS -Despite the wet wear much of Saturday morning, youngsters went
home happy with plenty of sweets after the BIA's annual Easter Egg Hunt -
DHC officially adopts hospital, health services study
BY ANDY BADER
After months of criticism,
hard work and compromise,
the Huron -Perth District
Health Council officially
adopted their Hospital and
Related Health Services
Study last Thursday night.
But even that wasn't easy.
DHC Study Task Force
Chair Janet Hook offered a
motion to accept the report
after she and DHC Executive
Director Fraseir Bell quickly
reviewed things, but there
was extensive discussion
about procedure and the fact
that the DHC was not going
to review the finished docu-
ment before being sent off to
the Ministry of Health. The
document is currently in the
hands of the consultant for, as
Bill Clifford noted, "cosmet-
ic" changes to wording, and
the majority felt that it wasn't
worth waiting to see the fin-
ished product if it wasn't
support
a myelomeningocele, which
is a sack containing some of
her nerve endings and spinal
fluid, thus permanently
affecting the baby's ability to
walk or control bodily func-
tions.
Within three months of her
birth Sadie had to have four
operations on her spine to
stop the spinal fluid from
leaking, her first stay extend-
ed from 10 days to three
months because of complica-
tions. "The surgeon at the
time said Sadie's was one of
the most difficult surgeries
he'd performed," remembers
Melinda.
Throughout her many surg-
eries Sadie has been amaz-
ingly good-natured and
resilient. Photos from the
time show her smiling and
laughing even while encased
in a brace from the knees
down. "The first year of her
life was one of constant
heartache for me," Melinda
going to be changed in any
way.
Others disagreed. most
notably Terry Fadelle, CEO
of the St. Marys Memorial
Hospital, who said he felt a
little "uncomfortable" not
being able to review it before
it was sent.
`UNCOMFORTABLE'
"I'm a little uncomfortable
that the biggest thing we ever
did doesn't have to come
back to council," he said. "I,
personally, would feel more
comfortable seeing the fin-
ished document."
The rest of council, save
Brenda McIntosh, disagreed.
This little skirmish at the
end of this process is unfortu-
nate, because both members
noted they are totally in favor
of the final report.. Each coun-
cil member was given a
chance to comment on the
report, and each one gave
praise to Hook, Bell, DHC
ep a
member Linda Knight who
was also a member of the task
force and others not present
for their completion of a diffi-
cult and often controversial
task.
The final report of the study
task force was unchanged
from the last report DHC
members, hospital board rep-
resentatives and the public
received a few weeks ago,
which keeps the district's
eight hospitals open but
shaves $10.4 million.off their
total budgets. The amount,
which is 13 per cent of the
targeted 18-20 per cent in
savings the government has
asked, appears to be enough
to save the hospitals here
from further review or even
closure, although the public
was warned that it is not busi-
ness as usual, and cuts will be
felt almost immediately.
CHANGES -REAL
"It's important for people to
understand what chan : es in
iem et e
these hospitals realty mean,"
Hook said. "It's tempting to
think. or be lulled into think-
ing. that's it's business as
usual because the hospitals
are open.".
•
She went on to add that
people may not be admitted
into hospital for things they
normally would have in the
past, and their stay will not be
as long.
There were three ways for
the task force to target sav-
ings, Hook continued --clos-
ing hospitals, which obvious-
ly didn't sit too well with
those in the affected commu-
nities; cutting direct patient
care, and administration and
support. The method the pub-
lic and task force chose was
to cut administration and sup-
port, hence the move to form
a single governance structure
with one chief executive offi-
cer and one board of directors
for all eight hospitals.
Knight agreed with Hook,
adding that of the $10.4 mil-
lion in savings to be achieved,
just $3.4 million will be saved
through consolidated admin-
istration and suppon services.
"Almost $8 million will
come out of clinical care,"
she said. "It will be a very
different system to what
we're used to."
MANY CONCERNS
During their round -table
comments. everyone praised
the efforts of the task force
but also collectively were
worried about the effect the
impending government rural
health policy. due in three -to -
four weeks, will have as work
progresses on an interim gov-
ernance committee this June
and the creation of the first
single system board by next
April.
A few were even more con-
cerned about the ambitious
CONTINUED on Page 12.
est() serious
Mercedes "Sadie" Teepee - Smiling and resilient.
spend so much time in the
hospital, or in a suspension
cast at home. Fortunately we
have such a supportive circle
of family and friends, many
of them would drive all the
A
at the hospital in Hamilton. It
really made a difference."
It's unclear what control
Sadie will have over her
lower extremities, but she
will always require a
Sadie says with great convic-
tion), a situation not uncom-
mon for children with spina
bifida. Many learn to
catheterize themselves at a
very early age. -
STRONG SUPPORT
After being contacted by
The Huron Expositor the
Tenpas expressed their grate-
fulness for the strong support
they get from their family,
friends, and organizations
like 'Community Support for
Families' out of Clinton. It
provides them with seven
hours of relief weekly which
Melinda divides between
Wednesdays and Fridays.
"It's nice to be able to get
out, run somc errands, or
even sometimes just go for a
nice, long walk," Melinda
says. "Sadie just loves the
worker she has, and I feel
cotnfortablc.knowing she's
safe and happy." ' The feeling
is evidentl mutual, for Sadie
isease
was a flower girl at her care-
giver's recent wedding!
Although some children
with spina bifida do have
specific educational needs the
majority are born with aver-
age or above average intelli-
gence, which is the case with
Sadie. She is eagerly antici-
pating being in school and
Paul Carroll, Director of
Education for the Huron
County Board of Education,
anticipates no problems.
"We have a high investment
in providing the degree of
care the student requires," he
stated in a recent phone inter-
view. "We encourage the
parents to come in prior to
the child's admittance so we
cart determine what the
child's specific needs arc.
We will then arrange to pro-
vide whatever is necessary.
We make it a point to address
cach student on an individual
basis."
CONTINUED on