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Huron Expositor, 2000-07-12, Page 2$-T11111 NNROII !EXPOSITOR. July SI, 8000 News Petitions fail to convince county not to move out ambulances From Pogo 1 Also on the same day. the medical staff of the AMGH. issued a press release indicating a change in ambulance services would indicate a major impact on. public safety and the medical • staff and .the general public would hold the county morally and - legally responsible for any ill- considered decision. On July 4. physicians in all Huron County hgspitals wrote to say..ambulances should he 'based in close- proximity loseproximity to the hospitals. Other correspondence included with the county council agenda of:July 6. included a Save our Ambulance petition. to retain the Zurich- Ambulance Services. • The petition was signed by hundreds. of people and said the closure of the Zurich base will. endanger public safety because of .increased •ambulance response tunes. increased • coits to the taxpayer would be felt and it would not be as cost effective 'as the present location in Zurich. Both 'options two and three call for the "closure of the - . Zurich station. Many other residents along the shoreline. including two public schools: also sent letters to • not close ambulance 'services in Zurich. -. Steffler•first questioned Hambides, if the consultants had changed their recommendation for funher prospective. • study to recommending option throe.. He.said the. consultants -were still recommending further study once a chosen option was put in place. Warden Carol Mitchell - said she didn't think it was the Administration,•Finance and Personnel committee's - intent to eliminate any of the options. • Physicians are among the first-line providers of this service and Steffkr said she had nothing on paper that theyve changed their position of keeping the ambulance service running exactly as it is. ."1 .believe the smart decision right now IS to follow the direction of the:' Huron Perth --Hospitals Partnership board and the physicians and work together in the. months ahead. 1 mean the county administration. the county councillors: the physicians. the, hospital partnership. the paramedics and God forbid even a couple of public, ratepayers. 16 it down in the months ahead and determine what is the best.' she said. Before someone could tell her the public had already been involved_ she said the groups she bad...Just named haven't sat down at the same table at the same time and this needs to be done to insure all residents of the county and the patient care in the; county is taken care sof. • Her comments received _unanimous applause from the council gallery packed with town officials. concerned ratepayers. -paramedics and industry representatives. Hospital was willing to help Hospital board would pay to have new, up -to -standard ambulance base constructed at Seaforth hospital Sy Sarah Catdw.M Gcderidi Sigrwl-Star Staff Seaforth .and Clinton'.s ambulance- stations could be amalgamated and moved from the towns to a.central location on Highway 8. • • .County council decided. in a recorded. vote. of 54 to five. to proceed with 'further costing and consideration ofa population density. model for ambulance deployment that would see Zurich and Dashwood and Clinton. and Seaforth ambulance stations amalgamated.. moving the first to the Hensall-Exeter area and the second between the two towns or into Clinton. Both Goderich and Wingham stations would remain .where they are located near the hospitals in - their respective communities. "i wasn't surprised with the vote.' said Andrew Williams. vice:president in the Huron Perth Hospital Partnership and administrator of Seaforth Community Hospital. "I was extremly disappointed patient care didn't get much air time:: he said. adding the hospital partnership's position was that patient care was of the most important. • • The. partnership had -put forward a position statement to • county, • council: recommending ambulance services be located at or near each hospital •(0 .ensure patient Care was not hurt by provincial downloading of ambulance •services to•the county. • The Seaforth Hospital Board approved a tentative . plan that ,would see the, ,.hospital paying: for the construction of a new'- arnbulance station at the` hospital as a. show "of its • support.for-keeping the ambulances close -and of its willingness to help make the system Work for, the county • by absorbing those costs. He said the partnership will continue to advocate patient needs:. During the county council vote. only -two -councillors- . Lin Sterner. -Town of Seaforth and Bob Broadfoot, • Tuckersmtth Township, voted • • against the recommindation put forward : by the • Administration; Personnel put the ambulances in what and Financ Committee: should be considered the "i still don't think that four rightlocations." said ambulance stations -gives the Hambines. . services to both the rural and Under option two. -also urban residents of this county • referred to as the equity that's' required.'' said Steffler model. according to the report this option allow for a 'maximum of 15 minute -travel time' to all residents of the county. .There were significant changes on the locations of ambulance services under.this model. The Goderich :station.- ' would have been relocated to Nile. a crossroads community north of town. Wingham s station would have moved to Morrisbank. on Hwy. 86.. east of town.. Zurich. and Dashwood stations Would have been combined and,moved-to the Hensall-Exeter'area The .Clinton and Seaforth• stations would also be' amalgamated and Moved to a location between the two towns. on Hwy. 8. Under option two changes to the ambulance, service would have seen • all stations located in rural populations. Hambides said -the equity model would .not work primarily because it increases response times to high population areas. where the majority of -calls originate. He recommended the population density model. , which count) council accepted. .as the way tr combat the problems with both of the first two options.. Population. density deployment strategies would result in'greater gap areas and the service would have much less overlap._and redundance than the current system or the equity model. The option also places ambulances in or close to the communities. Goderich and Wingham stations will remain where they' are. Zurich would amalgamate with the Dashwood station and Seaforth and Clinton would amalgamate services and be locatedin the Hensall- Exeter area and on Highway at the meeting. Coun. Bert Elliott. Morns Twp.. did not participate in the debate • because his nephew operates the Zurich ambulance station. The decision was made in the county council chamber packed- with concerned ratepayers. paramedics. town• officials. industry representatives and the president of the Huron • Penh Hospital Partnership. -on July 6. Jon Hambides. who presented the Pomax Inc. Marshall. Macklin and Monaghan report on Huron County's Ambulance' Deployment Strategy at the. Administration. Finance and Personnel. meeting on May 18, was at council to give a presentation about why•the population density model is his recommended course of action:- In the. original report there were three options on. how ambulance services should be managed in Huron County. ,once the county takes over management of the service, from the province. beginning Jan. 1.2001 :The first option was._to continue the service as it now exists. with six stations located in Goderich. Clinton. Seaforth. Dashwood and Zurich. Under this system there are no;significant gaps in service Within the county since thereis coverage within a ,1.5 minute response time, the report said. • Hambines Said keeping the ambulance service as it is represents the • most significant pattern of overlap and redundancy and said there are indications it may also represent the highest cost to providing service for Huron. .By keeping the current :system future improvements in station —deployment -and -staffing -ate. --8. between the twoitowns,_ less likely. ' respectively. • • "Before you can go onto Option three also creates a funher refinement of things firm base for future • like callback. staffing patterns improvements '.in• station, and soon you first hale to depoyment and staffing. said Hambines. This move would increa,e travel time to Bayfield. which is currently accommodated by: the Zurich station. the report said. _ • Robin Dunbar. Morris Township. a .member of the Administration. Finance and Personnel Committee. said the motion from. the committee was lust another. step in 'determining the costing to the municipality He said eosting is d h, concern to the councli • because "municipalities dont have the .luxury of runnln z .t deficit: We are paying for th:s and it is our.respontbility as the protectors of this communit'. s tax•dollars that we have an efficient .system and this is one of our first steps to do so • Medical student eager to work in Seaforth's rural setting Freers P..s 1 'tans. Chan enjoyed working with patients in Seaforth and has. through Dr. Shawn Edwards at the medical clinic, been working with patients while doing his research. "I'm just there to help him out and make sure things go well," said Edwards who was eager.to have medical students working here for the summer. "i've dways been interested in teaching and being involved with residents and medical students." he said.. "The doctors were really good teachers." said Chan. who wanted to spend more time with them. 1 want to get a lot of clinical experience." he said, adding be knew Seaforth was a good place to work where he could get some of that e.xpencnce. Through Chan's initiative with SWORM. Edwards was asked to be Chan's supervisor for his time at Seaforth Community Hospital. Last summer. Chan set up a research project in Petroha where he studies the reed for an emergency room in that smaller centre where patients were potentially being sent to London or Sarnia hospitals. farther away. PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT 527-0319 (2 weeks in advance) 74 GROOMING SALON 92 Main St., Seaforth 527-0319 Call anytime .. reasonable rates Mon.. Wed.. Thurs. Fri. 8 am to 4 pm CLEARANCE SALE ON ALL REFILLED INJET CARTRIDGES y CANON BC05 $24 99c. HP 51625AC CANON BCO2 519.19e4. 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