Loading...
Times Advocate, 1993-03-24, Page 9td Tina s -,Advocate, March 24,1993 xr� First Administrator dedicated, devoted No present look at the :;oath Huron Hospital would be complete without :acknowledging the contribution of those who served in the past. The fol- lowing was taken from the hospital's 1981-82 annual report. Alice Claypole was born and raised in St. Thomas and chose nursing as the profession which -she would pursue in her adolescent years. Miss Clay - pole as she was more commonly known, dedicated her life to the Health and caring of others. Beneath the starched uniform was a kind and loving individual, a friend to everyone whom she met. She demanded and gained the respect of all disciplines and held that respect through to the very end. Miss Claypole joined the staff at South Huron soon after its conception .and served as Superintendent frons 1953 onwards, later having her title .changed to Administrator. This latter title she held until her -retirement in December of 1974. She =:offered a total of 51 years to health care and was an individual who denied `herself in order to be for others. Her memory is forever etched in the history and the archives of South Huron Hospital. More than just emergency �ert4ces it -provides have stepped up. It departments have a lot more::mtt- department: is are taken on_a x-ray staff have any emergency. the biggest change, way in which the m functions. "When we builtethe emergency room, we ran about 3,500 4,00) .people through it. Now were run- eeee . ening 15,000 per year," said Admin-. T' -- vAistsalor Don Curre]I. In any small town, people look at ,:their hospital's emergency room Azad base the rest of the hospital's :credibility on -she service of the ,emergency room. It's where the public gets its first impression. Recently, Hay Township Reeve Lionel Wilder publicly, at a Huron County Council session, criticized the emergency room of the South Huron Ho --ital. Wilder every right to .:om- plain bee... .re incident in which he spoke of, involved a family member, and, in his opinion that person did not receive instant care. Few people, other than those who work at the hospital, understand how the emergency room works. The biggest question around this is- sue is how it's staffed. "Four doctors each cover a night in the emergency room," said Dr. Jerry Jadd who is the chief of staff at South Huron Hospital. "On Wednesday we (local doctors) shut ottj offices down and Dr. (David) Hodder takes over until midnight," added Jadd of how the emergency room works during the week. So, when an emergency occurs during the week, either Doctors Jadd, Hodder, Linda Steele or Bill Steciuk.are called to the hospital. 'They may ;rube •summoned away •:*om their -warm beds or, which is -even tougher, they may have -to leave a patient at their own -pace t ce. -'The fifth Exeter .doctor, Mike Dans has reached the age where he _isno longer obligated to take a reg- :jdar shift in the emergency mom. Weekend duty " On the weekends 'a doctor comes up from London to *dime us and he'usually works about a 24 •to'964iwuriltift.'Tbey come 7riday at 6 Fm. and stay until Monday at 6 a.m. In that period, there would be two or three different doctors," said Jadd. The courtesy doctors have ac - comodations in the hospital which they use so they are in the building when needed. Director of Nursing Audrey Poo- ley has worked in every deparunent of the hospital and has seen the changes in the emergency room. "There are more numbers," she said of the volume. "There are more than just Code Fours. Now, everyday in emergency is busy." The reason for that is the emer- gency room has become sort of a walk -in -clinic. If you are in need of medical attention, you go to the emergency room. Often your fami- ly physician will send you to the emergency room to have §ti.tches removed or a specific.examination. Pooley said there is a reason peo- ple get a bad image of the local hospital. "Sometimes it's because they want instant treaunent. If it's not a real emergency people have to sit and be patient." She added that the public rela- tions :in a small hospital have to be =very good and that the difference ebetween South Huron and a larger facility is that here, people can go -in and complain to the boss. A nurse at .the hospital for over .25 years, Pooley is very proud of riser 41 nurses. "I have really good nurses. We're always training to be the best. We have to stay on top of things," she said. At South Huron, there are 20 full- time registered nurses, five super- visors, six full-trmeregisterednurs- es aides and ten part-time and five ward aides. In a small hospital, you kattelo dboseady for evezthing." While everyone of the't I- ployees at the unionized beepital play a major role in its operation, radthout doctors there can be no • T erepital. Besides the five Exeter doctors and the courtesy doctors who come from London on the weekends, there are other area physicians who care for their patients at South Hu- ron. More doctors? -add admits it would be great to have a couple more doctors who practice in town. "It would be nice to have more, but it's hard to recruit them to small towns," said Judd. "It would always be nice to have more, but we count our blessings." Steele says she has tried very hard to get more doctors to come to Exeter. "I spent $1,000 in advertising try- ing to get a doctor last year. I went away on holidays and expected a lot of calls, there were now. I don't know why people don't come here," said Steele. ££Ai* auuih* a of the South Huron Hospital's nursing staff et their +station. Beck, Jett: Direc- tor of Nursing Audrey Pooley; Dianne Regie,-, RNA; Charlene Fxtkheiner, RNA; Fran Burton, Communications Co-ordinator; Anne Wembam, RN; Anne Harvey, RNA; Mary H©gen, ward ,aide. Seated, left: Marion Cornish, RNA and Marg /risen RN. :