Times Advocate, 1996-12-04, Page 5U
Make your voice heard
"One by one we can make a
difference."
Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to the meeting of No-
vember 27, 196 at the Exeter Roc Centre concerning
the South Huron Hospital. There was a tremendous
support of the public, but our work is not completed
yet in our bid to keep our hospital. Those writing to
the members of parliament please keep in mind the.
following points when writing.
1. Make your letters personal. Share experiences
with the South Huron Hospital and where you live
in relation to the Hospital.
2. The fact that there are few doctors in the area,
compared with major metropolitan centers is a rea-
son why a hospital close by is necessary.
3. The fact that agriculture is considered a high
risk career area in terms of accidents makes it vital
that a hospital be extremely close by to the area.
4. That importance of having a nearby hospital for
tourist centers such as Grand Bend, where tourist
dollars coming in from out of the province are a key
component of Ontario's economy. Summer and
winter accidents/injuries and illness while vacation-
ing are not uncommon and visitors are drawn to are-
as that have medical services, among other ameni-
ties, close at hand.
This factor will become increasingly important as
the demographics of North America mean that ag-
ing vacationers (with large disposable incomes,
therefore important sources of revenue to Ontario
!communities such as Grand Bend and area) will val-
• ue and demand such facilities nearby.
5. Unlike in urban centres, such as Toronto, where
residents are only within a ten minute drive or am-
bulance ride to a hospital, if Exeter Hospital were to
shut down, people would be a minimum of 45 min-
utes to over an hour from a hospital.Even in ideal
weather conditions, this is too far. And the fact that
mad conditions in the snow belt are are quite differ-
ent as opposed to the cities such as Toronto.
6. The importance of amenities such as a hospital
in this area, will keep people living in the area. Cit-
ies such as Toronto cannot support any more people
coming into the center and there simply aren't
enough jobs for those who live there now. It is less
costly to keep hospitals open and provide an envi-
rorunent where people want to live and work. Many
have their own business and that is what the govern-
ment is trying to encourage.
7. A long-term view is critical in keeping the com-
munity hospital open. According to economists and
demographers, people will be moving from large ur-
ban centers such as Toronto to smaller communities
such as Exeter. As professor David Foot, noted
Demographics expert internationally renown has re-
peated, "As the baby boomers, the leading edge of
which are now just turning fifty, are starting to leave
the cities in cash -out or early retirement or simply to
gear down and therefore smaller centers will boom."
Exeter is a prime lcoation for this. There will be a
need for increased hospital space due to the aging
population and influx of boomers very shortly.
So I ask you, please write. We are all in different
roles in our South Huron community. It is the future
of the community that is at stake, and the children
are going to be most affected not only now, but as
years go by. One by one we can make a difference.
Some contact names/addresses:
• The Honourable Michael D. Harris, Premier of
Ontario, Room 281, Legislation Building, Queens'
Park, Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1A1; fax 416-325-
7578; phone 416-325-1941
• The Honourable Jim Wilson, Minister of Health,
Hepburn Block, 10th Floor, 80 Grosvenor Street,
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 2C4; fax 416-326-1571,
Phone 416-327-4300
• Ms. Elinor Caplan, Liberal Critic for Health,
Room 349, Legislative Building, Queen's Park, To-
ronto, Ontario, M7A 1A4, fax 416-325-3968, phone
416-325-3607
• Mr. Dave Cooke, NDP Critic for Health, Room
375, East Wing, Legislative Building, Queen's Park,
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1A5; fax 416-325-3261,
phone 416-325-8116
• Ms. Lyn McLeod, Leader of the Official Opposi-
tion (Liberal Party), Room 325, Legislative Build-
ing, Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1A4, fax
416-325-9895, phone 416-325-7155
• Mr. Howard Hampton, Leader of the Opposition
(NDP) Party, Room 381, Legislative Building,
Queens' Park, Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1A5; fax
416-325-8222; phone 416-325-8300.
Charlene Finkbeiner
Room to cut
"Doesn't anyone think of cutting
administration?"
Dear Editor:
All of us..are concerned about the threatened clp-
sure of the hospital but my other concern centres on
why does it cost so much to operate our hospital?
I see a strong parallel between the obscene salary
increases given the London Board of Education
Senior Managers, and the money spent on the Exet-
er Hospital Administration.
I stand to be corrected but I believe that the Hos-
pital Board offered the Administrator a severance,
pay of two years at approximately $200,000 and as
a taxpayer for the past 40 years who contributes to
this salary, I would like to know why this package
was offered when the norm is one month per year of
service, in the private sector which would be ap-
proximately one year severance pay.
I am really alarmed when I hear this especially
when cutbacks are the order of the day and the Hos-
pital claims to be running a deficit budget this year.
Where is the incentive to fight for the Hospital, with
an offer like this?
HoCv`can the Board approve the eitpei3Sive ren6ya-
tions that have been recently completed? I hope this
didn't come at the expense of emergency room
equipment to serve the public to make this a fully
functional hospital.
If the decision is made to keep only the Emergen-
cy and Out -Patient Department operating, should
not some of these administrative costs be re -directed
to re -vamp these departments?
Another thought that runs through my mind is
when'there are cutbacks, why are the nurses the first
to go (without severance pay)? Doesn't anyone
think of cutting administration?
Valerie Gould
DHC overlooked many things
To sum up, there is a need to re-
evaluate your reasons for exclud-
ing Exeter Hospital....
Dear Editor:
Re: Cutbacks to Health Care Centres - e.g. Exeter
Hospital
As a resident of South Huron for the past number
of years, I have always regarded Exeter as the place
where I would go for hospital and emergency ser-
vices. During the past four years I have been re-
quired to use these services, emergency stitches on
the hand, badly sprained ankle, X-rays, annual med-
icals, physical therapy, etc. I have appreciated the
fact that the capability and competency of medical
staff was there.
I agree with the statements of Dr. Jadd when he
. felt that the District Health Council (DHC) had
overlooked many things in considering options for
cut-backs and equity. To date nothing has been said
' about industrial accidents. Where but in Huron Park
and the Industrial Parks of Exeter and surrounding
areas is all the work done? Has there been no con-
sideration for the number of people and types of ac-
cidents which occur at the workplace? The people
of this area congregate by the hundreds at the vari-
ous plants, factories and businesses which abound
in South Huron. To name a few off the top of my
head we have:
1. Hensall - trailer manufacturing
i2. Hensall - largest inland grain handling facilities
in Canada.
3. Zurich - Bluewater Rest Home and Maplewood
'Apartments.
4. Dashwood - ARC Industries
5. Centralia - Dashwood Industries
6. Centralia - Cooks Mills and head office, P&H
I7. Huron Park - Tacke Industries, Exeter Machine
Products, Terry Air, Dunline Industries, Safety Cab,
Accoumold, BTSD, Ministry of Transportation
Testing and Proving Facility, Pilot Training, Air-
craft Refinishing, approximately 75 businesses,
where several hundred work daily.
8. Exeter - Nord►iander trailer manufacturing,
Kongskilde, Vets Trucking, Nabisco Cannery, Big
r•
t • � +lig"
O Tile, Haugh tire, Macleans, Co-op, CTC and a
host of other businesses.
Secondly, the entire area of Grand Bend seems to
have been left out. Even if we only looked at Grand
Cove Estates which is in Stephen Twp., there is a re-
tirement community need right there for a hospital,
let alone Southcott Pines, Oakwood Inn and Resort,
Klondyke Gardens, The Pinery Park, etc. A further
situation at Grand Bend is the huge influx of tourists
for the beaches, and now the Huron Country Play-
house, the Motoplex Races and Skydiving Activities
that now go on as well.
Thirdly, when we look into future trends, South
Huron is growing at twice the rate of the rest of the
area because it is becoming a bedroom for those
who work in London. With the improvements to
Highway #4, we are now less than an hour from
London, hence, the increase in traffic flow and the
necessity to have a hospital situated on Highway #4
rather than proposing three hospitals on Highway
#83.
To sum up, there is need to re-evaluate your rea-
sons for excluding Exeter Hospital from viable op-
tions, because I believe it is necessary to continue to
serve the needs of the people in South Huron. It is
incumbent upon you, the DHC, to look at accident
prone situations such as beaches at Grand Bend, In-
dustrial sites at Huron Park, Hensall, Exeter and
Centralia, as well as high volume traffic areas such
as Highway #4 from Hensall to London when con-
sidering needs for Emergency and hospital services.
I applaud the work you have done thus far, and re-
gret that so few from South Huron were there to rep-
resent our interests and needs. I trust this letter has
done something to assist you with your re-
evaluation, and we look forward with anticipation to
the final outcome of this necessary government -
initiated cost-cutting measure.
Rev. Dr. Robert J. Graham
Secretary/Treasurer,
South Huron Ministerial Association
P.S. - The letter was hand delivered - only to find
out that the DHC has a new I!2 million dollar facili-
ty at 235 St. George St., Mitchell, Ont.
The confusion continues,
R.J.G.
Times -Advocate, December 4, 1996 Page 5
Something fishy in repor
The Heath Council wants the pub-
lic to review only their three op-
tions presented in the report...
Dear Editor:
Something is starting to smell fishy and it's the
Huron Perth District Health Council's Hospital and
Related Services Task Force Report.
The Health Council wants the public to review
only their throe options presented in the report. The
process used to arrive at their three options is also
important and worthy of review. If the process is
flawed, then the results of that process are tainted.
I urge your paper to publish the report in its en-
tirety. (It's only 12 typewritten pages). Let's have
the people who will be affected significantly by this
report have a chance to see the content and quality
of the report that is already affecting their lives in a
•
{
significant way.
The Health Council won't defend their report and
I wouldn't want to have to defend it either. They
only want to "discuss" their throe options. Very lit-
tle information is publicly available about how the
three options were selected; however, one member
of the task force has broken the silence and indicat-
ed that in the process each task force member was
given three blue dots and they were asked to place
their dots on the options they would like to see. Ru-
mor has it there were nine options from which to se-
lect.
The future health care system for Huron Perth has
been designed by 60 (plus or minus) blue dots. Is
this a credible way to plan the future of health care
for your community?
Art Clark
Wingham
Cost-saving measure
"...here are some things that
could be done to lower the oper-
ating costs of our hospitals."
Dear Editor:
My wife and I were at the hospital meeting on
November 28, 1996 at the Listowel High School
auditorium. At the start, 1600 persons were asked to
stand and sing 0 Canada. That was great except for
one thing; there was no flags' of Canada or Ontario
to be seen. Shame on the Perth Board of Education.
The other disturbing act was the verbal attack on
our M.P.P. Mr. Bert Johnson. Mr. Johnson has a
boss the same as you and I have and you know that
if the boss has his mind made up he will have the
last say, it doesn't matter how much you talk to
him. The only thing I heard at the meeting was why
the hospitals should not close. Well here is one
more for the record - if these small hospitals close,
the doctors will be gone also and these towns will
be left with a first aid post that hands out band-aids.
So if a small child, age three, was to get hit by a car
and just up the road a family's dog got it, both have
the same injuries, broken pelvis, internal injuries
and concussion, an ambulance is called for the
child, the same time the dog's master picks up his
dog and heads for the closest veterinarian clinic and
the vet will start treatment to save the dog. Mean-
time the child is picked up and is on it's way to
Stratford or Goderich. Now there is only so much
the paramedics can do en route for this child, so it
could take four to five times longer for a child 'o re-
ceive treatment for life-threatening injuries by i
,...'doctor than for a dog to get to a, vet. Does that make
. tease to you? Let's hope the government never
takes control of our veterinarian clinics.
One topic that wasn't brought up at the meeting
was how can we save our hospitals. It is my under-
standing that in Wellington County no hospitals will
be closed. Instead they will lower then ",,
per cent. So why can't Huron -Perth do the same.
Hospitals are run or should be run like any other
business, to show a profit. So here are some things
that could be done to lower the operating costs of
our hospitals.
There are eight hospitals in Huron Perth. Get rid
of the management in the six small hospitals and put
the best on one management team in Goderich hos-
pital. This team would run Goderich, Clinton, Exet-
er, Seaforth and Wingham. The next team would be
based in Stratford to run Stratford, St. Marys and
Listowel. I believe that there would be big savings
here.
The next step is to do what the government is do-
ing elsewhere and what is being done in the private
sector. That is to contract out your kitchen, house-
keeping, laundry and lab staff. Others in the private
sector are saving big bucks by doing this. Also if the
private sector can build nursing homes and make
money, why can't the hospital get into the same
business with what they already got. Every hospital
has some empty beds. Next, is unused floor space in
hospitals that should be put to use or rented out. The
board rooms are not needed, sell the furniture and
rent the space to the V.O.N. or Para -Med. This
would cost these two less rent than renting in the
private sector plus they could share receptionist,
secretary, fax and copy machines. Others like chiro-
practors may want space to rent. What better place
than a hospital. Hospitals are in the business of sav-
ing lives, not jobs. So if we lower our costs and Mr.
Harris lets all hospitals stay open and if Mr. Harris
calls in his Ministers and Deputy Minister and order
them to reduce the paper -pushing bureagcrats by 20
per cent, everydne will be happy. But if Mr. hartis
says no to what we say than we will say no to Mr.
Hams on election day.
Yours truly,
Ron Doig
Advice for the DHC
"Although ! believe the task force
wanted to meet the future needs
of the region, they were side-
tracked and lost their focus."
Dear Editor:
To: The voting and non-voting members of the
Huron Perth District Health Council Task Force
In order to facilitate rational decision making, a
group of community health service providers and
consumers from the area of Huron Perth was
formed. Its mandate was to objectively analyze the
health care needs of the two counties, using the cri-
teria of quality, accessibility, feasibility, cost, coor-
dination and job losses to plan for a better future.
Planning must not be confused with problem solv-
ing. Planning relates to tomorrow. It provides the
basis for future endeavours. Problem solving deals
with today. An incentive exists to produce short
range results of a 20 per cent decrease in hospital
spending as opposed to long range opportunities.
Although I believe the task force wanted to meet the
future needs of the region, they were side-tracked
and lost their focus.
Criteria are tests for the selection of one option
over another. They are intended to be used to devel-
op alternatives and measure effectiveness.
The task force collected data which I presume
was valid and reliable through the mediums of tele-
phone surveys, consumer and provider surveys, gen-
eral discussions and subcommittees. This informa-
tion should be available to the public in order to
facilitate a better understanding of why the one
model was presented three different ways. Because
the one option was presented with unspecified alter-
natives, the next step of costing will be done on
only one option. The public will never know if other
options were more cost effective.
Was the goal to improve the quality of health care
to the residents of Huron Perth with easy accessibil-
ity? or was it an attempt to strengthen a health care
agency in Stratford and Cioderich by triaging Emer-
gency Room patients to Seaforth?
In every option Stratford and Goderich are secon-
dary hospitals. Where is the tertiary care center? An
ICU/CCU in Goderich? With a specialist on
call?Are they being imported from the U.S.A.? Do
they or are they going to have internal me4icine
speciality providing treatment in the hospital or are
they going to be referring patients to the tertiary
care centers anyway? If there are no specialists to
care for the patients in the ICUiCCU, patients trans-
ported there are going to be cared for by GPs. Are
the GPs in Cloderich specialists? Are you improving
the quality of care?
In the definition of Emergency Level C there is
full diagnostic imaging and lab services. What does
that mean to the general public? What is full, and
how does it differ from a Level B? It is rather amus-
ing to have "specialized nursing" in a secondary
hospital, but not a primary hospital with an Emer-
gency Department. or does not the public need spe-
cialty nurses in the Emergency Department? An
Emergency Room without a lab and diagnostic im-
aging is a clinic. Why not call it a doctor's office?
Are the Primary hospitals with no acute, or no
beds, but a Level B Emergency room going to trans-
port directly to the Secondary hospitals or the Pri-
mary hospitals with beds?
Having no exact figures on population density, as
they were not presented with the option, I am going
to make a few assumptions of my own. I would as-
sume McDonald's does a population/demographic
study before it builds. I would presume most busi-
nesses do. It is known as market size in the business
world. I would also presume they look at present
market trends, future market trends, and consumer
preference. If the DHC or any other group is in the
business of providing health care they too must con-
sider these factors. The telephone survey by random
selection provided figures as to what percentage of
the area used particular hospitals. Again from the in
formation available to me, I would presume some
areas are more densely populated than others.Did
the option provide accessibility to the largest num-
ber of the available population?
By now my readers can assume I am from the area
of South Huron. The missed frontier.
Has the task force best met the criteria of accessi-
bility from the largest number of residents in Huron
Perth? Does it maintain quality? Is it feasible to
transport patients north who may require tertiary
care to the south later? Why punish a large percent-
age of the population by forcing them to receive in-
patient care so far from their community? Does the
reason for such options meet the criteria, or were
there hidden goals and objectives which were not
made public knowledge?
Advice to the Planners - Assess how effective ant
efficient your option is as it relates to the chosen cri
teria. Perhaps there are other options which would
better meet your Meds and the needs of the commu
nity. Be fair. Be honest. Be realistic. If you promise
three options, then give three options, that are clear.
concise, and objectively put forth, to achieve the
outcomes you set out to do.
Respectively submitted,
Maureen Cole,
Exeter