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Times-Advocate, 1984-06-13, Page 1ua ty Carpet at great prices Professional installation <an be arranged Whiting s g Phone 235-1964 • Hospital annual hears warning Insurance costs cool Area residents spent less time in South Huron Hospital than normal last year, and while that may not prove con- clusively that they were healthier, it did make the hospital's financial situation healthier. Treasurer Jim Morlock and Administrator Roger Sheeler told the annual meeting of the hospital on Monday that the overall impact of the patient flow helped create an operating profit of $26,932, compared with a deficit of $55,258 the previous year. However, both men said that with provincial restraints, the small operating profit is not suffi- cient to adequately provide GET READY — David Turner gives final instructions to Chris McGregor in the mini -tractor pull at the Hensall Spring Fair, Tuesday. T -A photo. Ailsa Craig staff could lose jobs Ciba-Geigy has told 23 of its 70 employees in Ailsa Craig that if the company is unable to sell its Stewart Seeds barley division, which went up for sale in February, they will eventually lose their jobs. Ciba-Geigy manager Byron Beeler said no deadline •has been set as to when the Stewart barley warehouse complex and Nairn breeding laboratory sale would have to take place or the business idled. "On- May 30 we held a meeting with employees to tell them what would happen if it isn't sold," Beeler said. Ciba-Geigy will maintain its Funk Seeds corn division. "This company treats peo- ple fairly. and there is a generous severancepackage. We told the workers if a. job (4) • opportunity comes along tomorrow, more power to them.,..they'll still get the severance package if they take a job." Ciba-Geigy Seeds is a divi- sion of Ciba-Geigy Canada Ltd. selling Funk corn seed and Stewart barley seed. The multinational has sold all its cereal crop seed divisions across the world, except for Stewart Seeds, Beeler said. Ciba-Geigy has decided to limit its seed operations to corn, soybeans, sorghum and sunflowers. The firm continues to woo several companies interested in buying Stewart Seeds either asa total concern, or in part: the barley research facility at Nairn; the Ailsa Craig cleaning and storage facility; franchising is Mingo and Rodeo barley varieties. for expansion And replace- ment of equipment in future. Morloek said that the necessity to make decisions based entirely on financial considerations was stressful and that financial support from the public "is critical" if the hospital is to continue to provide the type of service ex- pected of it. Sheeler -said that while the situation may be stressful it does dictate that caution be exercised in spending and he added that "when one views the total health budget for the province, it might be wise if more were faced with the same restrictions on financial resources." While most of the reports tabled at the meeting were optimistic, the one submitted by Dr. Peter Englert, chief of the medical .staff, had as disconcerting tone about some future aspects of the hospital's service. He explained that due to ris- ing malpractice insurance costs for doctors, the medical staff is concerned that if that trend continues, many essen- tial types of medical care which are presently going on in the hospital may have to be abandoned solely for economic reasons. In explaining the problems, Englert said that insurance companies rate doctors and increase their insurance premiums on the basis of the riskiness of -the procedures they perforn:f.' "Family doctors have traditionally done un- complicated obstetrics, frac- tured bones and work in the emergency department," he said, but noted these are all areas where the .insurance carriers feel there is a high risk of suing and have in- creased their premiums dramatically. As an example, the rate for obstetrics has gone up 100 percent in 1984. Englert said that for an obstetrician who does thousands of deliveries a year the fee increase may be oflit- tle consequence, but for the family doctor who does 30 deliveries or so, he would be hard pressed to make enough money from those deliveries to even pay his insurance, let alone be paid for actually delivering the babies. "The ministry of health seems to be ignoring this pro- blem," he said, noting that the medical staff at SHH were concerned about the changing patterns of practice of city versus rural medicine. In summary, Englert said the medical staff feels the hospital is functioning smoothly and that medical care is being delivered to the highest standards; "we have concerns for the future and will work diligently to im- prove the range of services and level of care." lioward Pym, reporting for the property committee, stated that the extensive renovation project at the den- tal building -now to be known as the South Huron Profes- sional Building -- is nearing completion. A new roof was required • curtail doctors' services and the building itself . was altered considerably. New lease agreem h8ve been signed by Drs. rd, Jean SETS RECORD — Bob Dinney, left, set o recOr • by ser- ving as chairman of the South Huron Hospital for four years. He finally gets to quit this year when Bob Down will take over. Down presented the retiring president with a gavel. and Stecluk and there is still one suite available for renting. A new tower for the hospital's paging system is soon to be installed that will make the system capable of reaching as far away as Lucan and Grand Bend. Plansare to market this paging system to the com- munity as a public service and this will necessitate a full- time operator within the hospital to handle all of the calls. Director of nursing, Audrey Pooley, indicated another busy year for the staff and said they are hopeful that funds will be available to open a Geriatric Day Centre. Should this occur, she ex- plained, the patients who oc- cupy the 12 long-term beds will be given the opportunity to have their socializing needs met. "For quite some time, we as nurses have been aware that these patients need par- ticipation in .group therapy and nursing staff have been creative in trying to meet these needs." She also noted that a new trend is being experienced in the obstetrical unit as mothers who choose to deliver their babies in London are retur ing to SHH either same day or day following delivery for post partum care which is more personalized and convenient for the fami- ly. "This trend could be a possiblity for certain types of surgical patients in the future," Mrs. Pooley predicted. Picking up on that point, Marion Darling, chairperson for the hospital's utilization review committee, said it was one area in which her com- mittee would conduct con- siderable deliberation. She indicated that there is a feeling at the initial stages of the committee's work that the community is not aware of the services the hospital does provide. Three summer students have been hired under a Sum- ma Canada Students grant to facilitate the work of the Please turn to page 3 SELECT GROUP - Jane Harvey has joined a select group of three employees to receive 25 -year service awards cit South Huron Hospital. Nursing director Audrey Pooley pins a corsage on the recipient at Mon- day's hospital annual. Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 One Hundred,and Eleventh Year EXETER, ONTARIO, June 13, .1984 • Price Per Copy 50 Cents .a y, SERVING UP BRUNCH — The South Huron Junior Farmers sponsored a Sunday brunch at Exeter's Homecoming. Shown in action are Florence Ryan, Catherine Johns and Brian Steele. T -A photo Tax rate in Osborne up over .eight percent Residents of Usborne township will be facing an in- crease of 8.1 percent when they receive their 1984 proper- ty tax notices. In a press release this week, clerk -treasurer Larry t t k l ' NEW EXECUTIVE FOR HANDICAPPED ASSOCIATION — The new executive for the South Huron and area Association for the Mentally Handicapped was installed at Thursday's annual meeting. Back, left, Anne Kik- kert, Alma Godbolt. Larry Black, Victor Knip, 'Winston Shapton, David Gardiner and Ila Mothers. Front, Bob Southcott• Ann Klungel, past president Herb Verbeek, president Jim Dalton, executive director Don Camp- bell and treasurer Roger Sheeler. T -A photo. Wafting lists for services will foster further growth 7'he South Huron Associa- tion. for the Mentally Han- dicapped continues to grow and retiring president herb Verbeek says 0 is due to the waiting lists for many persons needing services and pro- m spaces. Verbeek continued. -The government's five year plan is really oriented to bring peo- ple out of institutions and back into the community and will also add to the need for services." New president Jim Dalton said he would do his best to keep the South Huron associa- tion in the forefront of all such groups in Ontario and cited retiring president Herb Verbeek for his honesty, sincerity and devotion during his two year term. The highlight of Thursday's annual meeting held at the South Huron Rec Centre was the appearance of handicap- ped organist George Jenner who kept the large crowd entW'lained long after the, meeting officially adjourned. Exective director Don Campbell reported the open- ing of the Albert street residence in Exeter which alleviated the waiting list and enabled the local organization to bring into residential care more individuals that have been institutionalized for more of their lives. Campbell said the new woodworking building in Dashwood has provided significant expansion for in- dustrial contracts and allow- ed a much improved working environment for this impor- tant and thriving program. The director continued. The Association has undertaken a greater responsiblity in the area of Advocacy and issues related to the rights and responsibilities of handicap- ped persons. There exists within the community, many options for positive advance- ment. However, the rapid ser- vice development and expan- sion must be carefully monitored in order to ensure that appropriate followup and support are available in the community for individuals in need. The Advocacy Committee, under the chairmanship of Randy Evans, and assisted by the Adult Protective Service Worker, Gwen Bedford, has been instrumental in dealing with a number of concerns relating -to rights and obliga- tions of handicapped persons. The personal caring at- titudes of committee members, board members, staff members and other volunteers have been ;n- strumental in keeping us cognizant of the very human side of our operations. Qualitative and individually directed services to each and every one of our clients has been maintained and strengthened over this past year. The high level of profeS- Please turn to page 3 Stuck said the average homeowner with an assess- ment of $4,00(rwill be paying $908.71 in taxes this year as compared to $840.27 in 1983. Of the total tax figure of $908.71, the breakdown is as follows; township $279.72; county of Huron $160.64: secondary school $209.97 and public school $258.38. In the release Stuck said, "the township acts as a collec- tion agency only for the coun- ty and school boards and therefore council has no con- trol over the increases from these bodies and the subse- quent effect they have on the mill rate." Three hurt in collisions injuries were reported in all three of the collisions in- vestigated this week by the Exeter OPP. Most seriously hurt was Mark Hartman, RR 1 Hay, who sustained head injuries on Wednesday when his car hit a tree when he failed to negotiate a curve at sideroad 20 in Stephen Township. His 1981 model car was wrecked in the crash and damage was listed at $5,000. The other two crashes were reported on Thursday, the first involving a vehicle driven by Rita Lessard and a bicycle ridden by 11 -year-old Floyd Riley. The two Huron Park residents collided at the in- tersection of Algonquin Drive and Columbia Ave. in Huron Park. Riley was treated at home for minor injuries and damage was set at $25. Terry Pickering, RR 2 Dashwood was riding a motorcycle across a freshly cultivated field on Thursday when he lost control of the machine and it flipped over. He was treated at South Huron Hospital. The incident occurred at lot 30, concession 16 of Stephen and damage to the hike was set at $120. The clerk continued, "Dur- ing budget deliberation coun- cil.was consistently of the opi- nion that no matter how much of an increase the other boards requisitioned for this year, they would not compromise by lowering the standard of service the municipal residents of Please turn to page 3 SPORTSFEST COMING Exeter has been selected as host for the 1985 Lake Huron recreation zone Sportsfest. Rec director Lynne Far- quhar said she was given the news that the local bid had been selected. Sportsfest features games and contests for all age and skill levels and attracts over 2,000 competitors in about 20 sporting activities. This year's event is being held in Kincardine. Exeter made application for the event after local spor- ting, social and service groups indicated their will- ingness to help organize the various competitions. MATH TEACHER BACK IN JAIL South Huron District High School math teacher Joanne Young is back behind bars again. The anti-nuclear activist was arrested Monday while protesting at Ontario Hydro headquarters in Toronto despite previous warnings that such action might cost her job. In November, the 57 -year- old teacher was arrested in a demonstration at the Litton Systems plant in Toronto after being denied a request from school authorities to take time from her job to "participate - in civil disobedience." She went on a f3 -day hunger strike in a Toronto jail and was subsequently suspended for two weeks without pay by the Huron board of education. At that time, she was advis- ed in a letter from Peter Gryseels, superintendent of personnel, that should she breach her teaching contract in the future, there will be no recourse but to recommend she be fired. Young was also fined for her part in the demonstration when she appeared in court earlier this year. Reports indicate that the teacher is again not cooperating with police following her Monday arrest. A spokesman for the protest group of which she was a member said she has iden- tified herself to police as Doug Stewart. He said he didn't know the significance of the name. When arrested last year, the teacher assumed the name of rebel leader Louis Riel. Arrest is nothing new for the mother of four, whose hus- band died of cancer in 1956 after being exposed to a cloud of radioactive dust while working as a chemical engineer at a nuclear plant in Port Hope. Young has been to jail repeatedly since then for various protests. Last summer, she staged a 20 -day hunger strike while in -- jail in Syracuse, N.Y., after being arrested at an anti - cruise demonstration at a U.S. Air Force base in July. She had refused to identify herself to authorities when ar- rested, but police identified her through fingerprint records. About seven leaders of the group demanding a nuclear - free Ontario were hauled away late Monday afternoon after being asked to abandon their -sit-in at the lobby of Hydro's gleaming glass tower near Queen's Park. Police also had to force four protesters from a stronghold in a revolving door where they had squatted during the day, sipping water from straws held by friends. About 20 other protesters left the building peacefully after being threatened with arrest for trespassing. One of those removed from the revolving door, a frail young woman with painted BID NOT ACCEPTED The remaining merchan- dise from the Junction was disposed of at a public auction at the store, Monday. The sale was conducted by Gardner Auctions Inc. for the secured creditor. • The building was not sold at Monday's auction as the bid- ding failed to reach the reserve. The final hid taken was $135,000. hair, screamed: "If you love this planet, you'll stop Darl- ington" as police carried her out by her arms and legs. Fifteen other protesters were arrested for trespassing earlier in the day after they refused to leave upper floors of the Hydro complex where they were distributing leaflets to employees. Karen Young said her mother is prepared for anything. "I think she feels the future of mankind is more'impertant than her own future," she said. Peter Gryseels, superinten- dent of personnel for the Huron County board of educa- tion, said a protest of this sort is not an acceptable reason Please turn to page 3 John Stephens John Stephens gets. another Lion position For the past year, John Stephens has been spending "night after night" in his capacity as governor of District A-15 of Lions International. For the next year, the Riverside Drive resident will be spending "weekend after weekend" in his new capaci- ty as chairman of the Multi - Or PANCAKE FLIPPERS — The Exeter firemen sponsored Homecoming breakfast was a success Saturday. From the left flipping pancakes are Casey Zeehuisen, Leroy Edwards, Peter Snell and Gabby Mol. T -A photo pie A council of Lions international. Stephens was elected chair- man at a June session in Niagara Falls among the governors of the 15 districts in the Multiple A council. He's the first governor from the district to win the honor in a vote of the 15 sitting governors. The council represents the 15 districts in Ontario (ex- cluding the far north-west section), Quebec, Labrador and the two French islands in the Gulf. He assumes his new duties on July 1 after turning over the governor's reigns to Jim Loucks of St. Marys. During the past year, Stephens attended numerous meetings of the various clubs in the district, accompanied on most occasions by members of his local council from the Exeter Lions Club. Next year, he'll be atten- ding weekend functions in the various districts and notes that his wife, Liz, will be heavily involved in the ac- tivities as well. They'll also be attending the international convention in San Francisco which is slated for July 4 to 7. There are 710 clubs and 23,500 Lions represented in the council over which he will preside. I