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Clinton News-Record, 1976-04-15, Page 1Tinton hospital or, Although there appears to be. some over what it will be used for, it almost a sure thing that the Clinic's Hospital will cease to be an active . hospital os June 1st. and will cloud. Dr. Bette Stephenson, acting nrittister health. told the hospital board in a os Monday that they crust give all ll• employees severance notices. :. hospital is to accept no more after May 1st. and be closed by 1st. ...Out a statement read by Premier Miens Davis in the Legislature y said that Clinton, along with • - . ' Hospital in Toronto, Durham. Paris will be. allowed to have an balance, an x-ray facility and a lab. do day surgery. Tide closing of the 62 -bed Clinton o reprieve (The following is the complete text of a letter sant to the Clinton Hospital board. ordering the Clinton Hospital closed.) hospital would mean an annual loss of about MUSS in salaries to the Clinton community, a loss the town can ijl af- ford. says Clarence Denomme, &air- man of the Clinton Retail Merchants Association. Mr..Denomme said that of the 281 industrial jobs in the area, only 111 are in Clinton with the remainder at Vanastra, making the hospital one of the towns' biggest employers. Doug Coventry, the Clinton Hospital administrator, said Wednesday morning that he and the board hoped to meet with the ministry of health and find out just what could be left in Clinton. - Meanwhile. Huron -Middlesex MPP Jack Riddell is trying • to arrange a meeting between Clinton hospital of- ficials and D3r..Stephenson. Mr. Art Aiken, Chairman of the Burd, *Clinton Public Hospital. Dar Mr. Aiken. —We have carefully examined all the- lacts presented against closure of she Clinton Public Hospital. We have determined after examination of these facts that closure is possible and most necessary. Iw order to be very clear about tbe actions that now have to be taken, please comply with the following: 1. As soon as you receive this letter make sere that your staff receive their ter- mination notices. In this regard, please ,Aeake sure that you follow the «, requirements of the Employment Standards Act. 2. You must stop admitting patients on May 1st, IPS. 3. Your hospital must close on June 1st, 1616. 4. Please provide to the Budgets Branch of the Ministry a budget statement clearly establishing costs to close down your institution. Details regarding the above should be worked out with your Ministry . Administrative and Financial Con- sultants. For your information, a plan for provision of additional ambulance service is being developed to satisfy the changed requirements for your com- munity. In addition. may I also em- phasize that Ministry of Health staff are available at your request to assist you in developing health care services in your community using existing buildings to some extant, if appropriate. Yours very truly, Bette Stephenson. M.D. acting minister of health x fir. We're calling last Monday. April 12, Black Monday. First they closed our hospital. then we heird the piano factory was laying off 26 workers. and then that night we lost our chance to win an all - Ontario championship when the all - , lost in the circus show in Essex. + ++ 'There is at least one good thing hap- pening in around here as a number of farmers were out working the land last Saturday and again this week. Quite a number also drilled in their spring grains. making this one of the earliest springs in four years/. + ++ One other bright spot, for those of you in town still left with jobs, is the fact that this Friday. and for a select few, Mon- dey, are the first holidays since last January 1st. Four months is just too long tojo without a break! + + + With the holiday tomorrow (Friday). Mist businesses will be closed and there will be no -postal lervice. Most things are back to normal on Saturday. - +-4-+. Response to the minor soccer registration has been good, in fact too good. Officials report that 40 more boys expected registered for the sum- mer program, banging the total to over 1M, and 'making a shortage of helpers for Most teams. The bantam boys' team, however, is still short some players and the mosquito team desperately needs a Conch. Anyone, and I mean anyone. can help tbe.teams, so contact Lowell Barites M 4l2 -$*S or Marilyn Forbes at 4$2.74$ if you can otter your services in any calloilOtY1 Originally, Ike hospital had bene or:: .: derad closed on February 111 by thep.'m- heakh minister Frank Wilier. who said at the time, that the SS -year-old Clinton hospital bad to be closed as soon as possible after April 1.. But the Clinton board of governors were given an appeal bearing in front of the Premier, and the decision was delayed until last Monday. April 12. In a letter to the hospital board. Dr. Stephenson said they had examined all the facts against the closure but "we have determined after examination of these facts that closure is possible and most necessary." Although there had been no board meeting as of Wednesday morning. Art Aiken. chairman of the board, said that they had pretty well given up hope of Co. so o lel in AkII. i S1 2$ .31 if 7 ' $ 27 32 34 i 46 2S 33 17 $ 42 25 36 1S 1• SO 2$ 37 23 11 31 22 36 18 12 4s. 15 35 21 .25., rain Iosid by lune 1st. running the hospital as an active treatment facility, but he hoped that a meeting could be arranged with Dr. Stephenson to persue the possibility of turning it into a chronic care hospital and an out-patient medical clinic. Mr. Coventry said he hadn't given up hope yet either. "The bell has just gone for tbe second round." "There Inuit be someone down there (Toronto) with some sense, if we can just find him", Mr. Coventry said. Joe Murphy of Clinton. a board member, said at a meeting of the Citizens' Action Committee on Tuesday night that he felt the active treatment facilities are gone. 'They (the government) made up their minds to close this hospital two mouths ago. All the proposals they said Se served is vd The worst fears of the cenomnnaity were realized an Monday when the Clinton Public Hospital was ordered shut sewn and most of tbe employees dismissed. It will seas the sad of the hospital as an active treatment centre, but officials are hopeful of keeping a clfolc at least. About 110 persons will lose their jobs and sick people be the Clines. area will have to go to one et the ether four Huron Hospitals er to Leedom or Stratford for treatment. (News -Record photo) Smith pledges to reopen hospital Ontario Liberal Leader Stuart Smith told the Clinton hospital board last Friday that he would re -open the Clinton Public Hospital as an active treatment hospital should his party form the next provincial government. Dr. Smith made the statement before the hospital board was told Monday that they must close Clinton as an active hospital. Mr. Smith said he had to apologize to the people in the Clinton area for not bringing the government down last week on the hospital closing issue. but he said only those people in the ridings affected by the closings were upset with the Progressive Conservative government. Most of the other 4 million voters, Mr. Smith said. in ridings not affected see the closings as a "sign of government restraint." By forcing an election only six months after the last one. most people in Ontario would be angry with the opposition and would elect a majority Conservative government Mr. Smith said. "And if you think the Tories are heartless now in a minority position, think what they would be like then (with a majority)," he said. Mr. Smith said he was disgusted that • Clinton and the other hospitals in small towns had been picked to be closed "life is difficult enough in small towns." "If you look at the data, then Clinton would be the last to close. It is one of the most efficient." Mr. Smith said. Mr. Smith said he asked Jack Riddell, Liberal MPP for Huron -Middlesex. not to vote against the party last week for SianIv has deficit Stanley Township council learned last week that they have a deficit of 312,000 for the 1575 year. Mei Graham. the Clerk Treasurer of Stanley said that the deficit could be due to the construction of the bridge at lot 20 concession 2 and 3 of Stanley Township which wasn't budgeted for. The township will also be asking Ausahle Bayfield Conservation Authority to do some more work on the park area in the Township through tht SWEEP program. Council accepted Bayfield's proposal continued on page 2 the sake of unity, but rather abstain as a way of noting his protest on the closings. He said that the hospitals and the people should have been asked first before beds were ordered closed. "I don't like the way they went about it, they didn't even do an (economic) impact study," Mr. Smith said. Miss Barbara Cooper, director of nursing at Clinton, told Mr. Smith that it was costing the government more to run former Goderich Psychiatric the they'd listen to was just window dressing." Mr. Murphy said. Jack •R4ddell said Tuesday that he intended persue the matter further and try and arrange a meeting with Dr. Stephenson. "Obviously the letter went out(to Clinton) before she understood what the Premier's statemeht would be to the House," Mr. Riddell said. "I was optimistic that one floor could have been used for active treatment, but that appears to be out now." Mr. Riddell said. Mr. Riddell also said that on questioning Dr. Stephenson. he was given the impression that they have no idea what savings they would realise. Originally, the government thought they would save SWAM by closing aimless. "It's not much of a cowsoiatiow. I know," Mr. Riddell' said", but we can rest assured that it will function as an out-patient unit." Premier Davis said in the Legislature Monday that the government would negotiate transfer costs for employees who find work elsewhere and will help hospital workers find other jobs in the other hospitals in Huron. The government expect$ net hospitals to give clinkand admitting ng rights to doctors displaced by the closing. Huron Warden upset that hospital closed Jack McCutcheon, Warden for Huron Countyis very upset over the announced closing Monday • of Clinton Public Hospital closure. "I have always said we should stick together and Wingham's decision was detrimental to Clinton," he said. "When W ingham made their decision provincial Liberal Party was in Clinton looking at the hospital last Friday. . "He came and looked at the hospital a few days after be had voted to close it," by voting in favour of the Conservative government. "To me. that's complete JoI)1'4$ hypocrisMr. McKinley said. pcton their own not to help Clinton, theyiure Elia,weren't looking cqunty wide. Now the county is going to have to take a look at the hospital building fund. If the • hospitals can't get together when one of piano factory sktck them is in trouble .why should all the county residents support hospital ad- employment picture in Clinton dations?.he said. was dealt another blw this week when Mr. McCutcheon felt that had government given the county H l.It Sherlock Manning Piano Company onccoenty Council rum have Bound their 4S man work force. jurisdiction over hospital cutbacks in Limited was laying off indefinitely of ,a way'te Gain thiSuitesty the g ent`��' -en..• .Monday• Ontario actinghealth wanted without closing any hospital in the county. "I believe Clinton, Durham and Paris hospitals were, used as a tool by the government to implement the closing of Doctors Hospital in Toronto where the most savings will come from, when the hospital is closed. There is no way the government could close Doctors -without the others," Mr. McCutcheon said. Mr. McCutcheon doesn't believe a change in government would make beds in Clinton hospital active again. "The civil servants are making the decisions from behind the scenes. and any promises made by the opposition ,parties is just a campaign address." he said. Bob McKinley. Federal Conservative member of parliament, for Huron, is disappointed in the provincial govern- ment's decision to close the hospital. "I was hoping they would allow part of the hospital to stay open for the residents when heavy snowstorms will not permit any travelling on the Huron county high- ways," he said. Mr. McKinley noticed in the Free Press that Stuart Smith. leader of the hospital now as a mental retardation centre than before. She said the 20 -bed psychiatric unit retained at the hospital would cost the government 1750,000 per year. not in- cluding the cost of housing the other patientt at Owen Sound and London, plus the 'cost of running the retardation centre. She said it cost 52 million a year to run the former 100 beds. "so where is the saving." Although It was one et the softest April iNts� nee* more thew pavanes torsed out to down alum* 2,00 powealles at Sunday. The maple sprue used as the peneeakes was audio from sap ealleeted hs Claw Gregor Square. Watching the elf Neem � NM Mt. sap ies. syr!a� MunkFlorins at Csnlsa, itis sent, Mrs, Ra ss., Erle Karl, ehairwen at the event. (phots by tams' telellwou) minister" Dr. Bette Stephenson ordered the Clinton Public Hospital closed as of June 1. throwing 100 employees out of work. Sherlock Manning is the second - biggest employer in the town of 3,000, behind the hospital. - Joseph Reid. vice-president of Sherlock Manning. said Tuesday that the layoffs would be indefinite. but he hoped they would only be temporary. "People aren't buying pianos." Mr. Reid said, "because of a downturn in the economy:" "They are considered a luxury item," he said, "and ` there's no point in us building up stock it we can't sell it." Mr. Reid said that the poor market conditions for pianos seemed to "appear all at once." "The layoffs are strictly due to market conditions." Mr. Reid said, and he hoped it would be short term and the factory could get back into full production as soon as possible. "I understand the furniture factories in the area are in the same shape. The orders just aren't coming in." Mr. Reid said. Local townships in quandary as goi,'t cuts file drain -loans The provincial government thinks too much money has been going down the drain' and has cut back the money they lend to townships for tile drain loans. Each township has been set a limit. based on the past three years purchases on tile drain loans. The lending rate has also been increased from four to six percent. In this area, Goderich Township will receive only 389,000 this year, but had already promised and approved 1142.500 in loans before they received word about cutbacks. "This has put us in an embarrassing situation and no matter how weallot the monies we have. we'll end up with egg on our face", said Robin Thompson. Goderich Township clerk. Tuckersmith Township is also in`' a precarious position. They will only receive 330,400 this year, compared to 340,000 they received last year. Township clerk Jim McIntosh said the township already has two loans which have been approved which will take nearly all of the money this year, while there are applications on file for another 1100.000 worth of tile drain loans. Hullett township will receive $N.108 to lend for the drains. This is 17.5 percentof the past three years purchases. but it is only 64.5 percent of last year's pur- chases. Stanley Township will get SUMO which is 16.7, percent of what was lent out in the past three years. but again, is 67.5 percent of what suss lent out in the past year. Stanley Township. along with the other township councils are faced with the problem of decidingbow they will divide the money among tapplicants. A question has been raised as to whether it would be fair to grant loans one a first come. first served basis. or' whether it would be hirerto lend so much money per acre. Famous country singer coming Marty Robbins and his Country Music Show will be in Clinton. June .21, at the Community Centre. Marty's musical range and variety know no bounds. He sings Polynesian. Mexican. Western. Country and Pop. He has also written over 400 songs such as "MY Woman, My Woman. My Wife" and the classic "El Paso". and has a number of gold records and gold guitar awards to attest his composing and singing ability. Marty has also starred in about a dozen movies and has his own television and movie production company with distribution through Universal Pictures. His television credits include most of the top shows in television. A few examples are: "The Dean Martin Show". "Kraft Music HaH". "The Jolueny Cash Show" and has been the host on.severnl of the "Midnight Special" shows. His concerts always draw capacity crowds and he is always s lop attraction in Las Vegas. Rano.-and Labe Taboo. He was the first so calked Cossets, act to ever, play the maim showrooms in Las eoetiwwd one paga 2