The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-09-21, Page 12rt.
PAGE 12~- 'ODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1978
6
Ministry' pressing hospital board to keep agreement
BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER
The Ministry of Health has forwarded a
cheque for $140,000 to the board at Alexandra
Marine and General Hospital $575,000 less
than was expected - and is now pressing for the
board to keep the terms of the agreement made
when the money was offered.
The Ministry set out the terms of agreement
when the special one-time funds were extended
to the Goderich board to help the hospital out of
financial difficulty. It now appears the board
has no choice but to "live with them'''.
One of the most disturbing aspects to board
members was the discovery that the Ministry
now considers AM&G Hospital as an 88 bed
hospital, not a 101 bed hospital.
In the terms of the agreement, the.Ministry
set down that the 13 .beds in the minimal care
unit should remain unstaffed. In recent
correspondence from the Ministry, it .was clear
the Ministry officials considered those 13 bed
closed.
"Give those rascals in Queen's Park an inch
and they'll take a blinking mile," said Dr. Ken
Lambert. "We warned you that is what could
happen."
"There's nothing -to stop you from putting a
bed in the hall," said Jim Britnell. "We may be
an 88 bed hospital, but we can have 101 beds in
use."
Administrator Elmer Taylor ;laid there are
three categories into which hospital beds fit. He
said Goderich hospital would have 101 rated
beds, 101 set up beds and 88 beds,under staff and
operations.
"For budget we're 88 beds," said Taylor.
"For maximum use, we're 101 beds."
DOCTOR WORRIED
Dr. Bruce Thomson said it was his feeling the
board had found. a "very dynamic solution" to a
difficult problem when it decided to establish a
minimal care unit. He said he wanted a "very
strongly worded protest" to go to the Ministry
in an. effort to clarify for certain whether
Goderich hospital really does still have 101 rated
beds. ,
"This board worked hard to save the money
yet save the beds, to be open in case of high
census," said Dr. Thomson.
Dr. Thomson called it a "narrow minded
viewpoint" and an "arbitrary, unreasonable
decision" to close 13 beds if in fact the Ministry
had closed 13 beds. He feared the beds might
actually be removed from the hospital and the'
space turned into some other use -offices, for
instance. __.• •
Dr. Thomson quoted from the Ontario
Hospital Digest, dated August 30: "Although
health costs are • rising, they are ,not out of
control and are in fact declining as a per-
centage of the Gross Provincial Product. This
strict control of health and hospital costs,
however, cannot continue without serious
deterioration of the kinds of service the people
of Ontario 'have come to expect. Hospitals
themselvesare taking steps to ensure that they
are making the best possible utilization of their
resources and facilities. They are changing
their patterns of practice and their methods of
operation to meet new social and economic
needs. But the potential for "shrinkage" of the
present system is limited."
He charged the Ministry may be trying to
play politics and show that hospital beds are
being closed in the province.
Dr. Thomson said there are "no major
problems at all" with the minimal care unit. He
said doctors and nurses and other hospital staff
were having some "shrinking" pains which
weren't really serious.
The main problem seems to surround the
timing of patient transfers from regular care to
minimal care, to coincide with' the need for
regular care beds for patients being admitted.
NURSING CONCERNS
The doctors also identified a concern for the
lack of part-time registered nurses in the event
of illness among staff members or in case of
specialized needs at the hospital. (e.g. - nurses
trained in obstetrics).
Letters to the Editor .
Grossman. urged to check complaintshints
Hon. Larry Grossman,
Minister,
Consumer & Commercial
Relations,
Dear Mr. Grossman:
I was encouraged,
somewhat, by your letter
of September 11 in which
you informed me about
meetings within your own
Ministry and with your
federal counterparts to
more effectively check
complaints of defects in
the Firestone 500 steel -
belted radial tires.
Just two, days prior to
your letter, the, Canadian
press reported that the
federal Transport
Department was now
inviting consumers to
notify them of any
complaints with the tires.
A copy of the CP article is
attached.
Any satisfaction which
I feel about .this limited
action is tempered by the
unnecessary delay since I
raised the matter in the
House on April 25th.
Three months elapsed
before your meeting with
Auburn news...
• from page 11
Chairman Frank Raithby
presiding.
The resignation of
Chairman Raithby,
retired after serving as a
board truestee since 1959
was announced. `It he
minutes and financial
statement were read by
the secretary treasurer,
Mrs. Robert Slater.
The trustees elected
were: Norman
McDowell, chairman;
Robert Arthur, Dennis
Penfound, Stanley Ball,
James Towe and Ernest
Durnin. The cemetery
registration dates June
26, 1859 and the first
names that appear then
are William and Jane
Ball, John Ball and Amos
Bradshaw.
Birthday plans
The September
meeting of the 125th
birthday party for
Auburn was held last
Wednesday evening in
the community memorial
hall with the president,
Fred Lawrence in the
chair. About 30 persons
attended.
The minutes were read
by the secretary Eleanor
Bradnock. She reported
that the invitation
committee will 'meet
early in October. Jim
Schneider gave the
financial statement.
Mrs. Allan Craig was
elected to order bumper
stickers and have them at
the next meeting. Don
Haines reported that a
masquerade dance is
planned for October 28
with the Cherry Brandy
Band at $8 per couple.
Mrs. Brian Hallam and
Mrs. Bill Robertson will
be in charge of tickets.
Only 75 will be sold and
this will include a hot
meal.
It was decided to have a
sanctioned tractor pull on
the Monday of . the
celebration next July.
Barry Millian presented
the budget for the
committees and a
discussion took ...place.
The next meeting to be
held on October 11 at 8
p.m.
Personals
Mrs. Anne Redmond of
Goderich and her sister
Mrs. Cliff Dodd of
Australia visited last
week one day with Mr.
and Mrs. Tom Johnston
and Miss Laura Philips.
Mr. and Mrs. T.C.
Robertson of Meaford
and Mr. and Mrs. Jack
McBriar of New `` Brun-
swick visited on Monday
with Mrs. Elva
Straughan.
-Mr. and Mrs. Neil
Hamilton and Mr. and
Mrs. David Campbell all
of New Westminster, B.C.
and Miss Jean Hamilton
of Oshawa were guests
last week of their sister,
Mrs. Arnold Craig and
Mra Craig.
Mrs. Lillian -Grant of
Wallaceburg and Mrs.
Elsie Eberts of
Hagersville spent a
couple of days with Mrs.
Myrtle Munro.
Mr. T.D. Anderson of
Oakville visited for a few
days last week with his
brother, Mr. Oliver
Anderson and Mrs.
Anderson.
We are sorry to report
that Mrs. Ed Davies is a
patient in University
hospital, London. We
wish her a speedy
recovery.
federal officials, even
though the U.S. gover-
nment's National High-
way Traffic Safety
Administration had been
securing information and
intensely investigating
the tires since last
February.
I'm concerned, too,
that in your letter to me
you make no mention of
any initiative on the part
of your Ministry to seek
out persons who have had
their tires blow out or
break down.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred
Youngblut of Woodstock
visited last weekend with
her sister Mrs. Wilfred
Sanderson and Mr.
Sanderson.
Several from this
district attended Western
Fair at London and also
the, Lucknow Fair last
Saturday.
About 20 ladies called
on Mrs. Lillian
Leatherland last Friday
on the occasion of her
birthday. A birthday cake
was served.
Mrs. Marie Mulligan of
Delta, - B.C. is visiting
With Mr. and Mrs. Tom
Johnston and Miss Laura
Philips this week.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph
Hamlyn of Lambeth
visited last Wednesday
with Mrs. Albert
McFarlane.
Mrs. Bonnie Armour
and Julie of Waterloo
spent a weekend with her
parents Mr. and Mrs.
Tom Jarden.
Why not, through
public announcements,
invite reports of failure of
the tires to your existing
Consumer Service
Bureaus in Hamilton,
London, Ottawa,
Peterborough, Sault Ste.
Marie, Sudbury, Thunder
Bay, Toronto and Win-
dsor. You have a network
of consumer bureaus
unparalleled by the
Federal Ministry of
Consumer and Corporate
Affairs.
Mr. Richard Spohn of
the Attorney General's
office in the State of N.J.
testified at the August 7th
and 8th U.S. hearing into
the Firestone Radial 500
tires that his office had
set up a four-day hot line
and had received 700 calls
of which 281 reported
blowouts. This is another
route which you well
might follow here.
I am enclosing com-
plaints from an ad-
ditional eight persons
who have informed me of
inexcusable failures of
the aforementioned tires
on their cars. That these
people should contact me
when press reporting of
my comments on the
issue was very limited,
indicates to me that there
are a multitude of people
out there who are having
tire problems, but feel
there is no real avenue
for getting satisfaction.
The U.S Transport
Department will be
making a decision shortly
on whether to order a
recall of those Firestone
tires in the U.S. It's
important that we have
sufficient evidence to
follow through with the
same action here it
warranted.
Through this letter, I
am therefore urging you
to be much more active in
encouraging and seeking
out the incidence of tire
failures and follow up on
the proposals which I am
making. You, as the
Minister of Consumer
and Commercial
Relations, have a
responsibility to assure
that products on the
market are safe and
initiating their recall if
they are not.
Yours truly,
Mel Swart, MPP
Welland - Thorold
Two more
grants
to Huron
Bob McKinley, MP for
Huron -Middlesex has
announced that in ad-
dition to the Canada
Works projects an-
nounced on September I,
two additional projects
have been approved.
The International
Plowing Match Com-
mittee of Huron County
has received a grant of
$11,790 to assist in the
clean-up after the
plowing match.
The Town and Country
Homemakers Home Help
of Huron County has been
awarded a grant of
$33,683.
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ome to us
rthe
gone
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So for -helpful personal
service, telephone or see one
of our loans officers. We'd
like to be of help.
YAL BANK
Administration Elmer Taylor, Assistant
Director of Nursing Joyce Shack and Dr. Ken
Lambert will meet to discuss this problem. If
nothing can be resolved that is satisfactory, a
joint conference committee meeting 'will be
called to thresh out a solution.
Also in the. terms of agreement was the
Ministry's desire to have a firm management
study the operations at the hospital for further
ways to cut costs.
Jim McCaul, chairman of finance, asked that
a letter be sent to the Ministry asking who will
pay for the services of a consultant team. It is
understood the initial investigation wouldn't
' cost anything, but in the event that some
changes were suggested, the expense to explain
ways and means to implement cost-saving
measures would be considerable.
Chairman Berry said there didn't seem to be
any hurry about appointing consultants. Dr.
Ken Lambert suggested the board wait to see
how finances look at the end of the current year
before interviewing consultants.
"It's political poppycock," said the doctor.
Dr. Thomson praised the board members for
the -terrific job that has been done to right the
finances at the hospital and claimed the
hospital was now on a course for sound
financial management.
"What 'we need is breathing space," said Dr.
Thomson.
PROVINCIAL
WATCHDOG
Another matter put before the board Monday
evening was the Ministry's letter asking board
members to suggest names of people in the
community who might serve on the board as
provincial representatives.
Chairman Jo Berry pointed out this would be
a regular voting member and said she was not
opposed to the appointment. '
"The county health .unit has a provincial
representative," she reminded the board.
"My only concern is where we would put
another member," said Mrs. Berry, glancing
around the table which was already shoulder to
shoulder with board members, backs to the
wall, some of whom had to sit at the corners of
the L-shaped table to make room for everyone.
"I find it strange that the Ministry wants to
put a watch dog on the committee and then asks
us who we want to watch us," quipped Jim
Britnell.
It was also suggested that the political
leanings of the candidates might have
something to do with whether or not the
Ministry would select certain people to act as
its representative.
"I think we all know how that works," said
Chairman Berry.
Once in a decade, •
Spring 1978.
Once A new car arrives to define. and redefine.
the sportscar tradition.
a great sportscar appears• The Mazda RX -7..A car offering truly out•
, standing sportscar performance.
Now it's the le RX-% Performance you cannotbuy in any other car
at its price.
Mazda RX -7:
The great sportscar tradition endures.
First Volvo and Now Mazda Tool
Volvo -Mazda
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