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Whlby Free Press, Wednesday, Fobruary 15, 1995, page 35 JUST RUMOURS... No plans fior 24-Our service ByMIke Kowalski Whitby General Hospital will continue te limit its emergency dejartment heurs for the forsea- Rumeurs te, the contrary, Two are charge d after car chase Police arested twe suspet after chasing a car stelen froms the Whitby Go Train lot shortly after 9p.m. Sunday Officers pursued the vehicle, a 1994 Plymouth Sundanoe, from the lot over te Thickson Road, where it ran a stop eign before heading south te the 401. The chase >centinued wast- bound te Westney Rcad in jax, whare it rammed twe of thre cruisers which managed te box it in, causing sevaral theusand dol- lars damage. One Durhamn police officer was slightly hurt in the incident. A 20-year-old Charles Street Whitby man and an 18-year-olcl Toronto mani were arrosted and charged.. Assault charge A 43-year-old Chestnut Street man was charged with, beating uphis common-law wife after an incident Friday avening. A 'Police efincer spottad a mani beating up. a woman at John and Ash streets around 9:30 p.m. After invastigating, he arrestad a suspect and charged him with assault causing bodily harm. The 20-year-oid victim was treated for miner injuries. Brooklin FROM PAGE 18 HOE-DOWN IREMINDER This Saturday's the night for the hi g hoedown up Ashhurn way, on $25 for a night of stompin and eatin'. Phone 655-8865. RD TYME VALENTJNE'S DANCE On Friday, Feb. 17, 8 p.m., memibers of Broolin United Church will host a great way te clebrate Valentine's Day with a dance featuring music of the forties and fifties. Thora is ne serve up a délicieus pancake breakfast fer ail those who care te core between 9 and 10 am. Whitby General has ne intention of returning the emergenicy department te 24-heur service, hospital vice-president Marc Kealey told The Free Press. UAt this point, because of fund- ing restrictions, there are. ne pan lete open emergency services frm 1 p.xn. te 8 a.m.,» Kealey stressed. Kealey was responding te cern- monts frem Whitby councillor Shirley Scott that hospital offi- ciais are investigating the feasi- biiity of reinstituting 24-heur emergency service. Scott, Town council's represen- tative on the hespital board of directers, made her comment during a meeting last week het- ween council and the Save Our, General Hospital citizens' cern- mittea (sea story on page 1). "rm an optirnistic persen,» Scott teid the gathering. «I attended one hospital board meeting and I think they are working tewards 24-heur emer- gency service," she said. Kealey, 'Vice-president ef com- munity -relations and develop- ment, termed Scott's observation «speculation *on her part» and declined further comment. But he reiterated that finan- cial circumetances teday are ne different than when the decision was made last year te restrict emeregency department heurs. «It was bosting us in the neigh- bourhood cf $300,000 per year anud we were seeing on average one te three people per night,» said Kealoy. "We did a lot of research befere we reached the decision and we regret that we had te do it,» he said. «It was strictly from a financial standpoint and wa couldn't jus- tify taldng eut other pregrams.» Kealey aise refuted two more rumeurs which surfaced at the ceuncii-SOGH meeting. He denied that WhMitby General is seiling aquapment te other hospitals, perhaps in anti- cipation, of the proposed role change. "That is patently incorrect. We are net in the position of doing that. Kealey admitted that hospitais do purchase equipment frem other hospitals, 'that's standard practice,»y but he emphasized that «thèea'sne fire sale going on here.» As. for a suggestion that Whithy General lfimits the num- ber oY local doctors ailowed te have admitting privileges at the hospital, that tee, is incorrect, Kealey said. "When doctors are starting a practice they must apply for pri- vileges at t he hospital,» Kealey explained. 'It's werth his/her while te go te Whithy General Hospital and get an application fer admitting Privileres at the heepital.» If a local docter dees net have prvlgs thon it was that doc- tor's decisien net te, pursue it, Keaiey added. SO GH and Tow council unte FROM PAGE 1 who may ho asked te lend their support te the fight for acute care services. Although ha stressed that meet cf the proposais will r uire furthar council discussion, Mayor Tom Edwards said both ceunicil and SOGH share a common objective. , The future of this cornmunity lies in the retention eof an acute care hospital,» said Edwards. «We must persuade the people on that committee (heaith coun- cil) that they muet reject -the consultan's recommandation." SOGH ce-chair JoAnne Prout notad that while.thora were dif- ferences in the «officiaI» positions cf counicil and SOGH regarding the hospitai, the twe groupe are, striving for the same goal. «Ie how hast to achieve it,» she said. As Prout ex iained council was invited te C SO6H meet- inig in the hope of arriving at a joint plan of action. Both council and SOGH euh- mitted briefs last summner in response te a «discussion paper» released hby a epecial eteering committea of the health council. .Based on a consultant's stuýdy which *clainied it is tee expensive te mnaintain the statue que the discussion paper examiriec the future cf acute care services in Durham Region. One way te make more effi- cient use of the heaith care dollar is a restructuring of local services, such as cenvarting Whitby General inte a rahabili- tation centre, the study sugges- ted. Patiente recovering from sari- eus ilîness, surgary or trauma would ha treatedlin-the proposad centra, while services associated with a general hospital would ne longer ha offered in Whithy. Local rasidents in ne ed cf amergeny treatment or surger would go te expanded hospitl in Oshawa or Ajax, the study proposed... After receiving more than 100 submissions from acrose Durhanm in rasponse te, the discussion paper, the steering committea recently made its recommenda- tien te, the health council. The committee's report will «publiciy» ha accepted by the heaith council during its Feh. 22 meeting. (Health council chair Gerry Blake refused te tell The Free Press on Monday if the Original proposai for Whithy General stili stands.) While Edwards and Prout hoth noted the différences in the two group'e submiesions, those in attendance supported working tegether. (Town council's brief assen- tially calîs for rMention of acute care services. SOGH wants a return te -24-hour emergency ser- vice as part of its demand that Whitby General become a full- service, active treatment faci- ý:owever, Edwards cautioned that there are «some people in the comniunity who feel that changes must corne about if we are to retain a hospitai in Whitby. "They feel that if they don't make changes ... the hospital may disappear.» Proponents of a new role for Whitby General have to be per- suaded "that another approach must be taken,» Edwards said. Councillors Gerry Emm and Joe Drumm were among those advocating making the hospital's future an issue in the upcoming provincial election. Emm*noted that 31,000 people signed SOGH's petition which 'Future Of in retentz'onof was pesented in the Ontario leuis1ature last November. 'I think if the petition could ha updated, there will be more than 31,000-. EspeciaIly with a provin- cial election coring *up.» Drumm said the e1ection cern- paign is a perfect epportunity te Unail people te the wall» on the hospital issue. "Let thom know how you feel and find eut what they will do,» Drumm told the SQ H mem- bers. Prout roplied that Durham Centre Progressive Conservative candidate Jim Flaherty attended a recent SOGH meeting and pledgedhis support. M PP White and Liberai candi- date Ailan Furlong have aise been invited te future meetings, Prout said. "Our intention is te make this a politicai issue and keep it in the forefrent,» she promised. Drumm predicted that the fighit for acute care will be «uphili and rock>y from here on in" and urged that council and SOGH speak with "one veice. "Let there ha ne dissension here. Let's net have anyone corne eut of this meeting and ssfy 'I have a difference of opimion. While not objecting te making the hospital % political issue, councillor Denns Fox was skep- tical. «q den't have a lot of faith ini a provincial election, » said Fox. lets the bureaucrate ini the Ministry of Health the laat 25 years who hava continuaily oer- looked Whithy General, regard- lees of whether the government is Conservative, Liharal or NDP.» Ceuncillor Don Mitchell shared Fox's opinion that the- rehabili- tation centre proposaI was insti- gated by the ministry. «Part of the problemi is the regionalized approach taken by the province se that avar ypr shares in the pain," said Mit- chell. «Demographics show that this is a growth area but the steering committea has net quastioned that we should ha participating in the hitp» ha said. "If we close the hospital we'll just have te build another in 25 years.» Mitchell said that unlike cein- munities such as Windsor, Thun- der Bay and Trente6n which have seen th air hospitals close, Dur- ham Region is -an exception. «I can't imagine the data would ha anythîng but in our faveur.» SOGH niember Rick O'Shea, a hospitai werker and president of Local 3082 of the Canadien Union of Public Employees dis- agreed that Whithy GeneraI has traditienally been underfunded by the health.minisr. O'Shea said Whitby General has net fared any worsa than other hospitals but that peoýple. hava been given the wrong im- pression. «I'va heen thora since day one and- I've sean change after change ovar the years and I don't know whose fault it is, the hospi- tal board or whoever,» said O'Shea. "TMe board should ha accoun- table te, the people, the admninist- ration shoul>d ha accountable te, thepneeple» he said. «If they didn't manage their money rigýht, it's net the fault of the people of Whithy.» For example, part-tima wer- kers muet ha hrought in te, replace fuil-time staff foroed te, take.ungaid days off due te the province s social contract legiela- tien O'Shea said. «ý*here is the savige in that?» ha asked, while adding that whenever the union makes sug gestions on how te, eut coste «it usuaily gets vatoed.» Although Edwards indicated that a joint council-SOGH euh- mission te, the health council is likeiy feasihie, hie did net want te commit council te supporting al of the peinte raised at the meet- 'tut ceunciller Judi Longieid warned that time is of the essence. «We should ho prepared te get tegethar vary soon after fhe 22nd. We don't know how much time they will givo us,» she said. .In addition te submitting a common brief and seeking sur- port from MPPsl White and Mil es Town ceuncil will aise consider the following: * asking the hospitai board of directors to explore the feasihi- lity of reinstituting 24-heur exnergency service; * seeking support from Dur- ham Regien for a joint Town- SOGH brief if one is drafted; * raising the issue of hospitai funding at the annuai meeting of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario; * estabiishing «some form of link» between council and SOGH; * lobbying Durhamn Region to appoint a councillor te the heaith council. Counciller Marcel Brunelle had been the sole elected officiai on the 16-member health council but hie termi expired in Novem- ber. Wednesday night dart league LABATTS BLUE UGHT DIVIUON (mnn..) BanM us of F*b. S pys 1 78 54 54 sure &.hoeie Roys Enterprb. Garey Coppin Ser. 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