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Thursday, February 5, 2015 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 3Portrait Painted by Laurie McGaw John Richard Glass • June 14, 1944 - January 24, 2015 • Being in business for more than 30 years has given me the opportunity to meet so many special people, many of whom have become my best friends. This past week, I lost one, and his loss will be felt for a long time. John had an infectious personality. He drew you into conversations whether you wanted to or not. He had a heart of gold and loved his family like no other. Those of us at Hassell's and myself will truly miss him. Goodbye John. NEWS By Eamonn Maher emaher@theifp.ca By Eamonn Maher emaher@theifp.ca After making the semifinals of two competi- tions last year as rookies, members of George- town District High School's Rebel Robotics Team 4976 are confident they can do even bet- ter the second time around. The team, consisting of about 30 students and several adult mentors, has entered the 2015 FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) Robotics Competition, which is open to schools across North America. They attended the FRC Kick-Off in Milton in early January to receive their challenge, a waste-management theme called Recycle Rush, and have until mid-February to com- plete their robot, which will then be packaged up and sealed for competitions in Windsor in March and April. "We were new to it last year and basically learning everything on our own, but now we've got a lot of experience to work with," said Grade 12 student and team captain David Perna. "There's a bunch of litter tote boxes that simulate garbage and we have to organize this in a landfill and storing platforms, so the goal is to pick up all these containers and bins and you get more points based on how you stack them." The GDHS Robotics Team is run through the Gary Allan technical program's as a cred- ited night school course for Grade 11-12 stu- dents, with those in Grades 9 & 10 welcome to join as well. The students meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-9 p.m. and all day Saturday. Last year, the class sold cell phone cases to generate funds and this time around they held a bottle drive. The provincial government announced a new initiative Thursday that promises to deliver bet- ter health care to the five per cent of patients with the most-pressing needs in Halton Hills. At a press conference held at Georgetown Hospital, Halton MPP Indira Naidoo-Harris introduced Halton Hills Health Link, which will offer patients better care through individual plans and co-ordinated support from a tightly knit team of providers that include doctors, nurses, specialists, hospitals, home care, long- term care and community agencies. "These new initiatives will make it easier for seniors and patients with complex conditions to get the care they need," said Naidoo-Harris. "Health providers in Halton Hills are work- ing together to improve patient outcomes for those who need care the most." These providers are bound together to de- velop solutions for the specific needs for each of the highest-need patients, who often suffer from multiple, complex conditions and ac- count for two-thirds of Ontario's health care dollars. "The Halton Hills Family Health team is proud and honoured to be a co-lead for the Halton Hills Health Link -- an innovative, col- laborative solution to the health and social needs of the most complex patients in our com- munity," said Dr. Kiran Cherla of the HHFHT. "With the support of multiple agencies and associations within the community, and in par- ticular, our co-lead partner Links2Care, we are excited to be engaged in the process of bringing additional resources to help the community of Halton Hills with care co-ordination." Providing better care for seniors and pa- tients with complex conditions supports On- tario's Action Plan for Health Care. It is also part of the Ontario government's four-part eco- nomic plan to build Ontario up by investing in people's talent and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where busi- ness thrives and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire. Town of Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette also spoke at the press conference and point- ed out that the current percentage of seniors among the municipality's population runs at about 11-12 per cent, with that figure expected to double in the next few years. GDHS robotics team is aiming for FIRST Posing with the robot they used last year, members of the leadership team for Georgetown District High School's Rebel Robotics team have been hard at work designing the model that will hopefully send them on to the First Robotics Competition World Championships in St. Louis Mo. in the spring. Clockwise, from left, are design captain Simon Ardron, lead driver Matt Hopson, programming captain Michael Midura, team captain David Perna and safety captain Rory Stewart. Photo by Eamonn Maher Halton Hills Health Link to aid complex, highest need patients Continued on page 9 From left, Halton Healthcare Services President & CEO Denise Hardenne, Links2Care CEO Kate Power, Town of Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnet, Halton MPP Indira Naidoo-Harris, Dr. Kiran Cherla of the Halton Hills Family Health Team and Local Health Integration Network Board Chair Graeme Goebelle all spoke at a press conference Thursday at Georgetown Hospital and introduced a new initiative to provide more efficient and personalized care for those in the community who need it most. Photo by Eamonn Maher