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10 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 1,1994 "Scugog"s Community Newspaper of Choice" Doctors take unpaid holiday From page 1 $150 million had to be cut from the health care system, or pay it back to the government," he said. The predicament for the doc- tors is they either reduce the health care costs by taking un- paid days off, by working for no fee or reducing the number of patients. This cost must be reduced by April 1 and Dr. Cohoon said they feel closing during the March Break will be the mostef- fective time. Statistics, according to Dr. Cohoon, show this period *o be the slowest in Port Periy. March Break is a time when ad- missions at the hospital are down, patient visits are down and many doctors take this time as their vacation each year. "When we knew we had to de- crease our availability to pa- tients, we chose the days that inconvenience the patients the least and have the least impact on the community." @ PARA PAINTS & COAVNINGS Dr. Stas agreed with Dr. Co- hoon regarding the closure of the offices during March Break saying it "should not make that much of a difference, as many doctors take their holidays at that time of year, and would not be available anyway." Doctors at Medical Associates want to stress their commit- ment and dedication to their pa- tients, adding the patients are the most important, but the cur- rent situation cannot be helped, and the doctors must comply with the Social Contract and cut the services provided to pa- tients. In Port Perry, the health care industry is the biggest industry in town, Dr. Cohoon noted. It employs the most people, and these people will be taking un- paid days off. As doctors we have an obligation to our pa- tients as well as our friends and our families." The unpaid holiday will ac- count for 10-15 per cent of the netincome of those involved. During this week (March 14- 19) the only medical care availa- ble to residents will be emergen- CENTRAL PAINT & WALLPAPER 295 Ritson Rd. S., Oshawa 434-3939 - WHAT TO LOOK!" FOR IN A PAINT Hiding Power Coverage Scrubbability TS Jao) ol STE: 1 2 1814% BAI _ T A . Lt. . 9. "Tee LL TF, : LET VERE SOE AE soak TOR DO MORE WORK - »/ ; 3 1, Va TMT eC ¥ A - A ' . i= AE EEE * 7 be - a fr a . * y . - ae Th BR 3S before you buy. with clutchless shuttle. See the best! na Ne ow id to serve you better Your tractor is one important tool. So take a look at the 66- to 112-hp PowerStar* tractors e Superior torque response from Genesis™ engines powers through your toughest jobs. ® Faster and easier shifting from 12x12 Dual- Power and 16x16 synchronized transmission e Hydraulic packages match the work you do. e Qutstanding operating comfort. MORROW FARM EQUIPMENT Over 45 years in the business < FORD NEW HOLLAND e Versatile Zz» Nid SUNDERLAND (; J : FORD --_---- (105) 357-3121 cy service, which the doctors are socially, and legally, obligated tocontinue. Those with health emergen- cies will be looked after, he said. Routine visits, prescription refills, booked investigations and elective surgery will not be available. The Urgent Care Clinic will also be closed. As far as Community Meme rial Hospital in Port Perry is concerned, there will be no change in service. "From my point of view it will be business as usual," said hos- pital administrator . Dave Brown. "We will not be reducing any programs or sevices," he said. Mr. Brown told the Star the emergency services department will be staffed as usual, with doctors on call at all times. He said he expects the depart- ment to be somewhat busier but hopes" residents will use their discretion" when deciding if their needs require immediate care, or whether it is a routine visit, to avoid such things as prescription renewals. These matters can be looked after the following week when Medical Associates re-opens. Dr. Cohoon also stressed that patients should only go to the hospital foremergencies. "Elective procedures, diag- nostics, colds and flus are really not appropriate trips to emer- gency when we are trying to cut health care costs." While Dr. Cohoon said he agrees there are needs for cost control while still providing quality medical care, this clo- sure will not work if the emer- gency departmentisover run. "If everyone runs to the hospi- tal it won't work, as the same procedures cost more there," he said. WILLIAM §. NURSE President Nurse Chevrolet , Geo, Oldsmobile, Cadillac The "Dealer of Excellence Award' was presented by Maclean's Magazine to William Nurse for the greater Toronto area serviced by the Toronto Automobile Dealer Association. This award is for proficiency in business and community service. The award was presented at the opening- of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto on February 17, 1994. Literacy Week promotes help is available for those unable to read or write By Kelly Lown Port Perry Star Help is available for those Scugog Township residents who want to learn how to read. February 26 through March 5 is Family Literacy Week. Dur- ing this week the focus will be the illiteracy problem in Dur- ham Region and promoting reading within the family unit. As a volunteer organization, the Literacy Council of Durham Region's goal is to address the problem that one in four Cana- dian adults is functionally illit- erate. The organization recruits and trains adult volunteers to be- come tutors, supporting them by means of additional training, newsletters and personal con- 'tact. There are 219 tutors in the organization, butare constantly seeking more. Literacy problems existin our own backyard and the organiza- tion wants to reach those people during this week. Students are assessed and placed in a program, according to their needs. The tutoring is free, confidential and one-on- one. Students are encouraged to set their own goals and help tu- tors develop a personalized cur- riculum that enables thers to work towards these goals. The tutor acts as a guide to learning, giving the student the tools, experiences and materi- als necessary for their own learning. Tutors will employ a variety of teaching techniques such as language experience, journal writing, literacy life skills, dic- tionary skills, spelling exercise and learning strategies. When a student contacts the council their needs are assessed and a match is made with a suit- abledonor. Students ana tutors meet once a week, for oie to two hours at a mutually convenient time ata neutral location. A function- ally illiterate person is a person whose low reading skill level does not permit him to perform simple daily tasks such as bank- ing, grocery shopping, looking up a number in the telephone book or reading a prescription label independently. Seventy-five per cent of illit- erate Canadians are Canadian born and 40 per cent are under the age of 45. Problems are almost always a result of difficulties in the early school years, prior to Grade 4, according to the council. Many students fall through the cracks because of the high mobility of our society and the fact the school curricula is not standarized from school board to school board; child immaturi- ty, compounded by a lack of pa- rental involvement; intellectual limitations; teachers are over- burdened by large classrooms and integrated special needs; generational illiteracy; undiag- nosed visual or hearing impair- ment; trauma, lengthy illness, death of a close loved one or a parents' divorce. The Literacy Council realizes it takes a great deal of courage for someone to admit they have a problem, and because they are constantly dependent on others to help them with basic life skills, most illiterate adults have very low self-esteem and feel they cannotlearn or are stu- pid. In reality the council said they are quite capable. They have spent a lifetime fooling co- workers, friends and family which takes imagination, mem- ory and coping skills. In some cases the bleak fu- ture of dead-end low-paying jobs, frequent unemployment, and utter dependence on others causes anger, frustration, and hopelessness. In the jail system studies re- veal the reading level of the av- erage inmate is at Grade 2. The Literacy Council is fund- ed primarily through research grants through the Ministry of Education as well as from dona- tions. The society relies on its volunteers to track their hours and report them, to allow do- nors to see what kind of a re- source of valuable time, skill and talent they provide. BROOKLIN VETERINARY HOSPITAL Winchester 7 Thickson Rd., Brooklin 655- 3336 and PORT PERRY VETERINARY SERVICES 1816 Scugog St., Hwy. 7A, Port Perry 985-7941 or 985-7091, fax 985-1206 ! welcomes DR. PETER HOOGERS to their small animal practice is pleased to announce the opening of Physiotherapy Associates of Port Perry 462 Paxton Avenue (Medical Associates Building) Port Perry, Ont. (905) 985-8363 We provide services to people with: spinal injuries, post-fracture rehabilitation, sports injuries, work related injuries KAREN COXON Bscrr)Mm.cra) is a ---- aise SAR oe a