PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 1978, WHITBY FREF PRESS ç~iwhitby Voice of the County Town Michael la The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and open SERVINO OVE R 28#,000 READERS(' an Burgess, PubIisher-Managing Editor <5Ltru uJ YAV IlIuYIIL'Olu 1'OIIntU)y reSiaentS. Community Editor Published every Wednesday Contribbting Editor Production Manager Print & Promotiona' by M.B.M. Publishingl Manager and Photography Ine. Classif ied Ad Manager Phojie 668-6111 Circulation M anager Mailing Permit The Free Press Building, Member 131 Blrock Street North, Better Business Bur P.O. Box 206. Whitby, ont. Whltby Chamber ci -Brion Winter -Jim Quaill -Marie Burgest -Robin Lyon' - S. van Deeler --Sharon Lydri it No. 460 ,of the: ireau of Toronto of Commnerce, Hearing aid program seeks readers' help Dear Sir: * Once -aga h, 1 want t *report t* your readers on the success -)f the Carib- bean Hcarir g Aid Pro- gram coordinated by the Ontario Ministry of *Education. During 1977, Dr. Donald Hood, Audiologist and Mrs. Hood, a Speech Therapist, visited St. Vincent in the West Indies where they did follow-up work on chilId- ren previously f itted with' hearing aids; conducted tests and f itted aids for other deaf children. At this fimre, 65 children have been f ltted with hearing aids donated to this program by Cana- dians f rom coast to coast. And, like al successful on-goihg and voluntary programnswe are again in Spring -Fa*rl coverage is app recite Dear -Mike: Your coverage and publicity about the Brooklin Spring Fair ws very much appreciated. Your columnist, Marie of the Brooklin Bylines and Community Editor, Brian Winter who covered the events deserve a special. vote of thanks. The Brooklin Sprlng Fair is directed by an 18 member volunteer board. If has been self sufficient for the last two years and no taxpayers' money has been required to sustain the programmes. the directors and varlous organizations worked very hard and their efforts made the Fair the success It was. ln closing, let me say, your newspaper is one of the best for community news in our area. Thank you again, Don Wick, Director, Brooklin Spring Fair Association Th anks for publicity Dear Sir: On behaif of the Whitby Historical Society, I wish to thank you for the wonderful publicity your paper gave us for the Ni aga ra-on-the- Lake bus trip. .Also the opening of the Museum at Lynde House- We thank you verY much. It was much need of discarded hearing alds. Anyone with a hearing aid, in any cond ition, is invited to support this small but productive ef- fort to help the deaf child- ren in St. Vincent. Hearing aids may be mailed to: Prolect Hearing Aids, Student Activities Branch Ministry of Education, Ontario, l9th Floor, Mowat Block, » Queený's' Park, Bayl Street, Toronto, Ont. MiA 1 L2 On behaif of the deaf children who have ai- ready benef itted f rom- this program, and those who have yet to en ioy the world of sound, 1 thank your readers for their warm response to my Itdn civte n previous appeal1s. Stuent al rctitieaflh. Don't forget our new location Sincerely, Ontario Ministry of 1 1- George J. Mason, Co-ordinator, Educat ion IHospital seeks heélp from busines-s to aid in.ne heahhcr rogram C ont'd from P. 1 The de-emph asizing of active treatment hospitals is necessary because of dramatie changes in public hcalth needs, said Mr. Turner. Infectious diseases have decreased, hc said, and degencrative1 diseases have become rela'tively more significant. The increase in the elderly portion of the population has increased the demand for chronic care services and has led to inappropriate use of active treatment hospitals, said Mr. Turner. Also, active treatment hospitals do not fit in with the modern urban lifestyle, where one out of five senior citizens lives alone and a growing number of young people leave home at an early age without establishing a household, he said. The alternatives, said Mr. Turner are more chronic and extended care facilities, group homes and home came, whicl* are 'less« intensive and expensive than active teatment hospitals. Mr. 'Turner also spoke of the greater emphasis being placed on day surgemy, "Iday hospitals", out-patient services and seif-care untis, wheme the patient and his farnily take more esp6nsibility for his care.0 "Institut ions like the Whitby Psychiatrie Hospital are playing an important role in this trnsition to less intensive care,'" said Mr. Turner. "For example, this hospital is now opeating on Outreach pogranusing volunteers to help patients re-intigrate into the community. It has taken some time Io do the preparatorý work for this program, but it now apj>ears to be on the move." 'Obviously out-patient teatmient ijs far less expensive than institutional care," said Mr. Turner. "But there's more than cost-savings behind this Outreach program. If the goal of our hcalth system is to return people to normal life--and believe me, that is the goal--we can only cal ourselves successful when the patient is reunited with family and fmiends, doing useful work and living autonomously." Mm. Turner spoke of the creation of District Ilealth Councils to help redimect the allocation of resources. Their job is to assess local requimements and resources so the two are more et ficiently related, he said. "The Durham District Health Council meets right heme in Whitby, and it is actively planning for this community's future health requiements," he said. "It promises to be quite a job because, in the 1980s, Whitby will expand at a rapid pace. Current plans caîl for an a(lditional 20,000 people, an increase of neamly 70 per cent." Mr. Turner also spoke of the need to change the role of the patient through a focus on prevention of illness, cncouragfing people to take a more active intcrest in their health and advising them on how t0 take care 0f themselves. This is being donc. he sa id, through the province's programs to encourage moderate use of alcohol and t0 discourage cigarette smoking. "In the next few years, we will also be emphasizing nutrition and exercise as perhaps the two înost, fundamental, effective and inexpensive ways to improve our health," said Mr. Turner. "6What is need'ed is a change in attitude which makes the paftient himself the first line of defence in our health system," he said. "The public has to becme less psychologically dependent on the system." Mm. Turner stmessed the importance of the business community and the Chamber of Commerce assisting the hospitals in providing better health came. He spoke of a, numbdm of companies that hve instituted fitness programs, and pointed out that they should not be considcred frilîs that only the lamgest can afford. "The key factor for success is to make sure senior management is invdlved 'in the program,' he said. "If the executives aren't willing to, work at it a little, the program will probably fade away through gencral apathy." "Participation of the business community is also crucial to the success of the Outreach progmam," said Mr. Turner. "In many cases we can't get people out of this institution and back into the community unless they have a job to go to,..We need your help, and youm ideas to find a place, for these people." Whitby Chamfber of Commerce President Gord Hanna; John Turner, assistant (o Health Minister Dennis Timbreli; and Whitby Psychiatrie Hospital Administrator Michael O'Keefe, discuss the role that the Chamber and the business community can play in Ontario's health care system. The Chamber of Commerce held for the first time, a meeting at thie hospital Monday, at which Mr. Turner outlined the provincial government's four-part health came strategy and asked for the support of the business communlty. Free Pre&s Phon 7NIAI.'DO F B 0 F CA/,'jt DfflAI, b/1ÊP35dGN-NV i1ý/ Ontario iqmmbý