PAGE 18, WEtESDAY, JANUARY 17,1979, WHITBYFREE PRESS Geratrics and mental health are discussed by health council A special meeting of the Durham Region District Health Council was held in Whitby last Thursday, Jan. 4. At the meeting which replaced the regular December meeting origin- ally scheduled- during the holiday season, reports were made to the Council by its Executive Committee, Mental Health Task Force and Long Term Caref Geriatrics Task Force. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chairman Henry S. Polak reported that since the last meeting, held in late November, he had attended meetings with the Minister of Health in Toronto and, with other members of the Executive Committee, had called a joint meeting with the Ontario County Medical Society. At -the meeting with the Minister, Mr. Timbrell announced that the Province would be moving quickly to reduce the number of active treatment beds from the present 4.0/1000 referral population in Southern Ontario to 3.5f,1000 referral population - a reduction of 12.5 per cent. Subsequently, a meeting of hospital administrators and board chairmen was convened by health council staff to hear from Ministry officials on the effect this reduction would have in Durham Region. Although final decisions have not yet been made on bed allocations for thesix publf hospitals in the Region, the formula used by tife Province was discussed at length and some indica- tion given on the number of beds each hospital should have. It was noted that as the Region has been growing relative to other areas in the Province and with adjust- ments being made to reflect the 1976 Census data, there should be no net effect on the number of active beds in 1979 over approved 1978 levels. It is expected that further information will .be made availablefollowing another meeting with the Minister to be held on January 19 in SINCE 1917 THE BAY HAS NOT ABSORBED US YET!1 Murray Johnston's Men's Wear at 8 Simcoe Street N. in Downtown Oshawa still maintains its identity. And our wonderful 2 YEARLY SALE of the finest Men's Wear is now in progress. Quality and Service still identifies Murray Johnston's as the nicestplace to shop and save in Oshawa. VurrayJolnstofn °Zmited 8 SIMCOE STREET NORTH 725-4511 DOWNTOWN OSHAWA SQUARE SPEND 15 MINUTES WITH US TOMORROW AND FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN DURHAMI Toronto. The meeting with the Executive of the Ontario County Medical Society had, said Mr. Polak, given the Council's Executive Committee an indication of how best the District Health Council could relate to the medical profession in the Region through some formal committee structure. Futther discussion on this issue is to be held at the next meeting. MENTAL -EAL"H TASK FORCE Barbara Black, Chairman of this committee, requested Councils support on resolu- tions passed at the commit- tee's December 20, 1978 meeting. Following discus- sion it was agreed that the District Health Council would endorse a new pro- gram proposal from Mental Health Durham, called Parents, Friends and Relatives. It was also agreed that a letter be sent to the new Chairman of the Region's Social Services Committee, Councillor John DeHart, outlining the work of the Mental Health Task Force in the area of Childrens Services. A third resolution requesting Council's support on ques- tionning the Ministry's (of new Mental Health Programs was turned down, It was agreed that a very strong letter to the Ministry be drafted outlining the Council's concern over the Ministry's desire to have District Health Councils set priorities on new programs and indeed encourage sub- missions when in fact there is no money to fund the programs. The Executive Committee was instructed to draft this letter for Council's approval at the next meeting. LONG TERM CARE/ GERIATRICS TASK FORCE Chairman Howard Hall, from Port Perry, reported on his committee's activities since its inception last August. The committee which iracludes health care and social services professionals as well as consumers and clients of the system had, he said, met regularly over the past five months and had agreed on what it had to do to plan for Long Term Care, especially for the elderly. The results of these discussions had produced a proposal to not only study the systems existing programs and resource availability, but to focus on the actual "needs" nf the lderlv and chrnni- cally ill with emphasis being placed on the resources required now and in the future to help the elderly stay in their own homes. "The sixty plus population is estimated at 25,000 today" said Mr. Hall, "by 1988, just ten years away the estimate is 41;000 and by 1998 it will have doubled." "It is well known" he continued "that the elderly use approx- mately thirty percent of the active treatment bed-days in hospitals throughout the province - it does not take much to work out the implications. of a doubling in population of elderly in twenty years on our institutional system - unless alternatives are developed." Followng his remarks, Mr. Hall requested Council's support of the proposal which includes two intensive surveys - one of seniors living in their homes and the other of the elderly and ill living in nursing homes, Homes for the Aged and other long term care facili- ties. The surveys, which will run f-om April through September of this year, will involve interviewing over one thousand elderly and chronically ill throughout the Region. -Detailed question- naires to be used for. the survey were reviewed by Council members followed by which the Council agreed to support the study proposal and seek approvail from the Ministry. "If the MInistry approves the proposal the Council will move ahead in developing its much· needed data-,base", said Mr. Hall. "We need to know whether the Regioinwill n.ed more beds or more coinmunity based services or both inthe Region and when so that we can plan to meet those needs as they arise." The Council meeting adjourned at about 10 p.m. The next meeting will be held at the regular time, the fourth Thursday of each month, January 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council's office in Whitby. Further information can be obtained by calling the Council office at 668-6214. Parkette proposed for vacant downtown corner Town Council Is esMor- ing a request from AI Kirby, chairman of the board of management for the Whitby Central Business District Improvement are for pur- chase of park land in the downtown area. The property in question is p vacant lot at the south east corner of Byron and Mary Streets, presently being rented as a parking lot by Bell Taxi. Mr. Kirby said the pro- perty would- make a good parkette for the Town of Whitby. The site has been vacant for 23 years. The council is expected to look into the matter at a future meeting. B B M NOON, EVENINGS NIGHT REPORTS 12:20, 6 P.M. & Il P.M. Weather, Sports and News 1 1 ,ai 1 ý