PAGE 16, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1987 'A MA TTER OF SUR VIVAL 'SA YS WHITB Y HOSPITAL CIAIRMAN WALLA CE Wante< Address by Bill Wallace to Whitby council members last week: Gentlemen: - Whitby General Hospital has -recently beeninformed by the past Minister of Health that there is no immediate inten- tion by the Province to approve further acute care beds in Durham Region. This, of course, would include Whitby General Hospital. We are here tonight on behalf of the Board of Governors to clearly indicate to you our strong and unalterable view that this community deserves and needs its own complement of health care services. This requirement is both in terms of ad- ditional acute care as well as chronic care beds. Just recently the former Minister of health allocated 36 chronic care beds to our hospital, bringing the total number of chronic beds to 68. We currently have 65 BILL WALLACE WHITBY POPULATION 75,000 65,000 55,000 45,000 35,000 25,000 15,000 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 HOSPITAL BEDS PER 1,000 of POPULATION 4.01 = acute care beds. Gentlemen, without the additional acute care beds requested and endorsed by the Durham Region District Health Council, the residents of our com- munity will continue to be obliged to go elsewhere, and in a greater percentage than now exists. Forty-three additional acute care beds were recommended by the Durham Region District Health Council to the for- mer Minister of Health. We believe this only responds to the short term needs of our community hospital. Our own studies have indicated that there should be an ad- ditional 65-75 acute care beds by the year 1991-92. The hospital was originally designed to go to eleven stories to accom- modate some 500 acute care beds. It is on a 14-acre site. As it takes four to five years for beds to actually be available for public use, it is imperative that a decision by the Ministry of Health to increase the number of additional acute care beds be made now. We have requested an immediate meeting with the new Minister of Health, the Honorable Elinor Caplan, to review our situation. Your support is needed. The dynamics of the growth that has oc- curred and will continue to occur in this community is impressive. This growth cannot be dismissed or ignored in any forum. We will demonstrate to you by the use of the graphs the significance of the problem. If you will look at the first chart you will see that in 1967 when the hospital opened, Whitby's population was in the neighborhood of 15,000. The original allot- ment by the Ministry prior to the opening was 100 beds for Whitby General, including obstetrics. The space for 100 beds was, in fact, built, in part, through the generous contributions of the residents and businesses of this Town. Ultimately, 65 acute care beds were approved to meet the needs of a community of that population and we did not get obstetrics. Gentlemen, the attached chart shows that today we are a community of ap- proximately 48,000. We still have only 65 acute care beds. In 1992 we will be a com- munity of 61,400. With no additional acute care beds, we will still have only 65 beds to serve the people of this community. The year 2001 indicates a population of some 75,000 people based on recent population projection figures released by the Region's planning department. The conclusion is obvious and even more devastating in our view. Today, Whitby General is only providing about 35 per cent of its population's acute care bed needs. Why? Because nearly 65 per cent of the people are being referred to other nearby hospitals. Why? We do not have enough beds to provide the essential health care services for our growing population. If we are unable to add acute care beds and associated facilities, people will obviously continue to be referred elsewhere in ever increasing numbers. If physicians continue to refer people to other hospitals, the ministry may refuse to consider our appeal for expansion. We are convinced that with additional beds, we will be able to attract more specialist physicians. The hospital's ability to provide new services will increase and our people will be referred to their own hospital. New medical practitioners are coming to Whitby every day to respond to our growing needs. They believe in Whitby and expect to be able to use our hospital. They cannot if the beds they require are not available. It is a "chicken and egg" situation or "catch 22," The chart will indicate to you that Whit- by's population is groWing and increasing at a phenomenal rate. 'If nothing happens between now and 19924,Whitby General will only be able.to provide acute care services for 25 per. cent of its residents, In the year 2001, only twelve short years away, the percentage that we can 6ervice at Whitby General will be reduced to 20 per cent of the p9pulation. Gentlemen, based on our understanding and advice, a community of the size of Whitby should have a hospital capable of providing services to 75 - 80 per cent of its resident population. Right now the area adjacent to the hospital in Port Whitby provides for up to 7,000 new residents. This includes the area east of Gordon Street. As you know, the planning department, in cooperation with the Province of Ontario, is also in the process of culminating a major develop- ment immediately adjacent to the hospital. This development alone will bring in an additional 7,500 new residents in the area west of Gordon Street. We un- derstand from the planning department that the conclusion of that study is expec- ted in the near future. This increase of over 14,000 people is a major factor sup- porting our project requirements. The next chart graphically shows our problem in terms of beds. The Ministry of Health's current guidelines for acute care beds is 3.5 beds per 1000 population. With our present population, we can only provide 1.4 beds per 1000 population. Growth being projected to the year 2001 will mean we will be able to provide less than 1 bed per 1000 people, if we do not receive approval for additional beds. The conclusion again is obvious. Why is the Province delaying our additional acute care beds? They are needed now. Markham/Stouffville residents historically received their acute care ser- vices at hospitals outside of their com- munity. The residents of that community decided unequivocally that they deserve their.own community hospital. The people, suppor.:ed by the council and supported by the medical commùnity, demanded ap- propriate hospital care facilities within their own community. They are going to get it. The construction process is curren- tly underway for their community hospital. Gentlemen, I am sure you will agree, Whitby deserves no less! We have been encouraged by personal and individual support received from the mayor and members of council in their various capacities. The Member of Parliament for Durham Centre, Mr. Allan Furlong, has also offered his assistance. The general hospita foundation board sup- port is also very important to us. We acknowledge also, in particulari regional councillor Tom Edwards and councillor Marcel Brunelle who are currently serving as members of the board of governors. Regional councillor Gerald Emm has'done everything within his purview as represen- tative of the Durham Region District Health Council to assist us. The mayor's initiative in corresponding with the Premier of Ontario and the Minister of Health is also acknowledged and ap- preciated. The active support of the general medical staff has been an impor- tant part of our process to date. Gentlemen, the board of governors is proud of the health services that it has been able to provide to our citizens under current restraints. This is a matter of sur- vival to our hospital as far as the board is concerned. We need the help of this council and the people of Whitby to eventually have a fuît service hospital including ob- stetrics. Thank you. 1970 1980 1987 1990 2001 Furlongpledges support Newly elected Durham Centre MPP Allan Furlong has vowed to support Whitby's effort to get 43 acute care beds for Whitby General Hospital. "We (Furlong's office) intend to see you are made aware of decisions and hopefully the end result will be the development as you want it," said Furlong, in- troducing himself to Whitby council last Tuesday night. In September, the Ministry of' Health allocated the hospital 36 chronic care beds but failed to ap- prove 43 acute, or short term, care beds the hospital had requested. "That announcement did not sit well with me. Whitby has a right to the same service as any municipality of its size., added Furlong. He told council his constituency office is to be located at 122 Dundas SEE PAGE 19 Support for expansion 3.0 2.0 1.0