PAGE 16. WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1988 Lung Association shopping trip As a part of its Christmas Seal fundraising, Durham Region Lung Association is organizing a Christmas shopping trip to a toy outlet in Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 19. Ten per cent of all sales on that day will be donated to the Lung Association by participating toy companies. A wide variety of brand name toys, games, watch- es, radios and small electrical items will be available at 50 to 70 per cent savings over current re- tail prices. Roun trip transportation to the outlet will be by bus ($5 per person) leaving from the Oshawa Centre at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. Bus tickets must be pur- chased in advance, as seating is limited. For more information, contact the Lung Association at 436-1046. 'Long way to go' with programs, says deputy health minister By Debbie Luchuk No one is immune to mental health disease, said Deputy Health Minister Dr. Martin Barkin at the recent annual meeting of the community advisory board of Whitby PsychiatricHospital. Barkin said that he had a personal attachment to the hospital, as he had had a son there at one time for treatment. He spoke on the province-wide "reform and renewal" process, a progressive plan of reforming and renovating existing health facili- ties and services and extending services into the community from institutions. "We have now become the largest per capita spender in the world on health care," he said. He added that, despite such spending, Canada has the young- est population in the world and operates with "unrealistic ex- pense.' The health budget currently 0 kg accounts for one-third of the total CAME mut provincial budget, he said. "Where should the. govern- ment's money be spent? (If we continue to spend this way), we could cut into some other area," Barkin said. Most of health care expense is incurred by chronic care. "Chronicity has become a new dimension in our health system," Barkin said. He congratulated Whitby Psychiatric for its initiative in developing avant garde mental health programs in the past, and commended them as an example to the other provincial mental institutions. However, "we agree that there is still a long way to go" with community programs, even tho- ugh Barkin said that there are currently 320 community support programs for out and discharged mental hospital patients. Hospital administrator Ronald Ballantyne told the group that $1.4 million has been approved for operating funds for commun- ity mental health programs in the area served by he hospital. As part of the ongoing redevelopment process, the hos- pital now has a computerized management information system and a new telephone system. ONLV WHILE 0 Renovations of the steam WERESERVET heating system are ongoing and HOURS: Monc further studies into the needs of the hospital are continuing. "There are many excellent opportunities before us to develop a first class, integrated system of mental health care in the Whitby catchment area. We must accept the challenge presented to us by the hospital redevelopment plan and the community care compon- ent and take.full advantage of the SAE PE sU DAYS .1