Pace S,.Whttby Fm Prosa, Wodnesday, jun. a. 1994 Now it's officiai:. rehab ruie poosed forý Whitby hospital VETERAN EARL ORMISTON salutes those who neyer came back at a memorial service Sunday at the cenotaph markinog the 5th anniversary of D- Day. The service was led by the Royal Canadian Legion (Whtby) Branch il12's new padre, James Tiller of Ail Saints'Anglican Church. Ph'oto by Mark Reesor, Whltby Free Pres Stiîdyprocess a FRM PAGE i a lot toe.xpect from people," he said. «It's net an engaging process." In a prepared statement hos- Cal chief executive efficer Ëliza- thBarton echoed Keaiey's cmmenta. UWe are shocked that aft.r a year and a haif cf study and wl over $250,000 (actually $366,000) spent on this repertit wouid b. released te the public bereft of any substantial infor- mation," said Barten. "It is our opinion that this report falis very short cf anti- cipated expectations,» she added. At iast week's press conference te announoe details cf the study, health council officiais stressed that the recommendations are net final. The public will b. given every opportunityr te comment on the report, saîd executive director Lynda Hessey. However, Hessey conceded that the council did receive criti- info session The long-terni care committee cf the DuhmRefon District Health Councii will held a public information session on Thursday afternoon, June 16 in Witby. T'le commnittee wiil provide an update on the planning process for longterni care services in the. re gen. uowil b. iieid from 1 te 3:30 p.m. at the. Legion hall, 117 Byron St.. S. For more information cail the committee at 433-4262. cism for the way in which the study was handled. «There was some concern th. public consultation process came toc late.» she said. Hessey later teid The Fre. Press theère was neyer any inten- tion te exciude the public. "W. heard fromn some people in Whitby and otiier places that tiiey would have liked it te b. sooner,» she said. "Maybe if w. wer. dom ngit again, it would have been zone differently.» Hessey said that if the on, public meeting schduled for Witby is not sufflicient, another could b. arranged, especiali since the. June 13 meeting fails on the same night as Whitby council. As for Town council's position on the proposed changes for Whitby General, Mayor Tom Edwards said council has not yet taken an officiai stand. «Despite strenuous efforts te have a meeting between council and the district iiealth council, we have not had the opportunity te discuss it," he said. Even iough he dees net agre. witii the study's recommenda- tiens, it was the proceas that concerned me (more)," said Edwards. H. recal.ed attending a meet- ing in February in whicii h. received informatien about the study. «I shared it with council and we tried te arrangre a meeting, but .very time we had one sche- duled it fell througii,» said Edwards. «The impression I got was that it was a done deal.» Edwards said his fears were put te rst by Ontario Health Minister Ruth Grier during hier- visit te, Whitby last week. "The minister said she under- stood the health counicil would issue a report for public discus- sion and nothing was final,» lie said. While he may net be "happy" with the proposai, Edwards wîli sup>port efforts te ebtain a rehia- bilîtation treatment centre for Whitby -- especiaiiy since Whitby General officiais faveur one, lh. noted. "I respect the men and women who work there. Fm sure they wouldn't su pport this action if they didn't think we need it," h.e sai d. However Edwards promised that hie wii fight te retain «some sort cf acute car. faciiity, in Whitby. At tMhe press cenference, steer- igcommittee chair Allan McPhail teid reporters the, pre- posais weuld likeiy b. inevitable, regardless cf the publiics feel- Economics will force the pro- vincial gov.rnment and/or hospi- tai administrators inte reor- ganizing services, McPhail clai- med. Durham Centre MPP Drum- mond White would net go that far, iowever. «IIt's net a provincial decision, but we weuldilike it te b. fin- ished,» said White. «It's important. for people te get eut te the meetings. I can't urge peopie strongly .nough te, particpate»he said. By Mike Kowolskl Whitby residents are being asked to give up their hospital to improve future health care ser- vices in Durhamn Region. A Iona-awaited study of Dur- ' ham's long-terni heaith care- needs is proposing a major reor- ganization of services now offered at the region'a six hOspi- tais. Although most hospitais wiID retain basic services, specialized care wiil be concentrated in Whitby, Ajax and Oshawa to better serve Durham's projected goulation of 640,000 by the year In Whitby's case, services ao- ciated with a generai hospital will no longer bïe offered at the 97-bed facilty on Gordon Sfreet. Instead, the 25-year-old Whitby General Hospital ýwil become a rehabilitation treat- ment centre serving al of tur- hani Region, the study suggqsts. Local residents requiring generai medicai care would b. treated at either Oshawa Generai Hospital or Ajax & Pick- ering Generai Hospital. q Details of the Durham Regilon District Heaith Council stùdy were released during a pi4ess conference at the council's Whitby office last Thursday. The 'discussion paper' wii forni the basis of a report to be delivered to the heaith council by, a speciai steering committee later this year. The committee's final recom- mendations wili be determined by the commente it receives from heaith care providers and the gneral public in response to the daft proposais. A series of public meetings wil be heid in Durham Region this month. Whitby residents will be able to offer their opinions of thei proposais on Monday, June 13, at S t. Matthew the Evangzeiist Catholic Schooi, 60 Wiliowbrok Dr.,beginning at 7 . As irt reportedf in The Free Press iast December, and confir- med by hospitai officiais in April, the most significant change con- cerns Whitby Generai. The hospital would provide speciaiized rehabilitation ser- vices to people recovering from surgery, trauma or ilinese. Whiie health counicil officiais stress that public input wili determnine the steering commit- tee's final report, they warn that Durham Region can no longer afl'ord the "status que.» With hospitai costs in Durham exceeding 200 million annualiy, the region couid very wel bs. a hospital 'without a redeployment of services, reporters were told. "If nothing's done there will b. a decrease in services," said Janet Ecker, a committee. mem-i ber from .jax. But if the study's findings are approved by the health ceuncil and ultimateiy the Ontario governmnent, Durham wiil not ônfly retam ail its'hospitalâ,bu provide more, Ecer said. <'We don't think the population wili b, well served by the status quo s he said. lF *we have to, we will fIght veryhardfor this.» Committee chair Allan McPhail was even more blunt. There wouid have been chansces to Durham's existing hospItais rejadless of the heaith council initiative, McPhaii pre- dîcted. "If we hadn't don, this study, it (changes) wouid have been don, by the Ministry of Heaith or economica and the . public would have even less say,» he said. McPhail, a former Brock Township mayor, conceded that. there is «always the possibiiity» of the provincial governmenit sheiving the study, should public outery become too loud to ignore. Concerns have aiready been expressed in Whitby by the.man- ner in which the study has'been conducted (see separate story) and -by organizations which raised money for expansion Of the exsigfalt-y. adis «Any evernment, ýrfrls of part - atst dollars wiseiy, said MPhair' "If you look at thigs objec- tiveiy, rationalization of health services means y ou gete a bigger bani for tih. buck." M-Pail noted that while Dur- bamn Region, for exampie, needs rehabilitation facilities in ail its communities, it cannot afford such car. in ail hospitais. "We don't have t he population to justify that,» he laid. B ut by using Dur, am's current (450,000) and projected (640,000) figures, the heaith council should be abie to convince the province te grant the funds necessary for a "centre of excellence for rehabi- litation," McPhail said. Whitby councilior Marcel Bruneile, the only .iected officiai on the 16-member health council, said Durham is trying te avoid the problems cf other Ontario communities.. He noted that in the Windsor area, the. local heaith council is considering a proposaI te close two hospitais. "I don't want te give the im- pression that an axe is hanging over Whitby's head," sai d Bruneile. "But without reorgani- zation, somebody was going to lose big time,» hie said. The health council, an advisory aency te the Minisr of Heaith, begt an ts r ve i of l ng~ haith ae eds n April 1993. Durham is on. of 30 heaith councils in Ontario currently stu- dyinq, the future roies cf their hospitals. Delays, including on. resuiting froni t he firing of its first con-, suiting t.am, foroed the cost cf the study beyond its original $277,000 budget. Plans catis for the study pro- posais te be forwarded te the government by the fail. Grier visits Whitby Ontario Minister cf Heaith Ruth Grier met with Whitby General Hospital officiais at the. hospitai on Wednesday last week. Her meeting with hospitai board members, medicai staff, administration and union repre- sentatives was closed te the miedia. Media were invited te attend a dedication c.remony in the. front lobby cf the hospital. Marc Keaiey the. hospital's vice president cf' community rela- tions and development, iiad sta- ted in a press release that the. meeting provided "an oppor- tunity for the. hospitai's leader- ship te ttell the minister first hand seme cf their concerns and issues about health car. in Whitby... <'W. aise want the public te know the importance cf donor recognition to, ths hospitai and the. impact donors have on a comuniy la-e like Whl'tby General Hespitai.» The dedication ceremony invol- ved the 'Tre. cf Life,' the hospi- tai's donor recognition system erected recently by a local artist. Grier aise teured Fairview Lodge Home for the Aged. _____ - --~ 1*lui 1 ___j