Whitby Froe Pre, Wednosday, January 18,1995, Page 9 Hosp i*tal acûute care, report exp ected *soon By Mike Kowall Whitby residents are tting dloser to learning the fate ofl their hospital. A special committee of the Durham Region District Health Council 18 soon expected te sub- mit its final report on the future of Whitby General Hospital. Depending on whether the health couneil adopts the com- mittee's recommendation, the report could be the second step in a. radicallç revamped role for the 26-year-old hosital. 1I understand itps almost fin- ished," council chair Gerry Blake said Friday. "I believe it's just a matter of dotting the i's and crossing the t's,»"he said. Although' Blake anticipates that the report will be presented to, council shortly he does not expect council te cleal with it at its Jan. 25 meeting. "It will come te, council in the near future, but it won't be on the agenda until Feb. 22," he said. «That's our understanding of the proceies.» Last May, the steering com- mittee released a 'discussion pper' on the future of acute care health services in Durham Se pr asbasdnn. consultant's report which recom- mends converting Whîtby General inte a rehabilition treatment centre -serving the entire region. Patients recovering from seri- Battie begins Durham, Metro Toronto, York and Peel police officers and civi- lians will again shed pounds and raise money for cheriy iithe annual Battie of the Badges. The cernpaign, i n which offi- ceIýsCr;ù heforoes ècomnpete'to, lose weight, raises funds for the Sunshine Foundation of Canada. The battle began this morning (Wpcnesday). Document ,Shredding + High volume equipment wiII reduce your shredding cost + Secure locked containers at no extra cost, + Bonded drivers +*100% of paper is recycled *.Certif icate of destruction *Volume discounts available year-end, clean-outs CAIL NOf (905) 427-3605 (Derrick) WASTE SYSTEMS ous illness, surgery or trauma would be treated- in the proposed centre, the study says. Services associated with a g:n alhos'pitlwould no longer Whrrrd n itby. Residents in need of emer- gency services or surgery would travel to, expanded hospitals in Oshawa or ANjax, the study sug- gests. A Whitby resident himself, Blake became counicil chair in December following the resigna- tion of Dr. Amy Gldwater,' an Ajax psychiatrist who stepped down for family and business reasons. A superintendent with the Durhami separate school board, Blake has "no indication" of what the committee will recommend. «A lot of people are anxious te know its content and so arn I," he said. Release of the discussion paper last May caused concern in many parts of Durham Region, but none moreso than inWhty A citizens' committee opposed to the loss of acute care services at Whitby General was formed, while a nuxnber of service clubs,- organizations and businesses als regstered their opposition. TeS ave Our General Hospi- tal (SOGH) committee collected 30,000 naines on a petition whÈich demanded that Whitby General remain an active treat- ment, full-service hospital. Mh ptition was presented in the Ontario legislature in .November by Whitby MPPs Drummond, Whitel (Durham Centre) and Gord Milîs (Durhazn East).1 SOGH co-chair JoAnne Prout also intends te present a copy of the petition to the health councîl at next week's meeting. .Although critics dlaim the' rehabilitation centre proposa was instigated by Queen's Park and is a foregone. conclusion ministry, bureaucrat s ancf governrnent politiciens reject this accusation. Health Minister Ruth Grier insiste an y decision on Whitby General Hospital will be made locally A 16-member, publicly-funded body ap ,ointed by the province, hea th council advises the ministry on local issues. The health council, in turn, selected the 15 steering commit- tee members based on provincial critefia which stipulated the committee's makeup. Past Whitby General Hospital board chair Ed Buffett and Ash- burn resident Jean Achmatowicz are members of the steering com- mittee which is chaired by for- mer Brock Township mayor Allan McPhail. 4 LITRES NATURAL C11DER 1 LOAF WHITE OR WHOLE WHEAT BREAD FRZEE WITH THIS AD & MINIMUM $1 0.00 PURCHASE Expires Jan. 30/1 995 APPLE MARKET 442 Tickson Rd. N, The Ail-Star Investment.Conference January 28, 1995 'Corn'e join us and'learn from some of, the top money managers in the Mutual Fund -industry on how ta invest your money in today's investmnent climate. 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