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Serves Terrace Bay, Schreiber, Rossport ^^ Plans for Hospital Discussed at Meeting Bv INEZ McCUAIG McCausland Hospital board of Terrace Bay, held a meeting in Schreiber high school to familiarize the public with proposed plans for the hospital, since it has changed from private to public. On the platform were Dr. Adey, Frank Anderson, Don Be-no, Ray Cook, John Ferrier, Victor Mazzone, Dr. McCausland, Thor Olson, Mrs. Dorothy Rummery and Mrs. Rena McAdams (replacing Mrs. Pat Buck). Mr. Ferrier's remarks began with the history of the hospital, built in 1951, three years after the mill opened. Between 1948 and 1951 Dr. McCausland had operated in the construction camp or anywhere he could find a table. The hospital was built by Kim-berly-Clark at a cost of $185,000 to serve this area but more specifically, Terrace Bay, with highest priority given to accidents occurring in the mill. By good luck and good management, or combination of 'both, there have not been too many serious accidents, but the hospital has filled an extremely important need for the towns of Terrace Bay, Schreiber and Rossport. Kimberly - Clark bore the whole cost of operating the unit, until three or four years ago when hospital insurance came into effect. Between the years 1951 and 1969 it cost the company $175,000 to run and maintain the hospital -- no auxiliaries or other association connected with it. In the Fall of 1968 the hospital was visited by an inspection team from the College of Physicians and Surgeons together with a hospital administrator, whose purpose was to look over facilities and make recommendations. The committee recommended that thought should be given to changing from private to public status so that grants could be applied to badly - needed renovations and or extensions, to keep the hospital modern. About this time representatives from various government departments in Toronto began paying visits, one from the fire marshal's office, He reported that while fire prevention and control was good in the hospital, certain features of the structure were not acceptable to today's requirements; this he reported to Dept. of Health, and the hospital was faced with an expenditure of something over $1,000.00 to bring a 20 - year - old building up to acceptable fire standards. About this time, Dr. Adey came to the staff, relating his experiences in other hospitals -- Atikokan, Geraldton -- where they changed to public hospitals. Dr. Adey was very enthusiastic about it happening in Terrace Bay. After many meetings the decision to convert to public ownership became legal in March 1971, with a provisional board, which, in March of this year, will become an elected Board. The provisional board accomplished a great deal, proving that a board formed of people of both Schreiber and Terrace Bay can work together. It has es-tablisjied contacts with experts from the Hospital Commission a:ji the Hospital Association; the Hospital Services Commission is a government commission which up until now has been in complete control of hospital services in Canada. The comprehensive set of by-*aws prepared will be placed on public view in both towns and town folk will be asked to endorse them at the first annual shareholders' meeting in Terrace Bay March 15. We have been fortunate in securing an able and experienced administrator -- Victor Mazzone, who started immediately preparing the 1972 budget, which is about to be presented to the Commission. It has oeen decided the extent of property required in the future and it has been claimed in the name of McCausland Hospital. The land has been surveyed and registered. The deed turns over the hospital to the people of Terrace Bay and Schreiber at no charge. On March 15 this deed will be presented to the newly - elected Board. When will expansion start? Hie answer is the hospital may or may not expand, it least not in same sense as Marathon did, but improved phases of the operation are planned -- facilities at the hospital, the medical and nursing services, and other areas which need up - dating. This will cost money. The Government grant structure will be explained in brief outline but no matter how it's cut area residents will be responsible for finding some money, approximately one - sixth of the total capital amount required. In towns of our size it is virtually impossible to raise the amounts required by private subscription even with generous donations from firms in the area. It is in this area that the Board appeals to people to strongly support the application Cor grants by becoming members of the Corporation. We now have an excellent base upon which to build a strong health facility in this area of Rossport, Schreiber, and Terrace Bay. Dr. Adey, president of the Medical Staff, spoke on existing facilities and improvement which are being discussed. Don Bene used the homely comparison of a hospital to insurance -- we seldom think of either until the moment they are needed! It costs, Mr. Beno stated, about $18,000 per month to operate the hospital. OHSC pays for the administration, operating and maintenance cost, but does not pay equipment capital expenditures. We are required to supply the funds for new equipment, repaid to the Board by means of annual depreciation. And at this time the Board's only means of accumulating cash for capital expenditues is through the differential rate between the ward and private rooms. Financing of a building program would be borne the following way: Federal - Provincial g r ant, two - thirds; Northern Ontario grant, one - sixth; area served, one - sixth. We have been given to understand that hospital construction costs are from $35,000 to $50,000 per bed. Mr. Beno suggested the importance of forming an auxiliary to support the hospital and urged every person in the community to become a member of McCausland Hospital Corporation-- the cost a very nominal fee-- and, as a member attend the annual meeting March 15. Mr. Mazzone spoke briefly outlining his training and experience and others on the platform also described their interest to being on the Hospital Board. The meeting closed with a question and answer period. Councillor R. B. Spadoni spoke on behalf of town council and E. G. Caccamo for the townspeople in appreciation of the hospital's services. A POOR SERVICE There have been several complaints about the way the mail has been handled, but nothing seems to be done about it. One wonders what has to be done before Government action is taken. Letters from this house-hold have taken as much as sit days just to go to the PA ward six miles away -- a mile a day* And several old age pensioners have not received theif pension cheques for February, in my mother's case we have phoned the post office in Fort William several times but have been told the cheques have been coming in different batches on different days. We have also written to the pension office in Toronto, as they are issued from there: written and phoned our local MPs, phoned the local office in PA. At the time of this letter two weeks have gone by and we have yet to hear from the pension office. And while we are waiting for these people to wake ut>, what are these old age pensioners going to live on? What must the old people do, riot? Perhaps the Government is waiting for them to go on a rampage and burn the Government buildings down, throw bricks at the policemen and yell "Kill the pigs," before they will move off their comfortable chairs. Weslev Rogers, 1315 Stanley Ave. MONDAY, MARCH 20, 1972 ~ PAGE FOUR Man Moves Too Slowly Correcting Bad Habits Man is dragging his feet in coming to a realization that destruction of nature can eventually mean the tad of his own species- Scientists continue to warn that in the absence of a radical change in thinking there is a question of whether enough time remains even now for remedial actions to become effective. Individual national programs of conservation and pollution control are making some headway, depending on the progress of civilization in the countries and the consequent urgency of the programs to correct its ravagers. But international co-operation --real efforts to meet common problems of conservation--is still lacking. There are a few encouraging examples in recent weeks. A 12-nation conference in London adopted a convention which it is predicted will save the Antarctic seal from being hunted to extinction. And another group of 12 nations ended a conference in London with an agreement to prevent the dumping of poisonous wastes in the North Atlantic. Canada, unfortunately, was not a participant in either of these conferences and so is not part of the resulting conventions. Any country which wishes to do so may join the convention on the Antarctic seel, and Canada should add its moral power to this effort by signing. i The reason for our not taking part in the convention against dumping in the North Atlantic was merely that we were not invited. Perhaps a little Canadian initiative is the answer here. A third international conservation project is still in the pious hope stage. It is the recommendation by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for a world-wide campaign to clean up the oceans and save the food reserves of the world's fisheries. The FAO warned that "time is not on our side." A Canadian, Henry A. Regier of the University of Toronto, took part in the FAO study which concluded that techniques already exist for cleaning up the oceans and that international co-operation could make them effective. Here is one opportunity for Canada to take the international lead. But our record of non-interest in the two recent international conventions gives very little ground to hope.