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PAGE.4, WEDNESDAY, .IANUARY 19, 1977, WHITBY FREE PRESS, whitby mi Voice of the County Town i ne~ uniy vvuuiiuy iy itvvbpc.Jpmr il ..--r-l..--.-. - m -Lu.y-.- --1-@%.%4 -. . SERVINC OVER 28,000 READERS Plubisicd cvery Wcdncduay and Photography Inc. The Free Press Building ke Burgess, Publisher-Managing Editor 121 Brock Street North, . - 1189 '---Whitby, Ontario operated bv Whitbv residents for WVfltby resicleri it Community Iiditor'- Brian Winter (:ontributing liditor - Jim QU'ý-U Production Manager -~ Marje Burgess Display -Advertising Manager - Robin Lyon Classil'icd Ad Manager Marlene Byroiln Circulation Manager Sharon Lyon 'fox 206, Whitby. MailînigPlerrnit No. 46<) Illhonc 668<'-611 1. the best possible emergency care The Whitby Psychiatric Hospital really got a grilling at a recent inquest into one of the 10 suicides which occurred in its buildings Iast year. The coronier's jury did flot blame the staff for the unfortunate occurrence, but had few good words to say 'about the hospital's administration of emergency procedures. In ail fairness, it should be noted that the hospiftl is laboring under a numnber of severe handicaps, which are flot necessarily the fault of the administration. First, because of the nature of the institution, it is a place where suicides are more likely to oceur than in other parts of the community. There are a lot of depressed people there, who need constant watching. Secondly, there is a distinct lack of mianpower at the hospital, due to government cutbacks and economizin.g. In a number of departments, when a staff memnber leaves, he is not replaced. his work is divided up amnong the other membhers of the department. Thirdly, the hospital is made up of sorne 50 buildings, where as Adniinistrator Ken Sheehan says, there would be an astronomnical cost to equip every one of these buildings witlî einergency equipment. Despite the odds against the hospital that are beyond its own control, there is mucli that could be done by the present staff that the recent inquest indicates is not being done. It is a matter of concern to hear that a staff member neyer had adequate emergency traiing ini eight years, that the valve on the oxygen bottie had been tampered with,-and that no proper records are being kept of what eniergeiicy supplies do exist and when they are checked. The hospital administration can say its hands are tied by the several problems beyond its control, but when it cornes down to staff training, this is a matter that it can do somethîng about. According to the -inquest, a staff emergenc y training program was to be put into effect every four months. The coroner said six r1nonths had passed since the decision was made, aiid still nothing bas been done. There is also a program planned to train staff to handie aggressive patients, but this has neyer been put into-effect. No one can say whether staff with up-to-date emergency training could have saved the patient in question or not. Much depends on how long it took to discover the emergency. But the patient stands a far better chance if the staff knows what to do, and their equipment is regularly checked out and ready for use. Patients in the Whitby Psychiatric Hospital are entrusted to the care of the staff of that hospital, and both their relatives and the public deserve the âssurance that they will be properly cared for. if there is to be a provincial investigation, that investigation should look at what ways the govern- ment can. improve the situation' at the hospital to ensure the safety of the patients, whatever the cost may be. It appears that the government is at fiault for cutting back too far on staff, and the administration is at fault for not providing the staff with adequate Editorial on Joe Drumm's speech àngers a resident of East Ward Dear Sir: Yoiir editorial iii this wcek's editîin attacking Counicillor Druin f or his speech at the Inaugural of* the Town CoLincil last Saturday caused me some concern & 1 arn writing to challenge YOLI 011 thliS inatter. 1 was a inmber of the audience whio hea.rd Mr. Drummi's speech & 1 did not expect it to receive suchi proinient & hiarshi Hou' to save $2,OOO:* ban smoking in centre Editor's Note: This is a copy of a letter sent to Town Clerk- Ad ministrator Bill Wallace regarding smoking in the senior citizens' activities centre. The Clerk, Whitby, Ont. Dear Sir: 1 notice in the press that some seniors want the town to put in air cleaners in the activities centre at a total cost of $2.000. What the council should do is put "no smoking" signs.« This would be better for the health of the seniors as I notice fromn observation that only a small majority smoke. Maybe you are aware that there -are two other more active seniors clubs in town and neither run into this problem. Why look up the town with todo like this for cuchre players one night a week and out-of-town lawn bowlers. Most clubs etc., as you know, resist smoking as it is a health hazard. This council were elected. to use common sense in puitting funds wehre fu.nds where it is most needed. I give credit to Council- lors Carson and Attersley. I thought CouncillorEmm was a non-smoker.' I quit smoking 15 years ago because 1 did not like paying taxes and as we feel better for it. N. R. Shortreed, 140 Kent St., Apt. 70 Witby criticismn. As 1 rernember the situation Mr. DrunmM did not mention any particular group. Your assulnl)tion litat it was the Corridor Rate Payers Association & that this was the 'only one hie lad in mind, if indeed hie had any. miay be true (Do you know for sure'?) but it is surprising that after i-aking these som-ewhiat fenuous assumptions you found them important enough to write a lead editorial on themn "sock- ing-it" to Couincillor Drumr-n. Evidently yoLI regarded his speech to be one of the important events of the past week. Such a spirited deface of an organization whom you suspect r-night be the object of Mr. Drumm 's remarks, does flot make much sense if one con- siders you a Whitby Community Newsjaper. 0f course, if you can be considered the voice of CARA, then it makes a great deal of sense. A local oÎganization which can depend on the willing assistance of the press to promote its particular interests could conceivably exert a lot of pressure. If such. circunstances exist, I think Mr. Drurm was wise to state publicly that hie does not intend to be intirnidated. Mr. Druimrn is a new coLincillor. He worked extrenmely hard. for the honouir of representing the East Ward. He^ took the trouible of making himself known personally to hundreds of voters. They must have liked what they saw because they elected him to Council. I don't think he is likely to 'turn & bite the hand that feeds hiîrn" As the elected repre- sentative of the East Ward he deserves your respect & assistance,, as do -ahl the council mem bers. The crushing editorial you presented this week will not help Councillor Druimm in 1-is efforts to do a good job 'for the East Ward, but neither will it help sustai n your newspaper's image of a responsible trans- mitter of Whitby news & comment. Yours sincerely, >R. J. Harding, 119 Ferguson Ave.- -Whitby