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PAGE 10,,WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1982, WHITBY -FREE PRESS Serving 2,106 patients.... Rludd' '11,ý9 d' ey ospital gave 1,9 ays ofcae ast year During its 1981-82 fis-' The hospital discharg- 19,594days of care. According to admini- cal year, the 'Dr. J.O. ed 2,106 patients during These statistics were strator John Kùnetsky, Ruddy General Hospital the same period. presented to the hospi- the hospital . earned a admitted 2,191 pa tients, > In ail 1, the '85 doctor tal's board of governors Surplus of about $25,000 up slightly from the pre- and 199 member staff at annual meeting last last 'year in its budget. vioùs year. the hospital gae some week. Running the hospital cost 'just over $4.4 million. The average length of stay fora, patient was 8.9,dàys which is'up sub- stantially from 1978-79s 7.6 days, and gave an overail occupapcy of 82.6 per cen4t. In bis repopt, Kunet- sky said the increase 0f 1.5 days can be attribut- ed to the fact that the number of beds occu- pied each day bas risen by almost 10 per cent a year. "The explanation Of this seemîng -anomaly between the decrease in the nuniber of'patients cared.. for and', the in-' crease in the number of days of care given is that there has .been a change in.-the type of patient that is being ad- mitted. for hospitaliza- tion,", Kunetsky said adding that this consti- tutes "something 0f 'a trend," "Te longer stay in the more recent two- year period is due to> the fact- that more of Our - patients are adniitted for problenis requiring a lengthier hospital stay," he continued. .Kunetsky also pointed, out that the h fospitali served "more patients in the older age bracket' Who,, in many intances, suffered frqm chronic illnes. "Theýy requlred a longer period for recovery, and often made more frequent visits to the hospital." Bec ause 0f thist, unetsky said the need for. a -long term _car>e. facility 18 .greater than ever. <Earlier this, year, the Ontario Ministry, 0f Health said it would pro- vide $200,OO0 to help re- open Ruddy.'scurrently unused second floor .to help deve lop 'a ý32- bed chronic care unit. However,' this figure id well bèlow the tradi- tional two-thirds the provincial, government niormally pays for hospi- tai capital programs. According to, Kunet- sky, it will now cost about $530,000 to, reno- vate and ýequip the floor for use as a phronic care unit. If the province does flot provide any more money, kunetsky said that the hospital will have to undertake a fund 'raising cam)paign to, make up the balance. The 'hospital's board *hopes' to, meet wfth ministry of health ýoffiC cials in the near future to seek imore money. The chronic care unit, a- priority, ,for -the Durham'Region District Health Coundil, will cost about ,$950,000 a year to operate. "W1e're stili negotiat- ing with, the ministry on the, funding, " Kunetsky said-, adding "We're hoping (the unit) will be open early in M98. " .During' the 1981-82 year, the. hospital saw 1,588 operationis- per- formed and made 858,4.97, laboratory tests -and 9,988 r adiological examinations. The hospital's, physio- therapy department had 13,744 visits.'during> the sanie period., The hospital ' also treated 16,661 patients in its emergency depart- ment. In fact, the emer- gency department often provided beds on a tem- porary basis for admit- ted patients due to ful occupancy on the third floor. Kunetsky said that the hospital's, 1982-83 bud- get bas been struck. The hospital will spend just over $4.5 million which is about 11.5. per cent higher than last year. "Thi s is just inflation dollar increases," he Resident*honored- Regional Councillor Tom Edwards (lef t), is seen here making a presenta- tion to Bonnie Bernie of Walnut Street in recognition of hereffoits'in keeping open the Kinsmen Pool. When town officiais announced last year that the Chestnut Street pool was to be closed, Bernie headed up a neighbourhood committee that flot only lob- bled council to kèep it open but donated their time to paint the facility and do other needed work. Edwards made the presentation at Saturday's officiai opeming of the pool which received a $75,000 shot in the arm to keep it operating for another 10' years at least. -Free Press Staff Photo Canada How's costitution coasaitytion, _____ _____ __ 7a rif 7maoe 1 W~;I44A FREE!4