The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

AN 'H' SIGN is removed from Brook Street Jim Souch says the signs were removed to North by a Whitby General Hospital avoid potential iability problemrs. emptoyee Iast Friday. Hospital board chair Photo courtesy of William D. Utile The signs corne.down FROM PAGE 1 Fox, council's representative on the hospital board of direc- tors, could not be reached for comment. But Doistra said it was a «real shanie» the signa are coming down. «We asked them te look at it (modified signs) and they'ýre net interested,» ho said. "They'1l have te answor te the 20,000 people who signed the petition (against the rehabili- tation centre).» In an earlier interview, Dol- stra, who promised te fight any attempt to remiove the signe, said the mattor was te have been discussed by council yesterday. But Mayor Tom Edwards said council was only meeting te dis- cuss a ulegal matter» and that the next session of council is scheduled for September unless an emergency anses. "I thought Mr. Wallace's sugr- geýstion was an eminently sen- sible one," said Edwards. 1 «Obviously the hospital is con- cerned about legal implications,» ho said. According te Kealey, that was precisely the reason for the hos- pital's decision. uWe did net want te send eut the wreng message. The H signe are universal1 meaning orner- g encysrvcs are available at ailtimes," ho said. «We talked te our lawyer and followed it (provincial guidelines) te the letter.» Although the Ministry of Health has ne officiaI policy on romoving signs, it recommends that hospitals give the matter serieus consideratien before tak- in g such action. Whitby Gonkeral opted te err on the side of caution, Koaley explained. 'You would be pretty upset if you had an emergency and came down at 2 a.m. and found it If ouwat te, drinl4 that's yourIru:remIf you want te stop thiats ours. Cail Alcoiio AnSeymous at 728- 1020. closed » ho said. Keaiey, too, disputod the effec- tiveness of a modified sign. «If you have an lemergency you're not going to stop and read something written under it,»ho said. The hospital's decision to go ahead and removo the signs on its own was termed a <real shame» by the co-founder of a citizens' group opposod to chang- ingWhitby General's role. "Te easiest thing would have been to reinstate 24-hour orner- gency service," said JoAnne Prout of Save Our General Hos- pital (SOGH). This would have brought the hospital "lose?» to.SOGH.s goal of a fuli-service, actie treatrnent facility in Whitby, Prout said. While she understands the hospital's «liability concerns,» this too, can be avoided, Prout "Our answer to that is rein- state 24 hours. This is just another ste pte making it easier to close the hospital.» Kealey emphatically rejects -If pole are upset and con- cerned that removing the signe means the hospital is ne longer viable, they are wrong,» ho said. «Nothinr could be further from the truth. Whltby Free Proàs, Wednesdaày, August 17,1994 ,PagO 3 Dentures so natural... you'II nover know thé difforoncel * New&VSoif- Toudiy muteoriWrs for sensitive oguiý (FREE CONSULTATION) Walter Wimmer, Denture Therapist PICKERING TOWNN CENTRE * MRLVE_ 5020 TOLL FRM 42aV1«00«615020 With every windshield replacement and this ad II VNEFLNGI O ~ O Whitby Auto Glass will donate $5.00 tothe fi ÀW NE RNý fFO W I Whitby Courthouse Theatre. We challenge Whitby Merchants & Businesses to MAT CHÀ OR EXCEED our challenge.A** Contact Dave at 668-2003 jNAME: -I 11 DAD4.W0 fi sne tý«UM do.IoFLll.......