Whitby Free Press, Wednlesctay, October 19,1994, Page 23 PsChi atric, work ,r s.corne fulilcrcl ynldd oee, nvtby a 1 By John Dujay Whitby Psychiatrie Hospital's philosophy is simple, according te administrator Ron Ballant e. "(A patient's) stay shouid be -as brief as possible and they should be eupported as much as possible, in their home community," he says.> As the head of the hospital, B&llantyneo is currently presiding over the construction of WPH's new $133-million facility, which will replace the current set of buildings. The hospital is celebrating its 75th year, and some of the structures have been around for a long-time. Speaking in his office, Ballantynesaid that ýconstrpctiûn was "well ahead of sehedule." Ellis Don 18 the contractor. In addition fo the hospital, they Will be constructing sewage and. other basic services for the new facility. Included in the bill is a new surface for Gordon Street, which runs south from Victoria Street. A t the present time, it is a private road with a sign that states, "Use at vour own risk." On -Oct. 23, Whi\by Psychiatrie Hospital will be 75 ears old. 'A proud paît - a progressive future,' is the official slogan. The new narne (Whitby Mental Health Centre) will be unveiled in. a ceremofly. The-', head of the -75th annversary committee, Joanne Ashley, invites members of the Oiginally, Ballantyne says' that the hospital's unique cottage-like- structures were "designed to move boldly away from large institutional rironments" which -racterized the mindset of l9th eentury society. The insane were locked away in huge buildings, which were just prisons under a community to the hospital's building 30, located at the end of Gordon Street, on Sunday, fromn 11la.m. to 4p.m. There will be tours of patient areas, the-.visitors' entre and the archives. There will be cliaical prograin exhibjts .and a model of the new hospital-for the public to view. different name. Ironically, the psychiatrie profession has corne.full ,circle. Back is the huge institution that bouses ail of the patients. This tirne, though, it is not the- clark, foreboding edifice of the past. WPH's new building will be a showcase of modern thinking and design. Ballantyne describes it as V-shaped, with the patient care units pointing south toward the lake. Bnck in the beginning, there was a patient capacity of about 1,500. The new facility will contain 325 beds. Ballantyne says it is. change that is long overdue. "The functionaiity of that concept no longer makes sense," he says. There wili be a. saving of about $1. million each year in maintenance and upkeep costs. With the new buildings going up on the site where patients are receiving 'mental health care, you'd expc',:t a lot of complaints. However, J!',illantyne says there have been only a few. "People know that a little bit of .dust and noise is quite acceptable because the long-awaited new facility is occurring." With the health ministry recently announcing that ail of Ontario's psychiatrie hospitals will have to cut about $53 million from their budgets, Whitby's share cornes to .$4.72 million. Ballantyne is worried. 1 " If we have te proceed with those reductions, clearly we iron't be occupying the full facility." He says the hospital bas 1presented-the ministry with some rproposed reductions of their ,,own >-- using less supplies, cutting administration costs have been cost-cutting will slice deep. "We can't make our reductions without impacting on some of our clinical prorms,"l says Ballantyne. "The service we provide is very much in demand." 1The hospital serves a population base, of about 1.8 mental health reformn document (which is a proposed'guideline) said that hospitals should have 30 beds per 100,000, population. VWtby's 15 currently at 32. "Any further reductioin will fal below that target," says Ballantyne. Crang &ý Boake/-'CanlOn/MOffOt Kinoshita ArchitcVi for WhitLy'yyc»hiat'ric Ho5pVi-ti Rodevclpmcit 6 oatf icId Prive, Porn MiliI5, Otro. 5L6 .....5ycl7iâ è.ic H ,5p tâl on "'* 475t&.ei'*g4* ! Celebrating past, future FROM ONTAýRIO ELECTRICAL. CONSTRUCION COMPANY LIMITED Electrical and Air Conditioning. Contractors TORONTO* KINGSTON >NIAGARA FALLS NORTH BAY * OSHAWA ..............