Sleeping Beauty Lodge | future subject of meeting ‘MEMBERS OF the Elks ‘and Order of the Royal ‘Purple go into a meeting ‘today. with local health care officials uncertain ‘about the future of a hos- tel they've been running .on.the grounds of Mills Memorial Hospital. ; Sleeping Beauty Lodge ‘is ‘a renovated former ~'nurses’*residence and is “Meant as a low-cost place for people who may wnced “medical treatment but who don’t require hospitalization. Opened five years ago, ‘the lodge was also the temporary home for ‘people from out of town :-who have relatives in the ‘hospital and for pregnant “(women from out of town Waiting to deliver. But continuing cuts in tthe: numbers of beds at ‘Mills reduced the number of-people at the- lodge and it closed Sept. 30, said Jean Baker, a’ mem- ber of the Order of the Royal Purple involved with the lodge since its inception, “We just don’t have the people to keep it open,” ‘said Baker of the facility which. was self-suppori- ing. The two service ciubs used a $184,000 grant from the provincial men- tal health branch to rena- vate and furnish the facil- ity. Caretakers stay there al no charge in return for Managing the facility. It has 11 single rooms, three double rooms, a caretakers’ suite and a common area. At the beginning, resi- dents’ could eat at the hospital. cafeteria and could then buy meal tick- ets for regular hospital food when the cafeteria closed. - The cost. was $25 for-a single room and $30 for a double. Similar facilities in lar- wet, Gordon Campbell The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 20, 1999 - AS Food shift phased in MEMBERS OF the public are invited early next year to laste test and give their opinions on the food that wiil be cooked at Mills Memorial Hospi-- tal for Terraceview Lodge residents. | People will also be able to take home recipes, try them out, and offer suggestions before Terrace- view’s food services are amalgamated with the hospital, says Paul Manhas of the Terrace Area Health Council which operates: both facilities. “We will be taking everything you say inlo con- sideration before implementing. the new system,” Manhas told-about 50 people at.a meeting Oct. 13. The general feeling from those attending was not to change the way things are, “IVs got nothing to do with improving services of the elderly, who built this country,” said one person, Whose.mom is staying al Terraceview, “It's the old people that are paying for this.” Other iocals were concerned their parents wouldn’t be: satisfied with what they called “hospital food.” , “We're the only voice our parents have,” said onc woman. “Some of them can’t speak for themselves.” Manhas assured all those present that the object is not to destroy the lifestyle of Terraceview’s 76 residents, ; The hospital has been using a cook and chill foad preparation method for 18 months, meaning food is cooked and immediately blast chilled using specialized thermal equipment. Chilling the food quickly prevents the food from having a reheated taste once it’s brought back up to temperature, said Linda McMynn, food sup- port services manager for Terraceview Lodge. “We should be able to get the same tasle [as cooking from scratch],” she said.. Blast chilling also ensures no bacteria can grow, New equipment will be bought for Terraceview and the estimate is the $104,000 cast will be re- JOHN WIEBE AND Mary Kenney could very well be the last caretakers at Sleeping Beauty Lodge. They've been at the medical hostel for just over two years but it stopped taking in clients when business dropped because of bed cuts at Mills Memorial Hospital. A crucial meeting is being held today. way as it's always been,” paid in two years from savings on wages. “The food will be on a plate exactly the same MeMynn said, ger cities have proved popular and cost effective for people from out of town. Baker said members of the Elks and Order of the Royal Purple are disap- pointed at what’s happen- ing. “A lot of people put a lot of work into it. There was pood support from merchants,” she added. Olga Power, the chair of the health body which preceded the current Ter- race Area Health Coun- cil, said the lodge serves 4 purpose. “It’s close to the hospi- tal and locums [doctors on temporary assignment here] stayed there,” she said, Current caretakers John Wiebe and Mary Kenney have been there just over two years and will miss the people who stay there. “Dll miss the camara- derie,” said Wiebe. “I learned a lot from the el- ders. Nobody was a stran- ger here.” co He said the lodge is a particular ‘benefit to people who don’t drive because if is on the hos- pital grounds, The lodge has also had its share of interesting experiences, including the birth of a baby. “She had it right in there - in the bathroom,” said Wiebe during a re- cent tour of the facility. On that tour was Liberal - opposition leader Gordon Campbell who used the ladge as a backdrop fora criticism of NDP health care, . “PFhere’s been an ero- sion of health . care everywhere,” said Camp- bell. ; . “Here we have an ex- ample of a non-profit agency. doing something and it’s under attack.” “This is a community That way Tetraceview Lodge staff can indivi- duatize the service to residents, offering them more of what they like and less of what don’t like, She added all baking and desert making will continue to be done at Terraceview Lodge, Some items like cggs, grilled cheeses and toast which can’t be cooked, chilled, reheated while slill tasting fresh, will also be cooked at the se- nior’s residence. “Terraceview Lodge will continue to operate and have a kitchen,” Manhas said. He said the health council could have saved considerably more money by going to a complete tray service at Terraceview Lodge and centralizing all food preparation, delivery and cleanup. “But that would have decreased the qualily of life of residents too much,” Manhas said. Cooking entrees at the hospital in lieu of the’ ‘kitchen at Terraceview Lodge will save the health council about $70,000 annually in staff costs. The health council has already invested about $250,000 in the new system al Mills, Manhas said, An additional $12,000 will be spent every month on a courier service to deliver the food cold from the hospital to Terraceview, where it will be service and it’s cost ef- fective. It should be part of a northern delivery system.” “We should be able to _ Say come here‘and have day surgery and there’s a place for you.” “This: is the kind of in- novative and cost effec- live measures we want.” . Although’ closed, ‘the caretakers will remain at the lodge for insurance “purposes, — . The management .con- tract the Elks and Royal Purple have with: the health council runs out next year. a Liberals would THE CURRENT way of governing health care should be scrapped because community health councils and the like have no real power, says Liberat leader Gordon Campbell. “Stop pretending they’re making decisions, because they’re not,” said Campbell of the system brought in by the provincial government in the mid-1990s, Instead, decisions are made in Victoria and health councils are used as a shield from the provincial govern- ment, he added, ; . “What we have is centralization, not local decision making. Without accountability, we don’t have a good health system,” Campbell said. What the Liberals want to put in place is a provinee- wide standard for health care which could then be adjus- ted (to reflect regional or local realities, And that would be accompanied by strong lines of communication between the health minister and the re- hange things gions so there’s no mistaking where the accountability resis. “The way lo meet goals would be difference in differ- ent parts of the province. We have to empower people who would be part of the solution,” Campbell said, The Liberal leader said he wasn’t opposed to.regiona- lizing health care, something which hasn’t happened yet in the north, but noted that a system can't simply be im- posed on an area. “One size doesn’t fit all,” said Campbell. Instead of health councils, the Liberal leader’s sug- gesting there be community advisory groups made up of civilians and medical professionals. oe “It only makes sense to have nurses, doctors and ad- ministrators invalved,” ‘said Campbell. - He’s less sure about having such groups elected, say- ing it simply electing people isn’t always the answer to problems. system until April 3, 2000. taste the meals. She said a cock from different from what occurs “The taste is going ta “It’s nol TV dinner,” be doing all the baking, reheated, Terraceview Lodge won't be on the new Recipe selection will take place in November and December followed by two months to test and McMynn explained the hospital menu will go from a seven day menu to a 28 day menu, which is offered at Terraceview Lodge, be hired to oversee cooking at the hospital to en- sure the food suils Terraceview residents, Gizella Batz, cook supervisor at Terraceyiew for 27 years, said the new system won’t be much Plus she said Terraceview Lodge cooks will siill Terraceview Lodge will now, be the same,” she said. Liberal leader pledges a number of tax cuts LIBERAL LEADER Gordon Campbell told about 100 guests at a Terrace and Distric! Chamber of Commerce dinner that when he becomes premier, his number one job will be rebuilding B.C.'s economy. “| want our kids to know they can build a future here,” Campbell said at the Oct. 12 dinner, He criticised the NDP govemment for ruining the economy. and causing B.C, businesses and residents to move out of province for work — including his son who found work in Toronto after graduating from school, He said more than’ 200 B.C, companies have left the province. in the past 12 months to seck sunnier econo- mic skies in Alberta. Last year alone, more than 20,500 -BC. workers headed to the Rockies, Campbell added. “We need to bring-in a free enterprise government,” he said, “We can no longer afford a socialist government in Victoria.” ; To restore B.C.*s ecanamy, Campbell promised local residents that within his first 90 days in office, a Liberal government will lower income tax rales, “We're going to make sure you will be paying the lowest base income tax than anywhere in Canada — period.” * The theory behind lowering taxes, is that it will leave more money in people’s pockets, which they will spend, giving the economy a boost, said Campbell, He added that when money. goes inta the economy, it generates business because companies start hiring more employees, who will pay taxes, vo “More people paying lower taxes makes more reve- nue,” he said, adding that this was. the case in Alberta when Ralph Kieln’s Tory government reduced taxes, personal income lax revenues increased and capital in- vesiment increased... 00 ee Currently in B.C, the unemployment rate is the high- est wesl of Quebec, said Campbell. He quoted figures indicating private sector investment in B.C. has dropped over the past two years 11.4 per cent compared to a 9.6 per cent jump in Ontario. So To restore public trust in government, Campbell said within the first 90 days in office, the liberal government will also pass a number of new measures including: ) Truth in budget legislation, stating exactly how far in the red the budget actually is, > Balance the budget legislation, stating ihe govern- ment won't spend more moncy than il generates. > Merit employment legislation that will ensure pub- lic services are non partisan. Campbell said his government will also keep recall legislation in place, and will also Ict people decide how they want to elect their MLA, whether it.be by the cur- ‘rent syslem or. by proportional representation. That latter nielhod would involve parties being assigned legislative seais by the size of the popular vole, not by how many votes a candidate gets in each riding as is the case now, “Those are big changes,” Campbell said. He added that his goals also include eliminating the corporate capital tax and the machine and equipment tax. , ° ~ He said he within. three years, his government will reduce the number of regulations in forestry, mining, re- tail and tourism industries by 33 per cent “We have to get rid of useless and inexpensive regu- lations,” he said to a thunderous applause. ~~ “Our goal at the end of the day is lo unleash free en- ierprise.” es Campbell said a provincial election could possibly: take place noxt spring, © “He expects to.be back in Terrace next February. aa Ea: CAMERA OPERATOR and sound technician for- med part of Liberal leader Gordon Campbell's en- tourage here last week. He was also accompanied by three public relations people, a sign that the Lib- erals are fine-tuning their election machine in pre- paration for a vote which cauld come next year. This photo was taken at Sleeping Beauty Lodge, which made fora photogenic backdrop to a crit cism of health policy under the NDP. government, Tuning up for election THE PROVINCIAL ELEC- TION may be some time off yel, but the provincial Liberals are tuning up their vote-getting machine, It was evident when Lib- eral leader Gordon Camp- bel! paid a visit to Terrace and Kitimat last week, In the past he’s made the trip with one or twa key aides. This time it was lights, camera and action hecause a video team con- sisting of a camera opera- lor and sound technician were ulong. The footage could sur- face in campaign ads dur- ing the election carmpaign. Also in attendance were three party public relatiang officials and two MLAs, health esltic Colin Hansen and justice critic Geoff Plant, One of those public rela- tions officials, Kelly Glee- son, who is based in Kam- loops, said the Terrace stop is part of a provincial tour. . “We're going through to Prince George next and up to the northeast,” he said. In the northwest, the group Was travelling in two vehicles, both with clec- tion campaign-stylo mag- netized signs on the sides.