A& - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 11, 1995 Hospital in budget battle MILLS MEMORIAL Hospital is challenging claims from the health ministry that. it has received budget increases over the past four years. Figures being used by the min- istry to indicate Mills did receive an increase may be correct, but don’t tell the whole story, says hospital finance director Paul Manhas, Speaking last week, Manhas said the ministry included special allocations to cover new wage contracts and one-time granis to prove its point. In reality, he said, the hospital’s basic: operating grant basn’t changed in four years. The trading of financial figures is the latest round ina continuing budget crisis at Mills. It faces. a deficit of at least $500,000 this budget year and has Started a campaign to convince the health ministry that it needs — more money. The Dr: R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation, formed to raise money for hospital. equipment, has weighed in-with a campaign of its own by asking people to contact the government. Skeena MLA. Helmut. Gies- brecht began last week by releas- ing figures from the health minis- try indicating Mills received in- creases of 3.4 per cent in the — 1992/93 budget year, 3.6 per cent: in the 1993/94 budget year and .2 per cent in the 1995/96 budget year. For 1994/95, Mills took a 5 per cent budget decrease, Those payments in 1992/93 amounted to more than $230, 000, said Maubas. © Police Beat Man faces new charge A 25-YEAR-OLD MAN charged with sexual assault in an incident involving. a Caledonia high school student on a local trail was released Thursday on $5,000 bail, The incident, involving a 15- year-old . girl on her, way to school, happened on Sept. 19 ona tail along the escarpment. Prosecutors laid a new charge against the man last week involv-. ing three girls in an earlier inci- dent. : The man is charged with invita- tion to sexual touching involving the three on Aug, 26, 1995, . He appears in court again Oct. 20 _ Man jailed for attack A TERRACE man has been Sentenced to eight months in prison for bursting into a Kitimat home and atiacking a woman in- side last February, Neil Leonard Strain, 23, was convicted of assault, forcible entry, assaulting a peace officer, and escaping lawful custody. Strain and two other men al- ready in jail — Alexander James McLean and Jacques Daniel Ban- ville — fled the house and left Kitimat in a pickup following the Feb. 4, 1995 incident. Police gave chase near the air: port before the vehicle was Stopped and the trio was arrested. Strain is now awaiting trial in connection with another incident on Aug. 24, 1994, RCMP stopped a stolen van on Kalum St, and chased a suspect to a house, where they made an ar- rest and seized an ounce of cocaine, and a stolen .44 calibre revolver. Strain will be tried Feb. 19, 1996 on charges of restricted weapon possession, possession of stolen property, forcible entry, _ Marcotle possession for the pur- pose of trafficking, and dis- qualified driving. Two attacked by Rotweiller A ROTWEILLER that altacked two people near Lakelse Lake has been destroyed, RCMP and Crown counsel lasi week obtained a destruction animal for the dog, which was living near the lake. One of the two victims received 14 atitches, police said The dog was destroyed humanely by the animal shelter. SIGNS SAYS it all for health care society chair Olga Power « as she stands outside financially troubled Mills Memorial Hospital. The news isn’t good and isn't getting better. ‘Hospitals voted against that accord and.,the ministry then came up with some money to help cover the costs,” he added, .There were also a series of one- time grants given the hospital during the years which were then paid oul to community groups. These included a diabetes edu- cation program, geriatric outreach and an adolescent health ‘pro- gram... “They. may have been paid to us, but we turned around and paid them back out. There was no benefit to us,’” Manhas noted, . Included in some of the earlier . budget figures was the so-called “Malcolm Walker money.”’ Walker was hired by the Snare igen Skeena Mall - ITRAVEL SERVICE ——— provincial government in the ear- ly 1990s to evaluate the hospital’s position of that time that it wasn’t receiving enough money, ‘He found the hospital. was under-financed in ‘some areas, when compared to facililies of a similar size, That resulted in payments in 1991/92 and in 1992/93 to make up the difference. Allin all, Manhas said the hos- “pital’s basic: budget grant has | hovered at less than $11 million for the past four years. ““You can read what you want into the figures,’ said Olga ‘Power, chairman of the society which runs the hospital. ‘“What we’re saying is there has been no “See American Express Elan Travel” WHY PAY MORE?? Chen *Soma Restrictions Apply TR AVE L incteasc.”’ Power, who satin on the budget outline with : Manhas’ last week, - ‘said the hospital has ‘about stretched itselfas far'as it can, Manhas said the special alloca- tions included monics for the ac- cord covering wage increases for health care workers. **Remember that while we say we have 52 beds it is really 42. Ten. of the beds are in psych, ‘something that is oul of our con- trol and is used by the region,”’ she said. : Those 42 beds are not a lot when. you look at a community and an area of this size.”’ 635-6181 THe WILSONS ARE AT THE LAKE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THEY CAUGHT ALL THEIR CALLS EARLIER. 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