A14- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 19, 2001

Chair of local health —
council says he tried

NEARLY EIGHT years
of involvement in local
health issues ended for
Bob Kelly last week
when his appointment as
chair of the Terrace and
Area Health Council was
rescinded and the coun-
cil ilself was dissolved.

It and other health
councils throughout .the
north were replaced by the
Northern Health Authority,
based in Prince George.

“T believe | tried to
make a difference,” said
Kelly last week.

He began with the im-
mediate predecessor to the
health council and then
conlinued on when the
health counci] was cre-
ated.

That included an earlier
failed attempt to create a
regional health authority.

It was soon dismantled
in favour of local com-
munity health councils

across the northwesl

And thal brought an un-
easy structure in which
communities were often
seen to be competing in-
stead of co-operating on
regional health. care issues.

“It was a hard slog and
very stressful,” said Kelly.
Although there was aa
attempt to: create repional

-harmony through what was

called a Council of Chairs,
a group made up of health
council chairs, Kelly was
never comfortable with the
idea.

That’s because deci-
sions ‘were made by con-
sensus and there was rever
any real regional decision-
making structure.

That caused conflict,
for instance, when the
local health counci! wan-
ted to declare Mills Mem-
orial as a regional trauma
centre.

But regional co-opera-
tion did work out when

Bob Kelly

Mills had to closed its re-
gional psychiatric unit a
year ago because it didn’t
have a psychiatrist to act
as a clinical director.

In that circumstance,
the health council in
Prince Kupert loaned a re-
cently-recruited psychiatr-
isl to the psych unit until
ones could be found who
would be based in Terrace.

“It was beginning to

work but there was still a
long ways to go. It didn’t
have time to come to
fruition,” Kelly said.

He did recommend to
the legislative standing
committee on health that a
regional health authority
be ‘created with the power
to make decisions.

Kelly also suggested
that the provincial govern-
ment order changes to be

made at the same time re- ‘

garding regional health is-
sues sd the new authority
could then enact them
tight away.

That would mean less

time and bring about im-—

provements faster, he said.

Kelly said last week he
hopes the new health au-
thority recognizes the qua-
lifications of former Ter-
race and Area Health
Council chief executive
officer Dieter Kuntz.

“T hope he’s not lost in
the system,” Kelly said.

Central northern health body
touted as solution to infighting

THE NEW Northern Health Author-
ity should succeed in doing away
with competition between communi-
ties and hospitals for services, says
its chief executive officer.

“There’s now a single governance
entity for the north and it will have
representation across the north and
there is a single administration,”
said Peter Warwick last week.

“Ill be looking at issues with the
result of having less of that type of
behaviour,” he said.

“There is an opportunity here for
collaboration and sharing,”

Jealousies and competitions for
services between communities and
health care authorities had been la-
belled as problems with the former
health care management system
based on having health councils i
each community.
- *What you have to remember is
‘we are all the same system,” said
Warwick of the new health authority
wiping, out geographic boundaries

and boundaries between different
kinds of services.

“The goal here is to create a
seamless system.”

Part of that means having a man-
agement structure which can cut
across different types of care to
make sure patient services are first,
said Warwick.

He and authority chair Harry
Gaitns, appointed last week along
with Warwick, will be spending the
next while coming up with at least
an interim management structure,

Questions about the role of former
CEOs for now-defunct community
health councils, possible severance
packages amounts and the like will
have to wait until things get sorted
out, Warwick said.

“We have to make sure we are
creating a system that is responsive
to health care,” Warwick said.

One decision already made is to
appoint chief operating officers for
each of the three healih care service

delivery areas that are part of the
Northern Health Authority.

They'll be responsible for direct
patient care.

Warwick was unable to comment
on other matters tied to the new au-
thorities — moving some services to
large cities and basing specialists in
centralized locations.

“]’ve not seen those statements.”

That’s being viewed by some, in-
cluding provincial politicians, as one
way of ensuring there are medical
services outside of large urban areas.

But Warwick did doubt if there
could be a wholesale shift of spe-
cialist services to Prince George, for
example. ,

“1 don’t think you'll find much of

a change to the northwest referral
paltern,” said Warwick.

“Unless somebody starts an air-
line from the northwest to Prince
George, the northwest has a pattern
of going south. [ don’t see any shifts
in that.”

Natural gas rates to go down on Jan. 1

NORTHWESTERNERS
will ring in the new year
with a natural gas rate de-
crease on Jan. 1.
A net decrease in natur-
al gas bills of about 10.6
per cent for residential
users will apply if rates
proposed last week by Pa-
cifie Northern Gas are ap-
proved, according to the
B.C. Utilities Commission.
' The change would
‘ make natural gas heat,

which now is about on par
with the cost of electric
heating, about eight per
cent cheaper.

The change is being
driven by a decrease in the
cost of the natural gas.

But that reduction
masks an attempt by PNG
to increase by about 15 per
cent the rate it charges
custamets to deliver the
pas to them.

PNG says the delivery

cost increase is justified
because its projected reve-
nue next year won’t be
nearly enough to tecover
the cast of its service at
present rales.

The utility is projecting
decreased gas sales of $4.7
million and increased ser-
vice costs of $2.1 millian.

The application fore-

casts decreased consump--

tion of natural gas by resi-
dential and industrial

and Happy

New Year

from

Roger

. Harris,
e-

otc .

users. In particular, it fore-
casts Skeena Cellulose
won't operate in 2002 and
no gas will be sold ta it.

Some homeowners have
switched to other heat
sources, it noies

Part of PNG’s applica-
tion is to increase its re-
turn on equity to share-
holders from 10 per cent to
40.63 per cent, adding $1.4
million to service delivery
costs borne by users.

OPEN HOUSE .
ps Please come und join Roger and his staff SO -
“ for a Christmas Open House Thursday, -
Me December 20th from 2-5 p.m. bd

a—t *
te.e & 4623 Pork Ave., Terrace “>
CSS Phone 615-4828 *

Candles
Bubble Bath
Keychains
Mind Puzzles

oat

~ Skeena Mall=Terace ®

Aromatherapy © Kitchen

‘Gadgets
® Bath Pillows
* Slippers

ie “Boutiques.

“800-569-4362

Terrace Churches Food Bank’s Kathy Miller, accepts
a $300 cheque from the staff of the Terrace Builders
Do-it Centre. Pictured with Kathy are some staff

members from Terr
The money was gene

SRW Terrace Builders

‘3207 Mun roe Stree

Even

are C

call 1

call 1

TH

January 1, 2002, our emergency crews will
be on hand 24 hours a day to keep your |

holiday bright: In the event of an emergency,

Call centres will also be closing early on

December 24 and 31. For general inquiries

between 7 am - 5:30 pm. :

Wishing yau a safe and happy holiday.

ace Builders Do-it Center.
rously donated by the staff.

“ALL MAJOR CREDIT. :*
‘ARDS ACCEPTED

though our offices and call centres

losed on December 25, 26, and

888 POWERON (1 888 769-3766).

800 BCHYDRO (1 800 224-9376)

wate

Hate ~

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‘BGhydro &

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