EO Ea Gov't offers little hope Hospital TERRACE -— Petitioners call- ing for more money to avert layoffs and bed cuts at Mills Memorial Hospital had col- lected more than 3,500 signatures as of Saturday and €xpect. to~ reach — their 5,000-name goal’ sometime ‘this week. The hospital is. laying off. seven nurses and has closed 24 of its 89. beds:-—- including a third of its ‘beds in medical/surgery ~ to avoid a second straight deficit budget. Organizers have — invited health minister Bruce Strachan to come here to accept the peti- tion, Hospital administrator Michael) Leisinger indicated it’s likely some of the: hospital’s specialists — particularly its surgeons and anaesthetists — will leave if the bed closures re- main in effect... . “All of the specialists have said that the reduced number of beds could have an impact on their ability to stay,’" he said. He said the Terrace Regional Health Care Society will argue that flying patients to Van- couver or handling them at smaller hospitals in the region will cost more than keeping all the beds at Mills’ Memorial open, “We feel the government is going to be spending more money for health care that way than giving us adequate funding . in the first place,” Leisinger. . said, noting 35 per cent of Mills’ patients are from out of town. ‘*Ht’s going to cost them at least as much if not more than to ser- vice those patients here.” . But a health . ministry spokesman says the community shouldn't get its hopes up.: . Graydon Gibson said Mills Memorial Hospital has received budget increases totalling more than 28 per’ cent ver the last three years. “I can’t rule it out,’ he said when ‘asked’ if the hospital's budget allocation might be reviewed: “Those things have ‘happened in the. past. The ministry. is always prepared to take. a second look. But the Mills budget increase this. year came after a pretty thorough evaluation of their system up there.” ; “The ministry is pretty com- fortable with its assessment of the situation as it is now,’ he’ said. Gibson. said the deficit the -cuts are being made here to avoid represents only two per cent of the hospital’s total budge. “There’s a limit to what the system can offer,” he added. Local anesthetist Robin Chorn says things are uncertain tight now, but if the bed closures stay, the standard of care here will go down, Most patients are. normally entitled to a hospital stay of seven days, but he said a plan has been drawn up to cut that to five days to free up beds faster, “Patient stays in the hospital will be reduced, patients who should be admitted may be refused admission or patients - who have been admitted may be sent home prematurely,’ Chorn said. “And I think eventually, if and when. the doctors and specialists providing the service get frustrated enough at this, some of them will probably con- sider relocating."’ “That ultimately means that the whole medical centre is go- ing to be disintegrating,”’ ‘Weather outlook | phone. call away . Us Sue TERRACE ~ There? 38 a new way to find out about weather forecasts here. The weather station at the air- port has installed an answering machine to handle the more than 70. inquiry phone calls made each day. . Forecasts will be updated continously so residents will be se able to obtain accurate in forma- tion, says station spokesman Adrian Van de Mosselaer. But he still! welcomes in- quiries from people such as farmers who may need more specific information. The answering machine number Is 635-4192, petition total Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 17, 1991 — Page A3 mounts shooting ® oe’ in jail TERRACE — A 60-year-old Telegraph Creek woman murder her husband has been sentenced by a Supreme minus one day in provincial prison. A Supreme Court jury found Doreen Day guilty June 21 of.:attempting to murder Fletcher Day, her husband of 36 years, with a .22-calibre pistol last fall. Because of her age and character, Justice John Jacob Anderson said rehabilitation was not of ma- jor importance for Day. "In my view she’s not a person who’s likely to-be a threat to her community or indeed to her husband,’’ he said in handing down” the sentence July 3, “But 1 must bear in mind that the offence is a serious crime and only the interven- tion of fate prevented it from being complete,’’ he con- tinued, , Day shot her husband four times on Oct. 17 — twice in the head at close. range and then once in the groin and once in the back as he tried to get away. The incident hap- pened after a party at which alcohol was consumed. After firing the shots, the court was told, she ignored his requests to see his sons and said: ‘‘Goodbye. You deserve what I did to you."* Crown prosecutor Laurie Langford called the act “‘ab- solutely cold-blooded’? but defence lawyer James Williams disagreed, saying it was just ‘one drunken even- ing out of a lifetime.” Husband] results | found guilty of attempting to]. Court judge ta two years]. because the act was out-of] SIGNATURE SEEKING Elaine Pigeau, of the Hospital Employees Union, and other workers from Mills Memorial Hospital were on the streets last week collecting names for a petition they plan to use to pressure Victoria for more money for the. hospital. Redeem these coupons for a free Hamburglar or Grimace Combo ~ ; with an any $499 Combo A ‘KIDS’. : “ purchase. Only’ at your” - Terrace McDonald's “for a limited time, . mace ‘FREE H MDS {fro scaanamaneonnens Come into your Terrace McDonald's ~ with this coupon and buy any Extra . Value combo* for just $4.99 and i _, we'll give your child a kids’ Grimace or Hamburglar Combo** absolutely 4 free! Limit one coupon per $4.99 Combo purchase. Not to be used in bl conjunction with any other offer. Valid until July 24, 1991, F \. emmanuel oer ! ‘FREE TRREE : ‘KIDS Fillet-O-Fish, pia larga ben "> i’ Hanbury Cn isin shrugs ira Hie lncloden acheemturger, small sev Come into your Terrace MeDonald’s with this coupon and buy any Extra “Nalue combo* for just $4.99 and . we'll give your child a kids' Grimace or Hamburglar Combo** absolutely i free! Limit one coupon per $4.99 Combo purchase. Not to be used in t conjunction with any olher affer, i ** Valid until July 24, 1991. ° a VV mnmmenmanamane? (lA seresmeseceneues Come into your" Terrace McDonald’ 5 with this coupon and-buy any Extra Value combo* for just $4.99 and we'll give your child a kids' Grimace i or Hamburglar Combo** absolutely rT - free! Limil one coupon per $4.99 P A. bet ‘Combo purchase: Not to be used in conjunction With any other offer, i : « Valid vntll fully 2 24,1998. | (one oe sel coe “e HORA helrphiaasiyetoe oe oder th Empene. MeCHicken ox drink Cid Ca wens Meera aces os Teas Vir peal ee en: ne Tee eee er reer er Cte eta Our engineers have given you every reason to. _ buy a SUBARU. Now it's our accountants’ turn. FINANCING 0.A.C. FOR ALL NEW 1991 SUBARU OFFER EXPIRES JULY 31, 1991 3026 Highway 16, Terrace 635-7286_ | —_—se eee oe oe