A8 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 31, 1999 Hospital waiting to hear if health budget increase will bring it some relief PROVINCIAL government nay be increas- ing the health ministry’s budget, but it’s way too ear- ly to tell if that will help out Mills Memorial Hospital. Tom Novak of the Terrace and Area Health Council, which mins Mills, says he’s budgeting on gelling the same amount as last year, save a minor bump for wage increases. And even if the hospital docs receive more, Novak doubts it will be enough to cover all of what's required for wage increases. “The instructions I've been given is to work on a zero increase,’” said Novak last week. He made the comment after the provincial govern- ment announced it will in- crease health care spending by $478 million to $7.7 bil- lion, a jump of 6.9 per cent, beginning April 1. Novak said the hospital will work at preparing a balanced budget and Lreat an increase, if any, from the provincial government as money fora fiscal cushion. **The situation here is to available at Mills Memorial Hospital. “That’s not the way it warks,’” said = Novak. “Governments are now focussed on care and service as opposed to just beds,’" And that care and service looks at the full range of what’s offered at hospitals and in the community, Novak added, ‘Beds are one small part of health care,”’ he said, The number of beds at Mills has become the focal point of worries about the hospital’s service level over the past few years. Mills has set up a stringent policy of admitting only those people considered in dire need of a bed and dis- charging people as soon as possible, But when admission levels rise over the amount of beds called for in the budget, ex- penses mount and Mills be- gins to run up a deficit. In turn, that’s lead to calls that the hospital isn’t getting the money it needs for the demand it faces, Novak’s method of look- ing al the issue is to gather more information on who is admitted, for how long and for what reason. “TI need data,’ said Novak. So-far, he says he’s im- pressed with the way the, hospital manages the nutfh® ber of beds it has, saying the job now is to do things bet- ter, “Tf there are big issues, that will come from the data collected,’’ said Novak. Kkakkk HEALTH MINISTRY offi- cial Stephanie Slater says il may be a month or morc be- fore Mills knows if it'll get any financial boost. And she warmed that the 6.9 per cent increase won"! be for each and every health ministry area. “There will be that lift to the overall health budget but one area may get 10 per cent and another one per cent,”’ said Slater. Slater said it was also too eatly to say if Mills will benefit from $20 million being spent this year to hire 400 new nurses. Tom Novak That comes from a con- tract signed earlier with the nurses’ union to pul $50 million on the table to hire 1,000 more nurses over the next three years. A good portion of the $478 million new dollars comes from a federal trans- fer announced by the federal finance minister Paul Martin earlier this year. Special on Labour Only to change Distributor Cap, Rotor, Spark Plugs, PCV Valve, Fuel Labour to replace Spark Plug Wires Extra. Spring Tune Up: Filter and Air Filter. 4 CL acsseomnnsneren DOO” 6 YD vveecssnnerneeem AO a] ea 19 Tune up parts 15% off (shop only) Exp. April 30, 1999 30 Point Inspection Check Cooling System - hoses, water pump ete. Check Brake Hoses - lines and fluid Check Drive Train - CV Axles, U-Joints Check Steering/Suspension Check Exhaust System 24° Exp. April 16, 1999 4641 Keith Avenue,” Tarrace, B.C. * 149B City Centre, Kitimat, B.C. - nica 632-2224 fix up the deficit and work toward a surplus,’’ he said last week. The health — council’s deficit could touch $500,000 once all the numbers are in for the fiscal year ending today. Mills takes up the fargest portion of the health coun- - cil’s deficit. It also runs the Terraceview Lodge ex- tended care facility and Os- borne Home, a residence for challenged adults, And as Novak and others work toward a balanced budget, he says people shoukln’t concentrate too much on the number of beds Inquest planned AN INQUEST into the death of the man who shot a Kitimat RCMP officer is scheduled for May 3, 1999 at the Kitimat Courthouse. Constable Laurie White was shot in the right leg out- side of Ronald James Hoag’s townhouse Nov. 27, 1998 while she and other of- ficers were attempting to ex- ccute a search warrant. s h When the world” $ frst minivan rolled off Chryster's Windsor assembly line 15 years ago, it was called the “MagicWagan,” - Because it magically transformed the way Canadians travel. 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