Gov't did reverse fee for newborn son The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - A3 Mom fights ambulance bill A YOUNG Terrace mother has been partially success- ful in getting a $300 am- bulance bill forgiven. Jennifer Teichroeb won’t be charged $100 for having her son, Cody, re- turned home after giving birth in the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital last fall. But provincial. health officials are insisting Tei- chroeb will have to pay the $100 for her trip to Prince Rupert and $100 for her trip back with Cody. Teichroeb went to Mills Memorial Hospital late last Oct. 4 afler going into early labour. There wasn’t an obste- trician on duly or on call at the time so without being able to have a cae- sarean if needed, Tei- chroeb was sent by ambu- lance to Prince Rupert where an obstetrician was available. She gave birth to Cody in the early morning hours of Oct. 6. “T was told several times I wouldn’t have to “pay,” Teichroeb said. “I was told ] was an in- patient transfér to Prince Rupert.” “If I knew I'd have to pay, [’d have gotten a ride from a:family member.” Based:on what she was told, ‘Teichroeb was sur- prised in June when the ambulance bills began to arrive — a $100 fee each way for herself and a $100 return portion fee for Cady, plus GST. Teichroeb complained to Mills and to the provin- cial government but was told ambulance transfers aren’t covered by the Medical Services Plan. The one exception was the $100 fee for Cody’s trip home and that bill was cancelled just lwo weeks ago. “That was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened,” health ministry official Michelle Stewart said Jast week of Cody’s bill. The other $100 bills fall under a provincial policy introduced in the fale 1990s which states fees shall be charged regardless if the first hospital a per- son is admitted to can pro- vide the needed medical service or not, said Ste- watt. The same policy states ambulance fees won’t be charged if a person who is an in-palient is sent from one hospital to another for tests and is return within 24 hours. Stewart noted that the fees charged don’t come close to meeting the true. cost of ambulance service. The ambulance fee meter kicks in at $54 for the first 40km, with a 50 cent per kilometre charge after that. The most a person will JENNIFER TEICHROEB says she shouldn't have been charged to take an am- bulance to Prince Rupert Regional Hospital because medical coverage wasn't available at Mills Memorial Hospital. With her in the photograph is son Cody and in behind is daughter, Abby, who is three. ever be charged is $274, whether the transportation is by ground or by air, Ste- wart added. Teichroeb’s point is that people shouldn’t be charged if a service they need isn’t available at the first hospital they go to. “Its not like I was going in for elective surgery,” said Teichroeb. She’s -already had a second notice to pay and letters saying the bills will be referred to a collection agency. “I'm going to make a fuss about this,” said Tei- chroeb, Cell death inquest postponed . A. CORONER'S inquest into the death of a man who hung himself while in police custody in Terrace last year has been postponed. The inquest inte the death of Richard Wil- liam Allen, 29, was originally set for Oct. 21- a4. “As of Friday, Sept. 13 that inquest has been postponed at the request of the family,” said regional coroner Dave Coverdale from Prince George, who: swas. to, i nee he R. ‘ectdings. epee eg eae a iHe was unable to say vvhen the inquest will take place. “It certainly won't be until’ next year,” Cov- erdale said. time. Richard Allen, 29, a Terrace resident ori- ginally from Watson Lake, died shortly before 10 p.m. July 4, 2001 after being arrested for impaired driving, refusing to provide a breath sample, theft over $5, 000 and possession of oversee. the pro- ‘IDAY ONLY + 10° OF EVERYTHING IN STORE ‘stolen property. Soe Allen-was driving a- ‘stolen, ‘vehicle when he. was arrested, police said at the time. Ailen was placed in a cell - also known as the drunk tank — at the Terrace RCMP detachment. A coroner’s inquest is a public hearing of the facts surrounding a sudden death. In British Columbia they are always held when a person dies in police custody, but rarely any other ee Inspector Doug Wheler, who was the com- manding officer at the detachment at the time of the death, said Allen hung himself by threading his underwear through the cell bars. Guards did remove the rest of Allen’s cloth- velvesns ing earlier in the evening for fear he might harm himself or plug the toilet. The subsequent police investigation was handied by the RCMP’s Prince George-based major crimes unit.. Haying RCMP officers, not _.connected, to, a.delachment.at ¥ which, a, death ' .oecurs do the investigation: is; standard. proce-. dure. The last death in cells in Terrace prior to Allen’s occurred in 1983. News In Brief Old money stolen A THORNHILL resident was the victim of a break- in which saw old currency go missing. Sometime on the afternoon of Sept. 17 police say a thief or thieves broke into a Thornhill St. home in Thornhill. Among the items stalen were pre-1968 Canadian silver quarters and dollars, older paper dollars and a large quantity of loose change, police said. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Terrace RCMP at 638-7400 or contact Crimestoppers at 635-TIPS. Building revived A DELAY of more than a year in building a new Northwest Community College campus in Prince Rupert ended ast week when the province an- nounced the $10 million-plus project would go ahead. The building, along with other college projects across the province, was put on hold last year after the new Liberal government said it wanted to look at cosis. For Prince Rupert, that meant leaving a hole in the ground where work had already started. Residents there and college officials lobbied vi- gorously far the project to be unfrozen. Work on the structure is to be finished by 2004. Iv have 4,309 square metres and replace leased space the college has throughout the city. The college had spent more than $2.5 million on excavation, building plans and service costs before the building was frozen. The delay meant the college continued to spend more than $400,000 a year on leased space in Prince Rupert. Fifth one coming HEALTH CARE officials are looking forward to the arrival of a fifth psychiatrist by the end of the month. Dr. Phillip Donnell fram the Chicago, Illinois suburb of Oak Creek will be based in Terrace but travel throughout the northwest as part of the Northern Health Authority's regional in-patient and out-patient service. “We've been in contact with him every week and he’s excited about coming here,” said health authority official Cholly Boland last week. Heatth officials two yeats ago began a concen- trated effort to increase the number of psychiatrists in the north and to improve psychiatric services. The effort was helped by the recent renovation of the regional psychiatric unit at Mills Memorial. Moving on out ADMINISTRATIVE AND support workers at Mills Memorial Hospital have already started moving out of their wing located just inside the hospital’s main entrance. ‘Most are moving elsewhere in the hospital or , out to the fathier' Sleeping” Beauty’ Lodge ‘to make v way ‘for the ‘new dialysis’ service. The sérvicd ‘is to be open in the spring. Klee 4277 per ment, nhae era tilde of, PAIN ptt, Hb 90d ror mgact pease es by tht = atten cramblae from after evalstte en nit a ot fietegi, AOE eth, gals oad mSeten Trae 2 ghevet kes dePeery of ng he Test 6 days, fetter sin 2002 SEST KEW © pT AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE'S ONLY "12 TIME ALL STAR” ‘WINNER ONDER THE HOOD.” af CALGARY SUH 2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE 2002 CARGUIDE BEST BUY FOR COMPACT UTILITY THORNHILL MAZDAS 3040 Hwy 16 16E e Phone 250- 635- 7286 D7Qa1 GRADUATES GET AN ADDITIONAL #750 OFF PURCHASE OR LEASE. 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