A2 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 12, 2000

Health council rejects criticism

NEITHER THE hospital's head
administrator nor any health coun-
cll members are agreeing to re-
sign, despite cries from a local
health advocacy group demanding
they step down.

The Terrace and Area Health
Watch Group, made up of local
residents concerned about the
poor quality of patient care at
Mills Memorial Hospital, last
month demanded the resignation
of acting CEO Tom Novak and
the nine health council members.

The Health Watch Group con-
demned Novak for not providing
effective health care to area resi-
dents. Novak is accused of being
more concerned with balancing
the hospital budget and cutting
services than improving care.

Writing in- response to the
group's criticisms, health council
chair Bob Kelly noted Novak’s
contract with the ministry of

No plans to resign,

health is good until June 2000.
However, when Mills’ CEO re-
signed last year to work in Prince
George, Novak took over the head
administrative role.

“Tom will continue in this po-
sition while the [health] council
conducts a search for 2 permanent
replacement,” Keily wrote.

The Health Watch Group also
called for the resignation of all
health council members, arguing
that over the past six years they
allowed the health care crisis in
Terrace to climax before deciding
in December 1999 to hold an
emergency meeting with other
health councils in the area.

In response, Kelly wrote: “To
suggest that the Terrace and Area
CHC did not react until there was
a crisis is incorrect. We have
been continually meeting and

From front

some complaints
unfounded — MLA

burn-out stage coming.”

Although administrators at Mills say the nurses short-
age at the hospital is a problem across the country,
Mohler said health care must be a number one priority.

The Terrace and Area Health Watch Group is sending
the letters they have received criticizing Mills Memorial
Hospital to provincial health minister Penny Priddy and
federal minister Allan Rock.

Mohler said local MLA Helmut Giesbrecht fails to
understand how critical the situation is at Mills.

Giesbrecht said he’s received only 12 letters from lo-
cal residents condemning the treatment they received at
Mills. “I was expecting a lot more,” he said.

Nine of those 12 letters had enough specific informa-
tion in them, listing names, dates and times of the incid-
ents, which are needed so the hospital can respond to
specific concerns.

He encourages people to write to him about specific
problems with the hospital. “I need to separate fact from
fiction,” he said. “If there are legitimate issues, we have
to check with them.”

Giesbrecht said he’s heard people complain about is-
sues completely unrelated to funding, like the fact that
Kitimat isn’t able to recruit an orthopedic surgeon.

He said he’s asked Priddy for more money for Mills,
but he’s been refused because the hospital has been
criticized as being inefficient.

He added that Tom Novak was hited by the ministry
to do an operational review and to get the hospital’s fi-
nances in order — and that is what he’s doing. ,

Giesbrecht said health care delivery services are very
complex. “We already spend more money on health care
than any other province,” he.said... a. sas.

He. said, the Terrace and Area Health. Watch Group,
doesn’t improve the health..care situation,’ especially
since some of their facts aren’t straight.

“I haven’t been impressed with their involvement so
far,” Giesbrecht said.

“Some of the information is totally off the wall.”

He said the Heath Watch Group should start working
with the health council, which runs Mills, instead of
criticizing it.

“Having people sitting on the sidelines making grand
pronouncements is not particularly productive,” he said.

Snowmobilers rescued

THREE snowmobilers spent an unexpected night of win-
ler camping north of town last week.

The irio, stranded by mechanical trouble Jan. 3 in the
mountains northeast of Rosswood, had expected two oth-
er members of their party to return with parts that even-
ing to make repairs.

Those two riders got down and tried to return but de-
cided the avalanche risk had become too great.

Search master John Trewhitt said Terrace Search and
Rescue volunteers and a local avalanche technician
flew in by helicopter to early Wednesday to retrieve the
two Prince Rupert and one Terrace snowmobilers.

Locating the trio was relatively easy because the two
companions were able to give searchers GPS (Global
Positioning System) coordinates to pinpoint the location.

“It was good that they stayed where they did,” Tre-
whitt noted. “They didn’t have too bad a night. They got

YOU

The Kinsmen Club of Terrace would
like to thank these Businesses and
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Alvin Zaharko TV7/NTV

Coastal Bus Lines Twighlighe Spas &

Alan Chapman Pump Supply

Mount Layton Blue Ridge Ventures
Hotsprings Leds.

City of Terrace . ©. Terrace Ambulance

West Point Rentals. Valhalla Pure

Mix 590 “ Outfitters -

CJFW-FM Quantum Helicopters

Norco Septic . Terrace Search And

Red Carpet Coffee - Rescue

Terrace Standard

A special thanks to these Employers of
the Kinsmen and Kinettes who helped
stage this event. We value your continued

support.

Royal Bank Web North

Excel Transportation ‘Nechako Northcoast
Inc. ... Red Carpet Coffee

Vic Hawes OD Janitor’s Warehouse

Universal Dynamics “= ‘Valhalla Pure Quitfitters

Skeena Cellulose __- Bank of Nova Scotia

[NIV _ - 7

CHC officials say

working with other CHCs and the
CHS5S (Community Health Serv-
ices Society) in the region to
reach a consensus on regional
issues.”

The group also criticized the
health council for spending
$10,000 on a public relations per-
son and proposing to spend more
than $100,000 on moving admin-
istrative offices from the hospital
to Sleeping Beauty Lodge.

“If there are funds avaifable or
approved by the ministry, they
need to be used to hire full-time
nurses and increase hospital beds
to facilitate the health care de-
mands in the northwest,” stated
the Health Watch Group,

Kelly responded stating the ad-
ministration is considering relo-
cating its offices so that the men-
tal health service currently locat-

Navel Oranges

ed on Kalum Street may move
into the hospital to provide a more
efficient program for clients.

On the decision to hire a PR
person, Kelly said the public de-
serves current and accurate infor-
mation on health council affairs.

“It is standard practice for hos-
pitals (and many other organiza-
tions) fo have a person or persons
responsible for public relations,”
Kelly wrote. “Therefore in our
current year’s budget we provided
for the hiring of someone, on a

’ contract basis, for an average of

one day a week.”

The Health Watch Group has
also asked the ministry to order a
full investigation, by an impartial
private accounting firm, to look
into accounting practices at Mills.

Kelly said the council wel-
comes any financial audit the
Group wishes to conduct on Mills’
accounting practices.

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