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WIIITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1986 PAGE 9 Job actions, continue, doctors wait for arbitration Job actions by psychiatrists and physicians at Whitby Psychiatrie Hospital continue this week while their provincial representatives and of- ficiais at the Ministry of Health study the con- clusions of a fact finding report on the working conditions at Ontario's 10Opsychiatrie facilities., If the report, which was commissioned by the Ontario Psychiatric Hospital Association (OPHA) and the ministry in November and compieted last week, does not convince the province to establish an arbitration board to settle the doctors' con- tracts, they promise to esaaethe sanctions and may resort to strike action. "The possibility of a atrike has neyer been iiscounted but as professionals we don't like to resort to these tactics", said Dr. Stephen .Nugent, president of Whitby Psych's medicai staff. The conclusions of the fact finding report wili not be reieased to the public until later this week but Dr. Nugent was not overiy op- timîstic that it would produce resuits. "We're hopeful that the new (Lîberai) government wiil be dif- ferent but we've had fact finders before and they were totaily ignored by the gover- nment," said Dr. Nugent. The doctors feel they have -been ignored by the province for too long, according to Dr. Nugent. As a resuit he said the general level of patient care is declining, there is mounting dissatisfac- tion among the doctors who are paid as much as 30 percent iess than their counterparts in private practice and even the conditions of the hospitals them- selves is in deciine. Dr. Nugent pointed to Whit- by Psych, with its old buildings and adverse physical working con- ditions, as a case in point and said psychiatrie care in On- tario has become "totaily inadequate". Unless the province is prepared to committ more money to psychiatrie care, Dr. Nugent said the level of that care wiIl only deteriorate further. In their iatest move to put pressure on the province, the doctors have started referring ail invoiuntary patients to the Regional Review Board. Noranally a review would only he innitiated at the request of the patient or where a patient's status as an invoiuntary patient is in question. However, with the ad- vent of psychiatric patient advocates and other rights advisers now employed in the hospitals, OPI-A mem- bers feel that the province has called their integrity into question and are responding in kind. "Normaily doctors have been very concer- ned about the rights of their patients but if the province is hiring these rights advisers they must think that we're not concerned enough. We're now referring everyone to review just s0 there's no question in anyone's mmnd," said Dr. Nugent. As a resuit of the ac- tion, there is now a backlog of patients waiting to go before the provincially instalied review board and Dr. Nugent described board members as being 6 pretty busy. " Other actions taken by the doctors include withholding written surnmaries to the review board and refusing to admitt new patients from hospitals such as Oshawa General which are equipped to handie involuntary psychiatrie patients. Admissions to Whitby Psych are down by as much as 50 percent sin- ce the measure was im- Posed. Board drops site appeal By JAN DODGE Free Press Staff The Durham Board of Education is dropping its appeal to 0MB over an Ajax schooi site, because trustees got what they wanted. The schooi site in question is pianned for the Runnymede sub- division north of High- way 401 and east of Pickering Beach Rd. In announcing the withdrawal Ajax trustee Duncan Read said, "lt's a reallstic resolution of the matter that will best serve the students going to that schooi. " Chairman of the board Ruth Lafarga said there were basicaiiy three reasons why the board had been opposed to the Ajax site offered by Runnymede and approved by the region. The school would have been located right on a feeder road, it would have been iocated in the extreme south-east boundary of the sub- division; and because of the topography it would have been difficult to develop. Lafarga said the new site would be away from the busy road, and would be easier to develop. Bill McLean, mayor of Ajax, said the site had actuaily been moved 250 feet to the west, and the north-south coilector road would be relocated 50 it would not pass in front of the school. McLean said had the board gone to 0MB, it would have put the developer about four months behind sehedule on the subdivision. Ajax, had originaily approved the site, he said, because the town did not believe there would be significant traffic on the collector road and although the topography of the site was not good, Run- nymede had made a committment to grade the site s0 it would be suitable. Last gasp for sehool board smokers Smoking in Durham schoois could be a thing of the past depending on findings of a board of education committee. The Durham board has agreed to have the personnel and ad- ministration committee study the possibiiity of banning smoking in its schools. Whitby trustee Ian Brown, referring to a request by the Ontario Medical Association (0.M.A.) to take such action said, "It's a noble request ... the board has not backed off serious issues before, and I con't think we should 00w." Ruth Lafarga, chair- man of the board, said, 11 have had a lot of requests from smokers that this (board office) be declared a no smoking building, because they're trying to quit." Dr. James. H. Thor- nley, in his ietter from the O.M.A. said the association's council made up of 225 speciaiists and family physicians from ail over Ontario had agreed to recommend "That boards of Education of this province be urged to ban smoking by students, teachers, and staff in the schools." Do you know someone wbo deserves a medal? If you know someone who has made Ontario a better place to live. ... through their selfiessness, humanity and kindness.. .telI us. An Advisory Council of Ontario citizens, whose hon- ourary chairman is the Lieu- tenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourabie Lincoln M. Alexander, selects 12 winners from nominations made by you each year. We need your nominations by March 14, 1986. Nomination forms are available now by writ- ing: Executive Secretary Advi- sory Council, Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship, Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario M7A 1N3. 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