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PAGE 2, WHITY FREE PRESS,IWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER a; i()"so Chairan: reýventat ive ýcare wili'bringrsut flY, RjuMe AOWD.ISi committee responsible for impie- Maýny psychiatrie hospital mnentingý the community coni- oadm4oeinns i.rild A l14vnaftA P ka 6%ov;fne by ephasizing preventative care, sayS'a former Whitby Psy- chiatrie Hiosptal officiai. 1By stressing preventative care, community-based mental health services would ease the strain on traditional facilities such -as Whitby's, says Dr. Peter Chang. Chang delivered that message Friday to the annual meeting of the hospital's cornmunity advl- sory board. A former hospîtal employee, Chang is now chMairan of -the Fopment program. pora essentially involves three aspects. he 344-bed hosàpital will, be replaced by a smaller 325-bed facility within the next five- years. Psychiatric wings in area general hospitals will be impro- ved while some of the services now offered by the hospital wil be provided In the comrnunity by such organîzations as'theê Cana- ~AMADEUS~- ---1756 SEAFOOD and STEAKHOUSE 1180 Simcoe St. N. Oshawa 436-9333 436-9065 - mRast Prime Beef (Canada Grade A) New York Steak and Shrimps Broiled Seafood Plate Open 7 das week * Banquet Facilities Available dian Mental Health Association. And, according teoChang, it is «Iessential" that the community programns. provide some form of preventative care. "We need té provide something for people. so they. don't require institutional care, s0 there's- no need to use long-terni beds,» said Chang.e trsigthat he was not blaming* any one group for the current situation, Chang said people with psychiatrie problems often have no choice abobut where they endup. When patients faîl through the -cracks, when they have no, where else to go, qthere is always the provincial 'psychiatrie faci- likere's a big gap out there and it's not being fiuled.» Chang said many 'admissions te Whitby Psychiatrie Hospital.or te, the psychiatrie wards of general hospitals could be avoi- This could be accomplished by more and botter cornmunity- based progranis which eniphas- ise prevention, said Chang. Noting that Whitby hospital is te be "down-sizecrý within five years, Chang said it is impera- tive that these progranis be in place as quickly as possible. "Once you de-institutionalize people from a psychiatrie centre, the question is 'who looks after therd?' "We have to make sure that the facilities are out there for theni.» Chang Îàid his committee will not likely implement everything contained in the August 1989 report on the community aspect of the hospital's redevelopment. That job will be left to a Regional Administrative Body (RAB) which will be organized by the committee in conjunction with the, Ontario Ministry of j1ealth. ,, JOHN ANDERSON. (left), ehairman of Whitby -Psychi-' atrie Hospital's commuity advisory. board-. and. Dr. Peter Chang study the hospital's annualreport. Chang was guest speaker at the board's annual mieeting-last Friday. A function of RAB will be te co-ordinate delivery of mental health services fo people -with serious mental illness living in the area served by Whitby Psy- chiatrie Hospital. The committee has an April 1992 deadline for having RAB "unpand running,» said Chang. Hieadded that the implemen- tation commiittee . is- asking for Uas many namnes as poýsible» from the public, medica1*profes- sion and community groups touit on a committee that Will organ- ize RAB. Thesenames..will.be subîpitted to Ontario's new heaýth miniter for consideration. - OSHAWA - WHITBY - NEWCASTLE Uni;eWay ATTENTION COMMUTERS Did you know that if you live in onle comrnunity and work in- another, that by instructing United Way c your employer, you -can have your ontribtindirected back to your home community? We need your assistance in reaching our goal of $3.O million all citizens in Oshawa, Whitby and Newcastle. ........... to. help 'l' - a sef\T