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18 - TeCanadan Champion, Tusday, Novemnber 14, lo alN Ou <',Mega-j ail won't burden lclhealth --odeficit j care, according to By IRENE GENTLE The Champion The transformation of the Maplehurst correctional facility into a mega-jail won't have a mega impact on local healtb care. That's the prediction delivered to the Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) board meeting held last Tuesday in Milton. HHS runs the amalgamated Milton District and Oakville- Trafalgar Memorial hospitals. The launch of 24-hour, on-site healmh care at Maplehurst - including an infinnaey with 17 maie beda, 12 female beds and two criais beda - will take mhe pressure off of Milton hospital (MDH), reported Cindy McDonell, chief onpntin? nffi.,r ni' MflIR hospital oficials "A great number of patients won't be here. They'll be treated at Maplehurat," she taid. "Asauming they get staffing up to, snuff as quickly as postiibie." Built in 1974 to hold about 300 prisoners, Mapiehurst was expsnded to house another 240 in the early 1990s. Today, the site is growing mbt a super-jail mhat should be in full swing next year. At that point it'll house about 1,550 inmates, including 350 femnale prisoners. Currently, the facility offers 16 hours of on-site care, and iii prisoners are frequently taken to MDH for care. They travel with three guards, who oemain in the hospital corr- dors for the duration of the inmate's stay. Changes in the works But ail that is expected to change under the new system. Despite mhe on-site jump in coverage 10, 24-hours, MDH will stili be the hospital of choice for emergency care and other unsup- plied services. 'Mat means use of the intensive care unit will like- iy triple. coinciding with the prison's population jump. But use of other hospital services won't be as strained as initial- ly feared, said Ms McDonell. 'The impact won't be as great as we thought," she said. The renovation of an ares set aside for inmates should keep the disruption of other hospital patients to an absolute minimum, said Ms McDonell. Two rooma, one for femnale and the other for maie inmates, will be built for Maplehurst use. The ares wili shlow guards to do their duty withoui blocking public corridors. "We'll get mhem out of the hall," said Ms McDoneli. "The com- plaints we've had over the past few years have had more to do wimh the guards than the prisoners." There will also be fewer guards in question, as better equipment will whittle the number accompanying prisoners down to two. Also in the works is a negative pressure isolation room to be buiit in the emergency depaetmnent for inmates who may be tuf- fering from tubercuiosis. Because prisoners are a high-risk group, the recommendation is to, ireat aIl prisoners as if they have the disease until tests prove otherwise. The renovations and isolation room should be paid for out of Miisry of Corrections coffers, said HHS CAO John Oliver. And operational cot will be slated into the next operating plan bud- get. Overaîl, capital cot are expected to amount to about $60,000. Operating costa come in at $112,000, mostly for increased staffing in nursing, infection controi, diagnostic and therapeutic departmnents. Teacher talks continue 'Better rather than worse" was the description of the latest bargaining round involving Halton's public secondary teachers. Union leader Larry Chud made the com- ment following contract talks earlier this week with Halton District School Board officiais. "We met for most of the day and went CORRECTION NOTICE In our November 8-21, 2000 fiyer, the following error occurred: - On page 34, the Sony PlayStation 2 ad should read 'Limited quantilies avait- able, one per cuatomer, no dealers, no rainchecca." - On page 46 the Panasonic Deluxe Fuli Size Sensor Microwave NNS960W ad should resd "$279.99 Save $20.00", not $229.99. - On page 48 the Hoover Bagless Wind Tunnel Uprighl Vacuum U5720 does nol have a 'Dirt Sensor. ln our November 9 - December 3, 2000 music flyer, the foliowing error occurred: *On page 20 mhe Sony Pîsytaion 2 ad should read "One par customer, Iimited quantilies, no dealers, no rainchecks!' We sineerely apologize for anyj ineonveniene fusahase eaused aur sulued eustomers. over most of the numbers," said Mr. Chud, president of the Ontario Secondacy School Teachers Federation District 20 (Halton). '"he numbers were exchanged and we had questions about mhe funding model. Il was a very informative day." He bas noted increasing numbers of sec- ondary teacher contrsct settiements else- where will help the Halton situation. "Hamilton secondary teachers have a tentative agreement and people are getting close aIl around us," said Mr. Chud. "We're hopeful thinga will pick up." Two additional dates are being set in early December for contract taîka, which affect between 1,000 to 1, 100 teachers. The next bargaiing date is November 22. The board's bargaining chair, Michael Ellis, said figures requested by mhe union on grant amounta, expenditure allocations and staffing numbers were provided at this week's meeting. "There were discussions on staff alloca- tions and workload provisions and I believe there will be discussions on the monetary aide soon," he said. Be said business services superintendent Wayne McNally was on hand to answer questions. Halton's public secondary teachers have been advised to, make tesching 6.5 classes the priority and decide themselves about in hospital operations By IRENE GENTLE The Champion For the first time in years, the operating plan of Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) should be fully paid for from Ministry of Health coffers. "We're of the opinion mhat mhe oper- ating plan is fsslly funded," said HHS President and CAO John Oliver. "At this point we're nos expecting a deficit. We'll be rolling out our oper- ating plan." 'Me news was warmly welcomed at a HHS board meeting, held at Milton District Hospital last Tuesday evening. ".It's excellent news," said Mr. Oliver. "It's the first time in four or five years that our operating plan bas been met." The resuit is that several projects put on hold until funding was in place are now good to go. "When we approved the opcrating plan, we indicsted there were a num- ber of areas we have not yet impIe- mented pending formaI announce- mente," said Mr. Oliver. "We've met the officiai plan requirements this year, s0 we're marching on." The total coat of the operating plan is about $8 1.6 million. Recent funding announcements included $3 million in growth funding for HHS. 0f that about $700,000 is slated as ongoing emergency funding. From the remaining $2,3 million, about $765,000 bas been set aside for chronic care, and another $311 ,000 for mental health.