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'..~--' 4 probably stay downtown:. e. -l)r conshff is delaycd dete ýt. CanabTaî~Ç ~ dr w.- pWý1~- ~ vv '1V A Metroland Comimunity Newspaper Vol. 142 No. 87 TuesdayJan uary 15, 2002 36 Pages $1M.0 (GST included) Ilospitals trying to bounce back from $2.8 million deficit The Champion With a looming $2.8 milion deficit, Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) is looking to recover some of its expenses. "This is an unusual circumnstance for us," said HHS CEO John Oliver, adding this is the first deficit in five years. "We knew gomng mnto the year that if we were gomng to provide the saine level of services aa last year, that we would be mun- ning a deficit." In an effort to reduce the projected short- fali, HHS has mncreased the cost of parking at its facilities, sought mncreaaed provincial funding and altered where sampling for lahoratory testing is taken. Radier than outpatient samples being taken as HHS facilities - which would forward samples to a private laboratorY for testing - patients are being sent directly to the private labs. OHIP pays for testing B3ut that doesn't mnean the individuals are now paying for a service HIHS would have previously provided, Mr. Oliver stressed. Testing is paid for either through 0H1> or insurance coverage. Several factors have contributed to the projected deficit, Mr. Oliver said, including "fairly significat"f inflationary pressures - which cost HHS about $2.5 million - and the addition of several new programns over the past year. Timing alan played a part. "We were about six months into the year before we knew what Our final funding waa (fromn the Ministry of Health and Long- Termi Case). "A lot of that deficit occurred in the firai six, seven months of the year and we can' "This is an unusua circumtanfce for us."9 recover the first part of this year." Without knowing how much funding will be received. it's difficuit to set an appropriate budget, Mr. Oliver added. "We're facing the saine problemn going mnto next year. We know we will have fair- ly significant inflationary and annualiza- nion pressures and we aren't anticipating fmnal ministry funding for some period of tunie into the year. "If we knew what our Ministry of Health funding was going in as the start of the year, it would take much of this uncertain- ty away ftomn us." Comment .......6 Oatflino ....... 12 Classifid ..20-22 * dIu mUW .Umhq *PuahIhMA @FM $M OUO Nu WI .m eowclnd«IV .Ft~swsh Slstsd M as e oly fti)rsWiîii the kyo ke ft o o* W w1 Fo mm noratn las cl9054854443f9 wq- - - -