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Wednesdsay July 28, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A3 Milton-Oakville hospital merger seen as success B y K a re n S m ith SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER The amalgamation of Milton District and Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospitals was a model merger, say past and present officials with Halton Healthcare Services (HHS). As HHS's first anniversary approach­ es, the people who oversaw the govern­ ment-ordered marriage say their pro­ active attitude and co-operation have made the merger the envy of others. "Our merger has gone quite well compared to other hospitals that are hav­ ing great difficulties," said HHS associ­ ate chief of staff Dr. Don Robertson. "We took an attitude that it had to be done. We had no choice in the matter. It wasn't our decision; it was forced. We had to be okay with it and we did it." The Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC), a body of medical professionals appointed by the provincial government, ordered the amalgamation in January, 1998 as part of a major over­ haul of Ontario's health care system. After the community feared the com­ mission would close or at least partially shut down Milton hospital, the merger announcement came as a relief. However, many local citizens still feared an amalgamation with a hospital more than double Milton's size wouldn't work in their favour. The bottom line was Miltonians valued their 40-year-old hometown hospital and felt threatened. "I couldn't go to the grocery store without having a half-hour dialogue with somebody about how terrible it was," said Milton Family Practice Program leader Cindy McDonell. The truth of the matter, according to former HHS co-chair Norm Flemington, is that Milton has actually come out ahead. "The services to the Milton resident have increased substantially," he said. Among the benefits has been a notice­ able improvement in access to mental health services and diagnostic tests for Milton patients. All and all, he said, Milton hospital already operated effectively, but there was much to be gained by partnering with a hospital such as Oakville. "Oakville was a far meaner, leaner and efficient hospital than we were," he said. The amalgamation has so far pro­ duced a savings of $780,000 of which $640,000 was reinvested in clinical ser­ vices, said HHS senior vice-president Alan Halls. "There was a conscious decision to make it work -- to be proactive," he said of the amalgamation. But the two hospitals were already sharing resources and working toward further partnerships long before the merger came into being, said former board of directors co-chair Sandra Farley. "If you take it back to day one that figure would be much larger," she said. Even still, the purpose of the amalga­ mation wasn't based on cost-saving, McDonell said. It focused on efficiency, quality and access to health services. Halton Medical Society president Dr. Garnet Maley said he sees the amalga­ mation in a different light. For Milton, he said the merger has resulted in the loss of an obstetrics unit, downsizing of beds and a lack of admin­ istrative presence. "For the longest time if you raised a problem, there was no one you could talk to about them," he said. Hospital officials argued the obstet­ rics unit closure had nothing to do with the amalgamation. It was a long-standing problem -- an open obstetrics position hard to fill due to the heavy demands placed on one specialist being on call around the clock without substantial reward. Halls said that, if anything, the merg­ er helped attract an obstetrician to Milton. It presented more opportunity for a physician, hence a more attractive job posting. The obstetrics department will re­ open with the recent hiring of an obste­ trician this fall, but few local family doc­ tors are planning to deliver babies for various personal reasons, Dr. Maley countered. McDonell said Dr. Maley's complaint that the number of Milton beds has decreased is simply not true. She said the obstetrics department was used for over­ flow when patient demand was high and that hasn't changed despite the unit clos­ ing. 'There's been times when we re­ opened the obstetrics unit for overflow patients," she said. "We have to take them." But his concern that staff in Milton are troubled over a lack of administrative presence may be legitimate, hospital offi­ cials said. Staff have missed having Halls, for­ mer Milton hospital administrator, on site now that he's spending much of his time in Oakville as HHS senior vice-presi­ dent. But steps like installing a new phone system linked between the two hospitals should help improve communication, Halls said. "I'm only a phone call away," he said. Dr. Maley said he understands such problems are being worked on and only time will tell if the solutions are success­ ful. Dr. Robertson, who was co-chair of the amalgamation's transition team, admitted the merger hasn't been a total bed of roses, but the sometimes rocky relationship between Milton and Oakville doctors has improved. "We've gotten to know each other a lot better," he said. A bone of contention during the amal­ gamation was the refusal of Oakville spe­ cialists, like obstetricians, to provide back-up in Milton. But the bottom line, according to hospital officials, was they just didn't have the time to serve both sites. "If you think it through you can see that's the case," McDonell said. Meanwhile, specialists have and con­ tinue to be hard to attract to small com­ munities -- a situation HHS officials hope will change with Milton's planned expansion. The transition team oversaw the appointments of new positions in con­ junction with the merger such as choos­ ing one chief of staff for both sites and forming a sole medical advisory board. Through the transition, board of directors co-chairs Flemington and Farley shared the lead board position to ensure both sites had an equal voice in the merger. But both gave up their posts at the end of their terms last month and Christa Wessel was announced as the new lone chair. Farley is now chair of the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance. Whether the amalgamation will prove to be beneficial in the long run has yet to be determined, Dr. Robertson said. "We'll know in another three to five years whether this was a poor choice by the Ministry (of Health)," he said. A lot of work is still ahead, added Halls. Photo by Peter J. Thompson TR E A S U R E S FOR BUYERS! Victoria Duggan (right) and friends Joshua Duggan and Laura De'ath show off some of the items which were on sale at their garage sale Saturday. Thanks to selling off their unwanted toys, they helped raise about $800 for Ian Anderson House, a cancer hospice in east Oakville. Flotation devices at parks The Red Cross has initiated a new program that per­ mits visitors to Bronte Creek and other Provincial parks to borrow a personal flotation device (PFD). The PFDs are available from infant to adult sizes for a refund­ able deposit of $25 per jacket. At Bronte Creek Provincial Park in Oakville, you can use a PFD while at the pool by depositing photo ID or keys with the lifeguards. This year, we are targeting adult men. Typically, men are the least likely to wear a PFD when around the water, whereas families with young children tend to be our best c u s t o m e r s . "Women often wear PFDs to set a good example for youngsters," says Denyse Boxell, program advisor for Injury Prevention for Ontario Red Cross. Upon entering the park, visitors receive informa­ tion about P e r s o n a l F l o a t a t i o n Devices and are encouraged to outfit themselves and accompany­ ing children with a PFD. The PFDs are supplied by Protexion Inc., makers of Buoy- O-Buoy PFDs. The program is supported by the Ontario Parks and the Canadian Coast Guard. '90 BUICK LESABRE LIMITED 4-DR '94 GRAND CARAVAN ALL-WHEEL DRIVE 7-pass., V6 auto., AM/FM cass, air, cruise, tilt, P/W, P/L, P/seat, tinted glass, quad seatinn. ttie full load! This "biggest and best" ot our mini vans is white outside, burgundy inside, has below average kmson it, "all wheel drive', the once is at rock bottom NOW! t _ _ _ '97 DODGE NEON 4-DR '98 PLYMOUTH NEON 4-DR. Automatic, air-conditioned, AM/FM cass., and lots more. A brand new one today costs around $19,000! W ith only 29,000 original kms. 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