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"Scugog"s Community Newspaper of Choice" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, September 12, 2000 - 3 Community care in Durham gets funding boost By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Community care officials and workers are still awaiting details on how $92.5 mil- lion in government funding for their sector will be dispersed. Liz Fulford, administrator of Durham Region Community Care - which distributes funds to Community Care in Scugog - said that while the announcement of more funds made last week by Health Minister Elizabeth Witmer sounds like a healthy infusion of cash, it remains to be seen how 'much support will trickle down to local "organizations. Durham's portion of the $92 million infu- sion of funding will be more than $2.8 mil- lion. Community Care organizations provide care and services to seniors, as well as other community health programs. The province announced the funding in response to deficits being run up by some community care organizations, and to address staffing and program delivery concerns. But it remains to be seen just how much benefit will be derived by local organiza- tions such as those in Durham, said Ms Fulford. "We are please to see the announce- ment coming out, but we don't have any details" on the way in which the new provincial funding will be spent, she said. "It's (last week's announcement) a signif- icant investment in base budgets," said Ms Fulford. "We haven't seen that in years." Community care organizations have seen their mandate increased greatly over the past few years. The province has carried out sweeping changes to the health care sector, introduc- ing a policy of extended community care to deliver services that previously were pro- vided by hospitals. The result has been an increasing num- ber of seniors and other people who require services that must be provided by the community organizations, said Ms Fulford. That, combined with a growing seniors' population requiring services, has left community care organizations stretched thin with regard to funds and human resources. She said the province is now being forced to address funding issues that were created by its restructuring. "It's a tremendously complicated situa- tion," said Ms Fulford. "It is a tremendous change that's happened in the health care sector, and it takes time to address that." Getting MADD: Rash of deaths prompts move By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star It's time to get MADD. After a summer that's seen eight lives lost in accidents involving impaired drivers, a Brooklin woman is leading an effort to establish a chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Durham Region. Nancy Codlin has orga- nized a meeting of people interested in forming a chapter of the group, which battle drunk driving through information cam- paigns and political lobby- ing, to take place in the Brooklin Community Centre at 7:30 Wednesday night. Ms Codlin said she's long thought some action on impaired driving ought to be taken locally. But this summer, which saw 22 deaths on Durham Region's roads, including a triple fatality caused by a drunk driver north of Port Perry, spurred her to do something about it. "It's a very important issue to me, but over the last five or six weeks the number of accidents in Durham Region really prompted me to take action," said Ms Codlin. "The deaths this sum- mer really prompted me to get this going." Among the tragic stories this summer was a crash north of Port Perry in early August that claimed the life of an Oshawa man and his son. The driver of the truck that crossed the cen- tre line and slammed into their van had been report- ed to police for driving drunk, and had even been charged with impaired dri- ving just 48 hours before the collision. That man also died. A few weeks later an infant girl was killed when a truck, allegedly being driven by a drunk driver, drove through a stop sign and slammed into a car south of Blackstock. A committee of eight people has helped Ms Codlin in the initial stages of establishing a chapter of MADD here. The national organization conducts information campaigns to help combat drinking and driving, and also raises funds to help put more police officers with breath- alyzer equipment on the highways to catch impaired drivers. Another prominent aspect of MADD's work is political. The group lob- bies both provincial and federal governments for stiffer sentences for those convicted of impaired dri- ving, especially when someone is hurt or killed as a result of their actions. Ms Codlin sees that as an important role for a new chapter here. "I think one of our big efforts will be to lobby local politicians and police departments for more action on traffic issues," she said. Ms Codlin said response from the community so far has been positive, and that Durham Regional Police have been supportive as well. Tomorrow night's meeting is an organization- al session, to provide infor- mation and gauge commu- nity interest in the new MADD chapter. A charter meeting will be held soon. The meeting takes place at the community centre on Cassels Rd. in Brooklin, beginning at 7:30. For more information, you can call Nancy Codlin at 655-8873. 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