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at ee obpinton Health care isn't the only issue here..7@ Health care. That's a hot issue right now along the North Shore and especially in Terrace Bay. Letters have been written by concerned individuals and these letters have been received by the Ministry of Health, the township Council, the Ambulance service, Dr. Copeman (who looks after the recruitment of new doctors to underserviced areas such as ours), to the local press, among others. Some people feel that the health care just isn't up to snuff in this area. These concerns along with various others were discussed at last week's Council meeting, here in Terrace Bay. Don Ross was in attendance to defend the hospital and Dave Stewart was there to defend his position as a member of the hospital board. Much was discussed. Much was resolved. Much was left untouched. A lot can be said for the health care that the residents along the North Shore are receiving. We have a well equipped hospital right here in Terrace Bay. We have some excellent people staffing the hospital. What we don't have is this: We don't have a sufficient number of doctors to staff the area's demands. We have two full-time doctors who both have full hospital privileges. We have one part-time doctor who is in private practice and who doesn't work through the hospital. According to Board policy this area can withstand three full time doctors. This we don't have, but are guaranteed that everything is being done to rectify this situation. Much money, effort and time have been put into the recruitment of new doctors to this area. And this is an ongoing problem for all underser- viced communities. It's not an easy task to get doctors into this wilderness. And if we do succeed, we have to figure out a way to keep them here. The first thing that will attract them is. the money. That's not surprising when you consider what it cost them to get to where they are. Thousands of dollars, student loans, costly equipment to set up their practices ... it all adds up ... and it all has to be paid back. They pretty well have to be guaranteed that their clientele will be sufficient. They also have to live up here, and they in turn will be looking at various things such as schools, services, climate, availability of specialists, etc. Their families must also be sold on the North, and sometimes that isn't an easy task. Nobody wants to live in the North ... work their buns off ... and get nothing in return. Doctors are no different from the thousands of others who have moved into this area, hoping to make a life for themselves. And if another opportunity arises for them to advance themselves in another location, then yes, they will leave us and we in turn will go through the entire process of doctor recruitment again ... and again ... and again. The average stay for any doctor in Northwestern Ontario small communities, is three years, as has been proven by statistics. This has to be overcome. And answers to that question, we definitely need. But the whole issue lately has not just involved the recruitment of new doctors. It has dealt with the health care that the residents have been receiving. Through numerous conversations with concerned individuals, I have been hearing about the poor ambulance service - response time, etc. I too am concerned about this. Nobody should have to put up with an inadequate service (if this is what we now have). Personally, I think that we could do worse. We could be operating on air-ambulance only. We could also be operating without an ambulance service altogether. But we're not. So we must justify our complaints with facts and figures, and then be prepared to attack the people responsible for the inadequacies of this ser- vice. Another hot issue is the presence of only one doctor for Terrace Bay. Another fallacy. We in fact have two full time doctors. Dr. Lau, who operates out of Schreiber Medical Clinic with full hospital privileges and Dr. Wilkes who operates out of the McCausland Clinic with the same rights. So in fact, Terrace Bay does have two doctors, along with one who is in private practice. But we are indeed in need of a third and as Ross stated, the Board is actively in search of this third doctor. What more could we ask for? Well, to start off with, we could ask for better lines of communications between all parties involved. The hospital board has a job to keep those lines of communications open with the public. I find no evidence that this is being done, and this is necessary for small communities. Let's work together and get these questions resolved. Henpecking isn't becoming and back stabbing doesn't get anyone anywhere. Pull together and voice your concerns. And in turn, don't stop if you can't get the answers that you need. It's our money that is being spent on these programmes and the hospital. And it's up to you, the individual to find out how and why that money is being used. Stand up and defend yourselves. Nobody's going to help you if you don't ask for help. - The Terrace Bay-Schreiber News is published every Wednesday by: Laurentian Publishing Co. Ltd., Box 579, Terrace Bay, Ontario. POT 2W0. Telephone: (807) 825-3747. EDITOR AND MANAGER.................--0:2 0+ eee eees Karen E. Park EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ................- 202 ee eee ee eee Lynne Badger ADVERTISING SALES................ 0... 0.20 cee cece Sharon Mark PRODUCTION MANAGER........................00 eee eee Mary Melo [ cap) DEADLINE: Friday NOON ent Subscription rates: $12.00 per annum (local); $18.00 3 y) per annum (out-of-town). Second Class Mail CNA. Registration No. 0867. anchor Time for God A common excuse for not attending church is lack of time. Before making such an excuse, it may be useful to consider how North Americans spend their time. If God granted you a life of 70 years, statisticians have determined that these 70 years would be distributed in this way: Three years would be spent in education; Eight years in amusements; Six years at the dinner table; Five years in transportation; Four years in conversation; Fourteen years in work; Three years in reading; Twenty-four years in sleeping. How much time do you give to God? If you went to church every week and prayed for five minutes every morning and evening, you would be giving five months to God; five months out of 70 years of your life. As you can see, even with perfect church attendance, only a small proportion of your life is given to God. And how many people who do not attend church can honestly say they spend ten minutes every day in prayer? In some ways the Christian life is much like anything else that we do. If you take music lessons you know that you must practise every day. As you go to school the farther you advance, the more time you must devote to your studies. The same is true of the Christian life. But for some reason many people think that they don't have to devote any time to being a good Christian. On the contrary, unless you devote some time to Christ, unless you devote some time to being a Christian, you may not be one. Duane Peters, * Holy Gospel Lutheran Fellowship You-still watch sports on TV? I -don't. Gave it up. It wasn't so 'much the sports themselves or even the brainless beer commer- ' cials that drove me away. It was - ; the "color" commentators. ' - You know -- the retired quart- 'erback or the ex-defenseman or , the over-the-hill centerfielder that the TV networks hire to add depth | and profundity to the play-by- play? Some profundity. 'Well Ed, that's some kinda game shaping up out there."' '*You said it Brent. These are two teams that came to play. These are the kind of guys who always give a-hunnerd and ten "per cent. You know what they say, Brent -- when the going gets tough, the tough get going -- well, these guys are tough with a jreach down inside and find that 'extra something ... and believe 'me, that can be plenty tough to dee-fence against."' "Would you say Ed that we're 'gonna see a game of young legs versus wiley vets?" "T'd say so Brent." Basically you've got a squad on one side that can strike quick and hit hard. And they're up against a club that's been around the block. But both teams are mean and both teams are hungry. So it's like you 'said Brent -- we are gonna have 'us some kinda super game."' "Thanks Ed."' "No problem Brent."' That, more or less, is how the dialogue goes ... and it doesn't matter much whether it's a football game or a hockey match or a chess championship that Media mangling And we're not the only ones who've noticed. There's a fellow by the name of Bill Shirley who works on the Sports Desk of the Los Angeles Times. Shirley's been collecting examples of 'sports commentary at its less- than-best for years. Herewith some of his favourite jock "blur- tations'? -- subsection: dumb questions. One sportscaster approached Rod Laver, who had just won a tennis match 6-0, 6-0, and inquir- - ed: "What was the turning point?" A TV reporter thrust a micro- phone under the nose of Ameri- can track star Rick Wolhuter and iasked: "Do you train differently for the 800 meters than you do for the 888 yard run?"' To golfer Gene Littler, going Se, ee a ST eee De ee be two strokes in front or two 'strokes behind?" Sometimes, Shirley reports, the foot-in-mouth announcers pay for . their stupidity. Such as the time 'one of them asked Philadelphia Phillies manager Gene Mauch about one of his player "hold- outs". "What's he holding out for 'Gene - more money?"' Mauch narrowed his eyes to little slits, fixed them on the reporter and replied: "No. Less." Media types with dumb quest- ions got even rougher treat- 'ment from Herman Franks when he managed the San Francisco Giants. Whenever Franks got a 'real clunker, he would shout '""WHAAAAAT?"' -- grab the \reporter by the arm and drag him iinto the locker room: yelling "] 0S ee ee ee ee | Casey Stengel. One day the immortal Yankee manager got cornered by a reporter. It happen- .ed in 1956, right after the Yank- ees had defeated the Dod- gers in a World 'Series game. "'Casey" gasped the reporter breathlessly, "was that the best game you ever saw Don Larsen pitch?"' What you have to know is that the final score was 2-0 and the aforementioned Larsen had just pitched a perfect game. Bill Shirley doesn't say what .Casey Stengel said in reply, but it's probably just as well. 1 doubt if I could print it in a