Another ‘no’ for Castleview care Scott David Harrison EDITOR Elizabeth Cull says the Castleview Care Centre gam- bled and lost. The local care home con- structed a new 25-bed wing in the hopes of getting govern- ment funding, but that never happened and Cull says it won't in 1992. “It’s really difficult when so- cieties go ahead and build without ministry approval,” Cull said Wednesday, “because when we give approval for capital constructions we also offer operating dollars and those are usually much greater than the cost of con- struction. “What we have been doing across the province is access the needs of each community and set out a list of priorities,” she said. “If we say yes toa community lower on that pri- ority list, than we are short- changing another communi- ty.” Cull said she would wel- come another application for funding from Castleview for 1993. “We will always re-examine cases and see if funding can be provided,” she said. Toby Egelend said that is Castleview’s only hope. The Castleview administrator said it’s a shame to see the empty beds at a time when the facil- ity’s waiting list is growing. “We'll meet with the minis- ter this fall to discuss the sit- uation,” Egelend said. “It doesn't make sense for us to do anything right now, especially when (Cull) is trying to deal with the doctors’ debate. It’s best for us to put things on the back burner and then come out with a bang.” Of the 61 beds at Castle- view, 36 are funded by the province. Castleview currently has a waiting list of some 50 people. RAUTGER HAUER - seen the fisture He'll need 4 ¢ kill it bigger QuUNS SPLIT SECOND i. oe C CHALLENGE VIDEO {Rises} VALLEY VIDEO 1695-B Columbia Ave., Castlegar Ph. 365-3777 Scott David Harrison EDITOR Elizabeth Cull is willing to talk, just not about Bill 71. The controversial bill which caps medical spending at $1.27 billion this year will not be changed according to the B.C. Health Minis- ter. “We've established a budget, and that’s the decision of legislature,” Cull said. “That won't Cull said the only thing she is willing to change is the way the $1.27 billion is distrib- uted throughout the province. To do this, Cull is establishing a nine-per- son Medical Services Commission, consisting of three doctors, three civil servants and three public persons. The commission will monitor the medical budget on a monthly basis to make sure there is no overspending. It will al- so act as a watch dog group over B.C.’s doc- tors. “It will target in on those physicians who are responsible for increased utilization. That’s a real concern because the growth in medical services has been increasing faster than inflation and the growth in population.” Cull said the commission is currently in limbo because the B. C. Medical Association has refused to acknowledge it. She said she hoped to unlock the stalemate next this week when she sits down with BCMA officials. “We're prepared to negotiate fees and ben- efits,” Cull said. “What we're not prepared to - is ee the budget that has been estab- ished.” BCMA favors tiered medical system Scott David Harrison EDITOR Elizabeth Cull says the nine Nanaimo doc- tors who have decided to opt out of medicare are creating a two-tiered health care system. The B.C. Health Minister says the Nanaimo physicians are trying to introduce a U.S.-style medical system to the province, one which favors the rich and deprives the poor. “If we see any evidence that accessibility to health care is being threatened in Nanaimo and any other community then we will consider the options we have used before.” One of those options, said Cull, is banning all direct-billing of patients. “The (B.C. Medical Association) leadership —not all doctors — appears to be interested in a two-tier system, private care and the public system,” Cull said Wednesday. “The govern- ment is not prepared to accept a U.S. style of pay upfront.” Cull also dismissed the notion of user fees. She said the prospect of charging people for emergency care borders on immoral. “The last thing you want to do is provide a disincentive for poor people to seek medical care because they are probably the ones who need it the most,” she said. “User fees, even if it is as little as $5, it’s so easy for some with inadequate health or wealth to see this as a deterrent,” Cull said. “For those families just beyond social assistance who are worried about having enough money for their rent, for their food bill and their kids going back to school, $5 is a lot of money.” SUP ai? MARIS SUMS LP Néis| Classifieds and you could win A Shopping Spree at the Castlegar Safeway SCOUTS CANADA REGISTRATION @ Saturday, September 12, 1992 AroundTOWN Our person for Our People Corinne Jackson 365-7266 RUN FOR LIFE More than 100,000 people are expected to take part in the 12th annual Terry Fox Run that takes place at various sites around B.C. and the Yukon. The event takes place on Sept. 20 and is for all ages. Participants can run, walk, bike, or rollerblade. Pledge sheets are available. For more information call Castlegar co- ordinator Verona Walker at 365- 3386, or 365- 8131. FUN FUNDRAISER PLANNED The Castlegar and District Heritage Society is gearing up for their fall season wind down. The annual fundraiser, slotted for Sept.19, begins, with the traditional flea- market and boardwalk sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Money raised will go towards work on the CP Rail Museum. For more information call 365-6440. OurPEOPLE PAGE By PAGE... Project Literacy West Corinne Jackson NEWS REPORTER at began with a library custodian asking for help has grown to become something of a passion for Sue Port. Port is the Castlegar co-ordinator for Project Literacy West Kootenay. In the spring of 1990, the custodian approached then-librarian Port and asked if she would help her learn to read. Since then, the literacy group has trained 54 tutors and helped some 50 adults learn to read and write. “Reading is so important to me that I can’t imagine living without being able to do it,” Port said. It’s a skill, explains Port, that she and and the other tutors want to share. According to Port, more and more people are coming forward and asking for | |help. More than half of the learners have been people with English as a Second Language, Port said. She says that this figure does not mean that 50 per cent of people suffering from illiteracy have English as their second language. Instead, Port says ESL students have an easier time approaching the group and asking for help. “It’s less of a shame for them because people don’t expect them to speak the language,” she said. Many people expect the Canadian-born individuals to have a good command of the English language, Port said. “More people with English as their first language, however, are coming forward. “There’s been a lot of attention given to literacy in the media and people are realizing that there are thousands just Kootenay making a difference for those in need News photo by Neil Rachynski Connie Demelo (right), a learner in the Project Literacy program, gives some cake to children, as part of the Castlegar library's World Literacy Day celebrations on Tuesday. and are single parents,” she said. ile coping with all this, Post says, “they are also trying to overcome their fear of failure and of all the bad memories of school.” Private tutoring however, has many advantages over public classes, Port said. “One of the strengths of the votunteer tutoring program is that it’s flexible. If someone is working there is no way that they can possibly attend day-school ‘I don’t want people to have to make a second call. It’s hard enough to make the first one’ —Project Literacy’s Sue Port like them,” she said. Although people are beginning to ask for help themselves, many of the learners have been referred to the organization. “We have a lot of spousal referral. Wives will call for their husbands, or grown children will phone for their parents,” Port said. ut, she says, the learner must Bz want to become literate for the program to work. It’s a long and difficult process, Port said “Tutors and learners have met for anywhere from two months to two years,” she said. Port says that learners usually need about two years of tutoring, but realizes that this kind of time is hard for individuals to find. “Many are working full time, have kids programs.” As well, learners are given one-on-one instruction so that they work at their own pace. Another advantage to learners working with Project Literacy is that their names are kept in confidence. “Most (illiterates) have never told anyone that they can’t read. If they’re working, they don’t want the employer to know,” Port said. In order to get in touch with the group, learners merely leave their first name and a telephone number at the library. This information is then passed on to Port. She said that she encourages library staff to get the potential learner to leave their number instead of giving them Port’s number. “I don’t want people to have to make a second call. It’s hard enough to make the first one,” she said. “Sometimes people haven’t wanted to leave their name or number and said they’d phone me and they don’t,” she added. Because learners tend to be between the ages of 25 and 65, the teaching material used is geared to adults. “We use material written by adults who’ve gone back to school and managed to write down the story of their life.” Explaining that these are not “Dick and Jane-type” books, Port said that they “have been a very powerful tool.” The literacy group has also helped children who are having problems with basic reading and writing skills. This summer, a young boy was tutored by a university student, Port said. “The mother came to the library and asked for help for the boy. “The mother and the boy were both thrilled with the program,” she said. ublic awareness has increased as P: result of a provincial campaign, and Castlegar library’s recognition of World Literacy Day. However, Port said that there is still a lot that has to be done. More help for at-risk children is one of them. “If a parent doesn’t read and there are no books in the house, there should be support to help the kid, in their early years, have more exposure to reading,” she explained. Port said that funding in B.C. for the delivery of literacy tutoring is also needed. “The public knows we exist, but we have to let Employment and Immigration and the Ministry of Social Services know that we exist.”