Letters_10-06

Back to HomeLetters - February 11, 2010Letters: February 11

Re: Another year, another request from Pine Meadow, Ernest Lapchinski

Re: Land O’ Lakes Public School on the chopping block, David Daski

Re: Another year, another request from Pine Meadow (Frontenac County Council, Frontenac News, Jan. 28, 2010)

Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski said she had “mixed feelings” about Pine Meadow Nursing Home's (PMNH) request to Frontenac County for modest funding to support upgrading and functioning of PMNH.

She states that PMNH is not a government facility! PMNH is a government facility as much as any long-term care facility in Ontario is a government facility! It is community owned [local government] under the aegis of Land o’Lakes Community Services (LOLCS) who hold its government licence, and it is not for profit. Both these facts are very much favoured by the Ministry of Housing (MOH) and our Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). PMNH, like all Ontario nursing homes is governed by MOH regulation.

All citizens of Ontario are being taxed for funding the nursing homes...no question about that, whether it be locally or provincially. The taxes of citizens of Frontenac County that live in close proximity to PMNH go to support Fairmount, which they don't use. They use and prefer PMNH. Here it seems that some consideration should be be given to have some of their taxes support PMNH, even modestly.

PMNH is managed by a local volunteer management committee responsible to the LOLCS. The committee uses Extendicare Canada for many consultative services, which saves tens of thousands of dollars for the nursing home annually. Extendicare does NOT manage PMNH. The services provided are not easily available in our remote/rural area.

It is difficult to understand Mayor Gutowski's statement “I don't have the same level of comfort for the facility [PMNH] that I do with Fairmount”. PMNH has run within budget since 1998. I don't believe that Fairmount Nursing Home can say that. Fairmount receives considerably more revenues [taxes] from Frontenac County above the MOH funding that every nursing home gets according to formula, and, I understand, still has difficulty staying on budget. Perhaps the mayor should reassess where her discomforts should lie. As well, the mayor might examine our accreditation record, which is exemplary.

Because of PMNH's situation, embracing both Lennox-Addington and Frontenac Counties, PMNH necessarily and willingly serves seniors from both counties. At times as many as 63% of its residents have come from Frontenac alone, and yet not even modest funding support is considered by that county. 

The development of the LHINs, replacing the health councils, was in great measure to use our health dollars to maximum benefit for all. If that means at times crossing county borders for practical use of funds, so be it. The times of “empire and silo building” and covetously holding back moneys from where they may be needed are over.

Those of us associated with PMNH and its management see the need for sharing funds as only fair, when, in all fairness, PMNH has always willingly served senior Frontenac citizens as it does those of Lennox-Addington regardless of funding.

We invite the mayor to come and visit PMNH and observe its exemplary care.

Ernest Lapchinski, MemberPMNH Management Committee

Re: Harper erodes democracy 

It was a great pleasure to read the well-informed letter from Patrick Maloney (Re: “Harper erodes democracy”, Feb. 4, 2010). Coherent, well-informed letters are so much more useful than rants based on dogma that has been learned but not critically evaluated.

Gray Merriam