mC ER ee Pan Display Advertising 980-0511 NEWS photo Paul McGrath Cypress procession IT SURE hus been a long, hard climb. A procession of riders made their way up Cypress Bowl Road last Saturday during the first stage of the 1993 B.C. Cycling dill Climb championships. Scott Goguen of Team Magicuts won the 11.2 km (6.9-mile) climb in a time of 31 minutes and 14 seconds. FIELD OF DREAMS Lynn Valley Little League coach Kathy Barnard relives that championship season. Classifieds 986-6222 Elective surgery, WV SHOW PLACE Tom Lightburn set to Te-open three screens at the Park Royal Theatre. 25 Distribution 986-1337 ambulatory care affected by Health Care Accord LIGNS GATE Hospital (GH) will close its doors to all non-emergency services every fifth Friday in the wake of employee work-day cuts set Care Accord. LGH president Bob Smith said that on approximately every fifth Friday the hospital will close what he termed the ‘'9-to-5S’’ aspect of hospital operations. The closures will include elective surgeries and ambulatory care programs. He said the 24-hour patient care services provided at the hospital will continue as normal. He said the new schedule will start on Oct. }. “On the best of our informa- tion at the moment, we have been able to reorganize ourselves suf- ficently to continue to adequately meet the needs of the communi- ty,’’ said Smith. ‘Only time will tell.’ But North Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP MLA David Schreck ex- pressed some concerns about the wholesale closing of non- emergency services at the hospital. “If it is an attempt to put on political pressure, then they better be aware that people will simply ‘seek services at other hospitals,’’ said Schreck. “Hence it will become a self- fulfilling prophecy that they won’t need that funding.’” Schreck said the public has the option of going to Vancouver hospitals to avoid inconveniences at LGH. ‘ He said travelling to Vancouver may also be inconvenient, but pa- tients would not have ‘‘to put up with outrageous behavior’? at the North Vancouver hospital. Schreck also criticized LGH’s policy of having patients sign out in the provincial Heaith By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter limited power of attorney forms before being admitted to the hos- pital. The forms allow doctors who have opted out of the Medical Services Plan to bill the plan di- rectly. Meanwhile, Smith said services affected by the Friday closures include: © out-patient physiotherapy; @ occupational therapy; ® some medical day centre pro- grams; ® elective surgery; @ hospital administration vices. Smith said the Friday closures were a reasonable way to comply with a shorter week allotted .to health care workers in the Health Care Accord (Health Labor Ac- cord). The shorter work week amounts to a 4.17% reduction in opera- tions. . Smith said the hospital could not afford 4.17% increases in staff to make up for the lost work hours. . . But he said the reduced work week and Friday non-emergency closures would still increase the hospital’s expenditures by about 2.6%; ser- Smith said all hospital staff, in- cluding administration, will have reduced work weeks. Ex-Shaughnessy staff assigned to Lions Gate LIONS GATE Hospital will have to employ as many as 20 former Shaughnessy General Hospital (SGH) workers without any additional budget from the provincial govern- ment. “This came as kind of a rocket out of the blue.’’ said LGH presi- dent Bob Smith last week. “Integrating them into Lions Gate in a somewhat high level of uncertainty will be a_ difficult challenge for everybody at Lions Gate to make them welcome, pro- ductive and happy,’’ said Smith. Smith expressed concerns about the hospital’s ability to pay former SGH staff members who will be out of work this month. “T frankly feel there should be a By Anna Marie D’Angelo News Reporter better resolution to this problem. The health industry should do its best to accommodate these people and the ministry should do its best to help finance the transition,’” said Smith. But North Vancouver-Lonsdale See 400 workers page 3°