oe et eS rere Seay SUNDAY THE VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER LGH $3.5 M short LIONS GATE Hospital will eliminate up to 45 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions to offset a predicted $3.5 million budget shortfall in the 1989-90 fiscal year. Hospital president Robert Smith said Thursday administration ex- pectations are that the provincial government will approve a $71.5 million basic budget for 734-bed LGH, a five per cent increase over the current $68 million budget. But despite the increase, LGH would still be $3.5 million short if no changes are made to its current operation, Smith said. “The workload at the hospital is increasing,”’ Smith said, ‘tbut the funding is not increasing to meet that workload, so we have to make some decisions."” \ : os Se . LGH president: Robert Smith ... says funding hasn't increased ulong with workload. Lz > At this point, 1! FTE positions will be cut from LGH's 59.4 FFE rehabilitation services, which in- cludes physiotherapy, occupationai therapy and specch therapy, and a further five FTE positions will be cut from social work services. In addition, 39 surgical beds (an entire ward) will be closed perma- nently following the $2.5 million upgrade of the hospital's labor and delivery room sometime in Oc- tober. The closure will account for ap- proximately 30 FTE positions. But LGH has invited the pro- vincial Ministry of Health to review its overall operation and some of its services in May in an attempt to increase funding or the hospital. Depending on the findings of that review, Smith said the FTE cuts could be reduced. News Reporter Smith estimated that, depending on the final budget figure and the health ministry's review in May, the total FTE positions at the hos- pital would be cut from the current 1,546 to 1,812. But he said using the two totals was like comparing apples and oranges, because One was an actual figure while the other was based on a rough estimate from preliminary budgets. He added that all the cuts did not necessarily translate directly to job losses because vacancies elsewhere in the hospital would provide alternative job oppor- tunities. “We will try ta redeploy people where we can,"* he said. But department heads of the areas that will be hardest hit by the budget cuts are concerned about the overall effect on vatuable hos- pital services. Sociat work services head Ina Hollick-Kenyon said her depart- ment, which helps families and pa- tients adjust to the various social and emotional complications that result from illness, has been in- stracted to chop 27 per cent from its herdget. “People are upset, that’s for sure,’’ she said. ‘'Four FTE is a large cut from a small department, We are concerned about how (the cuts) will affect patient services and patient care."” Holtlick-Kenyon estimated social work services personnel, which totals 15 FTE, handles an average of 6f1 patients per month, She said budget reductions and FTE cuts would mean that both full-time and some part-time staff would have to be cut. Smith did not say when the des- ignated jobs would be removed, but added that administration wanted to ‘stay aw2y from doing it in one fell swoop.” In a March 22 News. story, Smith said the hospital programs being reassessed were those whose services were provided elsewhere in the community. The hospital, he said, would also discuss with the health ministry the possibility of providing some ser- vices on a fee basis. > IN LOCAL HOSP Tapes Bay nd Hest emesbade ot tion 986-1337 64 pages 25¢ JEOPA NEWS photo Mike Wakefloid ABERDEEN Demolition’s Brace Goodwin (left) and Jeff Barriscale worked Thursday to remove the metal framework of the iong-ciosed International Plaza Hotel’s entranceway canopy. Owners of the Plaza B complex are close to completing conversion of the hotel’s rooms to apartments. See story page two.