Pontiac Coop Medical still going strong invites new members: The Pontiac Cooperative Medical Services is one of several cooperatives operating in Pontiac County. This particular one met with an identity crisis several years ago with the implementation of medicare in the Province of Quebec. At that time it was considered by many that ordinary privately operated hospital insurance plans would fall by the wayside and in fact disappear. But the Pontiac Coop just sat down and studied what the Provincial plan had to offer and discovered that there were a few items of considerable importance not included.

Then they rewrote their policies and invited their many members throughout the County to continue their memberships. It’s not the most booming business in the County, but on the other hand they did not go under as might have been expected.

The Pontiac Cooperative Medical Services is still carrying on business, paying for such important extras as ambulance services, semi private hospital care, oxygen equipment rental, out of province costs not covered by the Quebec plan, chiropractic and osteopathis treatments, and they still maintain their Major Medical Fund which used to be called the Catastrophic Fund, for members who have unusually high medical expenses in one year.

A feature of the Coop that makes it seem special to members is the local administration with an annual meeting to name directors who give local and personal attention to all claims right here at home.

They keep an office open at Shawville four afternoons a week. No, this isn’t supposed to be an advertisement for them, just a success story about one group of citizens who felt a need, did something about it, and persevered to provide a good service to this community cooperatively.

Pontiac Community Hospital unionized staff walks out: Without endangering any hospital services, about 26 unionized workers at the Pontiac Community Hospital walked off the job last Thursday, February 26th.

The walk out lasted from noon to four o’clock. It didn’t include any heads of departments nor any nurses or doctors as these people are not unionized. Also the hospital was not deprived of any essential services, according to a previous agreement as required by law.

All the X-rays for the day had been completed by noon and otherwise it was not a busy Thursday. All those who walked out lost their pay for the shift missed. One elective operation had to be postponed because of the shortage of personnel.

The walk-out was a pressure tactic to hasten negotiations towards a contract for the unionized hospital workers across the Province.