Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-17
FOR AN INFIRMARY.
a Case Turned Up in Which the
Need of a Hospital is Shown.
WEST PENN AND CITY FARM FULL
City Treasurer DennistOn Says the City
Should Have One,
OR ELSE PAY FOR ITS PATIENTS
WEST PENN AND CITY FARM FULL
OF ELSE PAY FOR ITS PATIENTS

A case of distress, showing the necessity
Tor city infrmary, turned up In City
Treasurer Denniston's Office yesterday after
noon. A young woman, about 19 or 20 years
OF age, applied to the Major for a permit to
enter the West Penn Hospital. Owing to
the crowded condition of the institution,
Major Denniston sent her to Chief Elliot, of
the Department of Public Charities. who
could not do anything for her and sent her
back to Major Denniston. The latter
thought of the hospital overcrowded with
charity patients, but had not the heart to
turn the girl away again. He gave her a
card of admission, and the poor creature had
roof over her head last night.
The girl is an orphan and has been
house servant all her life. She is troubled
with epileptic fits, and on account of this
cannot get situation. When she applied
to Major Denniston for admission to the
West Penn, she said she had no money and
needed medical treatment
AN ovERCRowDED POOR FARM.
When she applied to Chief Elliot the
latter informed her that the Poor Farm
Hospital had more people at it now than
could be taken care of. If it hadn't been
for Major Denniston's assistance, the girl
would probably have had to apply to the
police authorities for nights lodging.
Chief Elliot hits the nail squarely on the
head in The DISPATCH to-day in his remarks
about city infrmarv," said Major Den
niston. What we need here is a place where
people can be temporarily cared for when they
are ILL., In the case of this girl she needs about
three weeks of medical treatment. sent her
TO Chief Elliot who sent her back to me- and
the ouly thing / COuld do NJ IN gpnd bpr IN bp
hospital ,:hs H.. can ooo,.-
every charity patient we take in puts MS fur
thcr in the hole. The city levies n tax to main-
tain such cases as this. but nothing could be
done tor her by the Department Of Charities
The city does not give us a cent for taking
charge Of these people Last year " per cent
OF the people In our hospital were charity pa |
uents. We get them from the mills work |
shops and railroads. and they do not pay Y cent |
for their treatment. The West Penn docs
more good in this way than any hospital In the |
city, and doubt If there are any in the State
70 equal II. Last year, the Department OF Char
iues had more money than IL had use for. IL |
~ OF u per week was paid for each city patient
inns money could not only have been used to |
good advantage, but would help us out of debt. |
CITY APPROPRIATION WANTED.
IF the city does not establish an infirmary 1t |
would be good idea to pay for each city pa. |
tient cared for in the different hospitals.
Even if we only got 81 per week, 1t would be a |
sreat heIp 10 us. we now have in the hospi- |
TAI Iso patients, and the hygienic capacity of |
the institution is l70. We nave had as high as |
20 at a time, but only managed to keep them |
by shifting about and placing cots ont in the |
corridors. Allegheny apprnpriates IS, 600 each
year Tor the Allegheny General Hospital
inns should be done with one of the hospitals
In this city. 1t would probably be cheaper to
make an arrangement with institution now
In existence than establish a new one II |
would obviate the necessity of Keeping up
stan of physicians nurses, etc. The esti-
mated cost Of running the Department of
Charities this year is SIS, ,OOO"