Morning journal and courier., 1894-01-26
GENERAL HOSPITAL SOCIETY.

GENERAL HOSPVEAA SOCAEExs
Reports Of the Board Of Directors |
and approximations Starkweather-l
Election OF Directors for 1S94-A
Prosperous Year Reported.
The annual meeting of the General Hos
pital society of Connecticut was held at
the hospital yesterday afternoon. The
principal report. which was Of the board
of directors, was % follows:
The board of directors has the honor to
present herewith to the General Hospital
society OF Connecticut its sixty seventh
annual report, as prepared by the pruden-
tial committee. The past year has been
marked by large increase in the daily
average number of patients. The figures
were 49, - compared with 1874 for the
year before. The highest number on any
one day was 143 and the lowest number
101. These numbers have not been sp.
preached since the year 1875 6. when the
hospital was filed with oonvslescens sol
der patients, and when, although the
numbers werc large. the service was not q
very active one.
daily average the number Of patients under
treatment remained exactly the same az
during the year before, viz, 96S, with q
consequent increase in the average resi-
denee from weeks to 6 8 weeks. This
increase was due to the number of chronic
cases supported by the Clifford, Asrett and
English funds. The average residence in
the hospital of the bsneficiaries of these
funds Was 10 8 weeks, and of the other
cIasses of patients only So weeks, which
clearly shows that in most departments
the active service of the last few years was
maintained.
The deaths during the year numbered
10, or q tribe over 10 per osnt. of the
whole number treated, but of this number
90 died within twenty-four hours after
they entered the hospital, or in other
words, were received in q moribund con-
dition.
The charitable work of the hospital in
creased In even greater ratio than dur
ing the preceding four years. OF the 983
patients under treatment, only 81 paid the
tally and 100 were fully supported by the
funds of the society. The following fig
ures, giving the number of weeks occupied
by charity and free bed patients each year
for the last six years, show the ratio of
increase in this department of the work:
In 1883, $50 z; In 1889, 40 81: in 1890,
961 ~; In 1891, LILO ~, in 1891, 1,472
~; in 1898, 2,19747.
The remaining demands made for smbu-
lance service are shown by the number of
calls responded to by the hospital ambulance
1891, 1852; 1892, 212; 1898, 242. We called
attention in last years report to the need
of more prompt and Efficient service, but
have been unable yet to make the desired
improvements on account of the expense
involved.
We reported last year that the opening
of the Clifford wards had entailed upon the
hospital large additional expense without
q corresponding increase In the number of
| patients. At that time these wards had
been occupied for only six month and we
now find, after q full ysar's experience,
| that the expense is even greater than We
anticipated. The number of additional
| nurses and other attendants required ii
each of the following years: 1891, "a 4
1892, 1873, an increase of 8; 1898, 90 6, an
increase of Q.
| 1t IL in great measure due to the forego
ing, although other causes have contrib
uted to the same result in less degree that
| the average cost per week Of supporting
each patient has rissn from s. 4e6 u
So Q53, an increase of COAST per osnt. A
the same time the cost of food per inmate
only increased from 80 cents to 80 II
! cents per day.
l Inc SupoIluCcuOouLb AccOuut SHOWS ina
| the current receipts for the year, including
the state appropriation and the amounts
drawn from the Clifford, Msrett and Eng
glish funds for the support of patients wer,
$49, o65 ID. and the current Expenses Ver,
$57, $50 50, leaving a deficit of 81, 5S5 20
By comparing these figures with thos
given for tho year 1899 We find that Will
the expenses have increased $7.10O 80 tn
receipts have Increased So, 15s 5a. SO tina
the deficit was lees by $1,0s7 "a than TO
that year. The defcit for 1898 was me
by the income from the general and FREE
bed fund and by tho hospital Sunday col
lections. The Sunday collections thus ia
received by the treasurer for 1894 amour
to 81, 900 10, q decrease of about $50,
from the amout received at this date Ii
1898.
The "repairs and improvements" &C
count was very large and shows an in
crease of 81, 6l2.16 over that of the previ
GUS year. The following are the more i'm
portsnt alterations and improvement
made during the year: The plumbing hs
been entirely renewed in the two pavilion
and they are now In q mnch better santa
~ condition than ever before. New slo
sinks were put in the two Clifford and on
of the east wards. A new bathroom
, closets and nurses work room have bee
/
bathroom and the room formerly USE
: for a sewing room were utilized for thi
, | purpose by removing old partitions an
| putting up new ones. The north war
, | pantry has also been renovated, and Nc
Z north, now used as q maternity ward
, has been rspsintsd and . servants bed
. room adjoining 1t has been changed so q
to adapt IL FOR use As . delivery room
. The room in the basement, under tn
!; main oflce, formerly used - bed room
has been fitted up for the dIspensar
which has been moved into it. This chang
left vacan. the old dispensary room an
enabled us to provide a private Office TO
the superintendent. It has been removals.
and furnished and Is now used both by tn
superintendent and the prudential commit
tee. The nursery room over the Office ha
been assigned to the housekeeper and tn
old housskeeper's room has been adapte,
to the equirements of the nurses for
store and supply room. The outside wood
! work on the east, west and Farnsm ward
was reprinted last summer and No. cas-
has recently been reprinted throughout
None of the improvements mentioned il
the last report as urgently needed hav
been made, owing to lack Of funds, but "
feel the need of them even moro than "
did year ago.
The prudential committee has deoides
on further Investigation that the propose,
transformation of the third story of tn
administration building into q psrmsnen
maternity ward would not be entirely sat
isfactory, but that 1t would be much bet
ter to erect a separate maternity building
Notwithstanding the fact that the cost
such q building would be at least thrs
times the amount required to make tn
alterations. In investigating the require
ments of such . ward or building the com
mittee visited the Sloan maternity hospi
tai and the New York infrma
ny, and has had preliminar,
plans drawn for q building which woult
seem to meet our requirements. Tha
there IL need of such building In New
Haven no one who has investigated Cal
doubt for . moment. The expense in
volved is large, the estimate on the plan
having been SIC. 600 for q frame building
and SCI, 900 for a brick building, but "
feel confident that We shall be able to &C
compl.sh the undertaking within Q reason
able time. Already Ave friends of the hos
pitsl have generously subscribed q, 500 t,
the building fund, and OF this amount So,
600 has been paid In.
Other kind friends have contributes
generously to the hospital during the pas
year.
Special mention should be made of tn
fol- wing: Mrs. Jane e. Winche .tsr, IL
joy, for the third time provided . steam
boat excursion to the patients and nurses
A large number were able to 60 and the,
thoroughly enjoyed the day. For thos
too Ill to be moved she provided refresh
ments at the hospital. Miss Rose Porte
and other ladies continued to provid'