Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-09-15
NEED OF HOSPITALS.
HOW A TOWN MAY SECURE ONE AT 4
SMALL EXPENSE.

S"TG| ~fNf -fHSN.
Public Spirit Necessary to Keep the
Institution In Operatiou-GGys OF
RnIsinE Money - story of One
Towns Success.
There are many towns and small
cities that could support a good hospi-
tai. the need of which is often felt, if
the matter were taken hold Of in the
right way Helen c. Candee tells in
The Womans Home Companion how
such an institution was started She
says
The town where this hospital was
started has about 10000 or II. 600 in
habitants. which is as small town as
could well support a hospital unless it
was richly endowed The ladies inter
ested looked about for a little house in
which to make their start and found a
cheap dwelling house in an accessible
but questionable neighborhood which
could be rented for small sum. A
manager who was both housekeeper and
head nurse was found through Cne of
the churches and she was paid small
salary, not at all commensurate with
the work she did. but as much as the
experimental hospital could afford to
pay To begin with. one strong, willing
servant was hired to do the housework
From the very start the hospital be-
came the pet of the town, and every
one was anxious to do something to help
it. The doctors, after the noble custom
Of their kind, gave their services free
There was scarcely housekeeper who
did not spare something from her home
to aid in furni hing the building and
some gave money to buv special invalids
conveniences and such appliances for
the operating room as the doctors abso-
lutely required.
The hospital was scarcely started be-
fore its usefulness was fully demon
strated. Through some unhappy cir
cumstanCe typhoid fever broke out, and
many of its victims We're schoolteachers
and clerks who lived alone in furnished
rooms and who were not able to hire
nurses to care for them. Such az these
were moved to the hospital extra nurses
were procured from the nearest city,
and in almost every case the patient
was restored to health
A little later there was an epidemic
of scarlet fever in the schools. The en-
tire town would have been ravaged had
not the hospital authorities instantly
hired another house. which they turned
into a contagious ward in the twinkling
/ of an eye, and SO stopped the spread Of
the dread disease.
The practical reader who has in mind
the all important subject of ways and
means is wondering how this hospital
is maintained To satisfy such it is best
to state few facts CLEANED from re-
port AS very little investment of capi-
tai was made at the start, the running
expenses are the main question There
are rent, salaries to housekeeper nurse
and servant. housekeeping supplies and
medical and surgical supplies What
is the source Of income? 1t is reckoned
/ lIliib ~ pei Nt4IL "a lLlS EClA44 4LSS 10
gained from patients, for the hospital
is free only 10 those who are absolutely
unable to pay The remainder must be
raised, and this is where the feeling Of
public spirit blends with the feeling Of
universal brotherhood, and the hospital
is supported because the town is proud
of it and because it alleviates human
suffering
The ways Of raising the money are
infinitely various. and sometimes ether
things take the place Of money For in
stance vegeta bles from the garden may
be sent to lessen the housekeeping ex-
penses. as we'll as jellies, fruits and
flowers for the invalids special use
The town board was approached by
one of the enterprising lady managers
and yearly appropriation was secured
The town also contributed to the am
/ bulance which il was found necessary
to have in removing patients from their
homes or from places of accident The
ambulance cost $500 but nothing is
spent in maintaining it, for it is given
storage by a livery stable keeper, who
supplies it with u horse when wanted
Patients are expected to pay for usingi it
To increase interest in the hospital
and thus insure its support board Of
directors was appointed from among
the most earnest and wealthy men of
the town, and this was supplemented
by large advisory board of ladies' In
addition to this young ladies guild
was formed. and these three bodies of
workers take pride in making receipts
equal expenses The board of directors
is supplemented by various standing
committees, which include ways and
means, surgery and medicine, house.
keeping and supplies and patients Each
one of the advisory ladies is on some
special committee, and thus interest is
not only created, but co-ordinated.
There are committees on visiting, which
bring the benefactors in intimate asso-
citation with hospital work. committees
on housekeeping, on flowers and delica-
ries and on half u dozen other depart
ments in which women are especially
capable.
There are more ambitious hospitals
than this little one just described, those
having handsome modern buildings and
q nurses training school in connection
but those are favorites of fortune which
have been maintained by rich people or
by large legacies AS matter of fact
they are discouraging rather than 9TH
erwise to those who must begin modest
ly. and for that reason | have told the
story of kind of hospital which is pos
sible to almost any towL
We are only just beginning to wake
up to the idea that a email community
may have hospital of its own and
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