The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-07-15
A COUNTY HOSPITAL.
The New Foley Law Makes Provisions
so that County Hospital Can
be Secured by Every County.

At the last session of the Iowa legis-
lature bill known as the Foley bill,
became a law. 1t provides that a
county hospital may be established in
every county in the State. The follow
ing letter telling of the new plan of
establishing hospitals has beeu issued
by the press bureau of the Board of
Control of State Institutions:
Des Moines, July 12---As the educa-
tional propaganda on tuberculosis
gathers force and larger numbers of
people are becoming informed on it's
preventable nature one thing stands out
prominently as essential in the ultimate
eradication of this disease; i. e., con-
sumptives, especially in the advanced
stages of the disease, should be issolat-
ed from the other members of the family
or community. 1t is not to be under
stood by isolation that quarantine is
meant, but that disease so readily
transmitted, so infectious, requires that
restrictive measures should be adopted.
To adopt such measures means the hos
pitalization of the consumptive. Each
county in the state, or groups of
counties cooperating, should establish
retreats where the advanced consump-
tive population may be sent for care
and treatment.
Not only are the people waking to
the need of hospital treatment for those
suffering with tuberculosis but there is
a general feeling that persons suffering
from any malady, whether surgical or
medical should be given the privileges
of hospital treatment. This is evidence
by the law which passed the recent
general assembly, known as the Foley
bill. 1t is the County Public Hospital
Law, and enable counties to establish
public hospitals for the treatment of
medical and surgical diseases and the
establishment of suitable means for the
, care and treatment of tuberculosis.
This law may be termed the peoples
opportunity as it gives counties the
powers, upon vote of the people, to
establish suitable means for the care of
its sick. It opens wide the door of
hope to many who otherwise could have
no hope. 1t makes the way possible SO
that every person within the state if
taken sick shall have the largest oppor-
tunity to get we'll. This law provides
that county may establish a public
hospital in the following manner:
Whenever the board of supervisors
of any county shall be presented with a
petition signed by two hundred resi-
dent free holders of such county, one
hundred fifty of whom shall not be
residents of the city, town or village
where it is proposed to locate such
public hospital, asking that an annual
tax may be levied for the establishment
and maintenance of public hospital at
place in the county named therein
and shall specify in their petition the
maximum amount of money proposed to
be expended in purchasing or building
said hospital, such board Of supervisors
shall submit the question to the quail.
flied electors of the county at the next
general election to be held in the coun.
ty. or at a special election called TO,
that purpose, first giving ninety days
notice thereof in one or more news
papers published in the county, if any
be published therein, and by posting
such notice, written or printed, in each
township Of the county, which notice
shall include the text Of the petition
and state the amount Of tax to be levied
upon the assessed property of the said
county, which tax shall not exceed two
mills on the dollar, Tor > period Of tint
not exceeding twenty years, and be fol
the issue Of county bonds, to provide
funds Tor the purchase Of ! site Or site
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