The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-01-01
X WEEKLYNEWs-- JOURNAL FRIDAY JANUARY

Out vi inc uuutIu WtlHOuS III Nut
treatment OF insane persons is to give
them employment 1t is diversion
to them to have something to do
something in the working line that
will divert their minds.
Male and female patients at the
Norfolk hospital are encouraged to
work. but 1t is not compulsory If
they desire to work they are given 1t,
if they don't the don't have to. But
only responsible patients, who will
neither do themselves or others
harm, are employed in institution
work. In this class comes those who
work in the kitchen, in the laundry,
In the farming, gardening, milking
and handspring departments. Dur
ing the summer patients did some
work on the two new buildings under
construction, and in the digging of
trenches for the tunnels leading there
to.
1t should be explained that all
the several Norfolk hospital buildings
have tunnel connections with each
other and the kitchen. laundry and
power house In these tunnels are
placed the electric lighting wires
water and steam heating pipes.
Beyond the beneficial effects of
work on the patients, money is saved
to the state although the employment
Ondary matter to the welfare and
comfort of the patient. Patients are
given light employment in all the
various departments of the institution
with very beneficial effect upon their
mental and physical well being.
Training School tor Nurses.
The reorganization of the nursing
staff at the Norfolk hospital is con
sidered one of the most beneficial
achievements of DR.. Young's admin.
system are: Patients shall be pro
vided with proper and attentive nurs-
ing; every patient who enters the
institution is treated as an individual,
not as one of a collective mass;
special visits and special observations
Of individual cases, of which
a complete record is kept
The object of this movement
was to replace the old attendant force
by body of trained nurses and
trained attendants, who would be able
to give the patients under their
charge the skilled care that their con
dition requires. 1t does away with the
so-called tramp attendant" who
moves from one state hospital to an
other, rendering satisfactory service
in no instance and remaining but a
few months in each place. The whole
nursing and attendant force was
placed in charge of Miss Sinclair, sup
erintendent of nurses, a most efficient
and capable lady for the place, who
ranks as an administrative officer and
is responsible only to the superintend-
ent. A training school was establish
ed, which is affiliated with the Omaha
Methodist hospital, the ClarksOn hos
pital of Omaha and the Mercy hospi-
tai of Council Bluffs. The training
school has a course of two years, six
months of which are spent in one of
the affiliated hospitals. Pupils are
taken from the northeast part of the
state and only those admitted who
have worked in no other institution,
who possess the proper requirements
of character and education. The re-
suit has been gratifying in an in
creased efficiency in the thoughtful
and considerate care of patients.
Saved Nice Sum.
One of the new buildings on the
Norfolk hospital grounds is a small
store house. The lowest bid on
plumbing and heating work for this
building was $1,000. DR.. Young Sc
cured permission from the board of
public lands and buildings to allow the
institution engineering force to do the
plumbing, and it was done at a cost
of 5000 He estimates that the en-
ployment of the same forces will save
an additional $4,000 in the installation
of the two large buildings now under
construction. The lowest heating and
plumbing bid on these was $1,000. 1t
is figured that the hospital mechani
cal force can do this work for $4,000
Improved HospitaI Treatment.
The largest of the two new build
ings in course of construction is as
handsome in design as it is excellent
in arrangement. 1t is ROmanesQue in
architecture fire proof throughout and
three stories high. The exterior is of
Florena, Kansas, stone. Its cost will
exceed the appropriation. Designed
to treat acute cases of female in
sanity, it will be provided with an
operating room connected with sterili-
zing and anaesthetic rooms, a patho-
logical labatory, an autopsy room, a
hydrotherapy room for treatment of
patients by water, such as sprays,
dOuches, Turkish, electric and con-
tinuous baths, dormatories and diet
kitchen. This is the east building.
The west building under construction
is for male patients. 1t will cost $685.
900.
Cleanliness Prevails.