The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-12-15

increase. In other words. it costs
hospital practically as much to car
for say five patients as it does to car
fur twency- five patients. Any societ.
familiar with hospital business know
this important fact. and when the.
look into the hospital business in Den
ison, they simply say you have no
business enough to pay us to take holt
of the matter. In other words. they
would say it would require all YOU
donations and all we would be able tc
collect for pay patients TO pay running
expenses.
Why should we ask any society out
side of Denison and Crav ford county
to come to our aid. We. as a city
and as county, are financially able
and willing to care for our sick. We
have just as good Though not as
large) hospital in ell its appoint
ments as you will find in the Unite
States. Our hospital was built by
few Of Dcnison's boosters. 1t has
accommodations for twenty-five pa
tients That is large enough for this
community unless some calamity be-
falls US. and if such should be cur lot.
there will be way to care for the
unfortunate ones then. The Iowa
Methodist Hospital at Des MONIES has
a capacity of 1875 beds. During the
year 1907 they cared for 119 free pa
tients and received in cash donations
SIS, 4S4 81. In other words. for each
patient receiving free care. the hospi-
tai received sl3O.12 in cash to say
nothing of the hundreds of dollars
worth of canned fruits, jellies. vege-
tables, and hospital bed and table
linen donated during the year; and
Crawford county came in for her sha.
of these good donations. How many
of Crawford county's people were
cared for in the institution free?
This is not offered as criticism If
the Iowa institution. Quite the con.
trary. The Iowa Methodist Hospi-
tai is one Of the greatest Institutions
of its kind in the state and merits all
the moral and financial support that
we can give it. The reference lie
made to show what is being done to
aid other institutions doing the same
kind of work that we are doing in the
Denison institution. The purpose of
this article is not to censure anoyne,
but, on the other hand. to express our
thanks for the many favors received
in the past and to place the matter be-
fore the public in it's true light. be-
lieving if the public understands our
situation as it is, we will get the
moral support that we are 30 much in
need of to make the Denison Hospital
self-supporting We believe that
Crawford county people should b ost
Denison Hospital in preference to any
other hospital so long as they can and
do get the kind of service that thew
have right to expect from such an
institution.
When my wife and put our last
dollar with that Of the Denison boost
ers, who were willing to help the
cause. into the building and equip
ment of the Denison Hospital, we
did it believing that we could make
the institution merit the support of
the entire community and could in
this way. with careful and economi-
cal management. make it self-sup-
porting as q hospital. Mrs. johnson
and I have, approximately, $4,000 90
invested in the Denison Hospital at
the present time. every dollar that we
had in Denison at the time and have
earned since we have been in the Den.
ison Hospital. Why did we put our
money into the hospital business?
First, we believed that we could make
the hospital self-supporting; second.
it would give Denison an institution
where her sick and suffering could be
we'll cared for at home and an institu-
tion of which we might all be we'll
proud; third, perhaps the greatest in.
ducement that led US to invest our
money was that with a place at home
for the proper care of medical and
surgical cases, could get all there
was in it from doctor's standpoint.
Being among the principals in giving
the community proper place for the
care of its sick, we anticipated favors
such as we might merit in our line
But the hospital has never been self
supporting since its beginning with
out the donation of the services of
Mrs johnson and myself, which re.
quires every minute of our time.
did not expect to live in the hospital
and be inferno; there is no money in
that. What we are asking for is
more medical cases. and that the
Crawford county people boost enough
for the Denison Hospital that it will
be self supporting without the free
services of Mrs. johnson and myself.