Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-03-16
A COUNTY HOSPITAL.
REV. PAUL KOREN INAUGUR.
ATES MOVEMENT FOR
NEEDED INSTITU-
TION.
Describes New Law Providing for
Establishment of Hospital and
Calls Attention to Urgent
Need of Same.

The lack of hospital facilities has
been felt and deplored among us for
a long time and the question of
building a hospital has been raised
a few times. But nothing has been
accomplished, as no one has seemed
able to overcome the difficulty of
raising the necessary money. Mean
while the situation has become
changed. The citizens of Winnie
shiek county may now have Coun-
ty Hospital if they wish it, by simply
voting a small annual tax, for a few
years. The law making this pos
sible, was enacted by the thirty
third General Assembly last year. 1t
is found in Chapter 26 of the Acts
and Joint Resolutions, and is called
"An act to enable counties to es-
tablish and maintain public hospi-
tails, levy a tax and issue bonds
therefor, elect hospital trustees,
maintain a training school for nurs-
es, provide suitable means for the
care of tuberculous persons, and to
make possible the ultimate establish
ment of an adequate supply of hos
pitfalls with equal rights to all and
special privileges to none" The law
provides, that when a legal petition
shall be presented to the board of
supervisors, said board shall submit
the question to the electors at the
next general election, or at a special
election called for that purpose, first
giving ninety days notice, in one or
more newspapers. This notice shall
state the amount of tax to be levied.
The tax must not exceed two mills
on the dollar, or be levied for a
period of time exceeding twenty
years. If majority of the votes
cast, are in favor of the hospital
proposition, the board of supervisors
shall levy the tax which shall be
collected as other taxes are collect
edsand credited to the hospital fund.
The board of supervisors then pro-
ceeds to appoint seven trustees,
chosen from the citizens at large.
with reference to their fitness for
such ONCE, three of whom may be
women. All trustees must be resi-
dents OF the county, but not more
than four residents of the city, town
or village, in which the hospital is
located. At each subsequent gen.
eral election the offices of the trus-
tees whose terms of Office are about
to expire shall be filled by the NOM
ination and election of hospital trus-
tees in the same manner as other
officers are elected, none of whom
shall be practicing physicians. Every
hospital established under this act,
shall be for the benefit of the in
habitants of the county who may
need it, but patients who are not
paupers must pay a reasonable COM
pensation for occupancy. nursing,
care, medicine or attendance, ac-
cording to the rules prescribed. The
board of trustees may establish and
maintain training school for nurs-
es in connection with the hospital,
and room for the detention and
examination of the insane shall at
all times be provided if the hospital
is located at the county seat. The
trustees are also authorized to pro-
vide as department of the hospital,
but not necessarily attached thereto,
suitable accommodation for the care
and treatment of persons suffering
from tuberculosis, and to adopt
such rules for the government of
said persons as may be deemed me-
cessary.
In the above / have called atten-
ton to the most important features
of the law for the establishment Of
county hospitals. AS the situation is
at present, whoever in this county
needs hospital treatment, must seek
elsewhere or do without. We have
In Winneshiek county a population
of about $4,000, but in case of acci-
dent or illness, that makes hospital
treatment necessary Or desirable, no
place to go. 1t seems to me that this
is situation We should no longer
tolerate. A two mill tax on the
dollar, In Winneshiek county would
amount to about $4,000. or for a
period of five years to about $685.
600, and the question / wish to ask
Is this: are the citizens of Winnie
shiek county willing to do this much.
willing to incur a two mill tax on
the dollar for five or ten years. in
order to secure suitable well gov
erned hospitals where those who are
unfortunate enough to need it, NAV
OBTAIN treatment and care under
proper conditions. / have written