The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1911-07-25
LAUNDRY QUESTION
REVEALS CONDITIONS
Terrible 0vercrOWding at State
Hospital at Morris Plains.

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to the hospital affairs.
The committee is to determine the
location of tuberculosis cottage and
the male nurses home and also to
take up the subject of laundry work.
During the hot weather the laundry
work has increased to a degree that
makes it difficult for the hospital
to handle it and the question has
arisen whether or not the hospital is
granting too much privilege to the
nurses and help of the institution in
the way of having washable clothing
done up. The question with that of
the location of the two buildings has
been put up to committee includ-
ing p. J. Ryan, of Elizabeth; George
w. Jagle. of Newark, and Albert
Richards, of Dover, of the board of
managers.
On one side is raised the point that
anything within reason that promotes
cleanliness, neatness and respect
ability of appearance of nurses and
help adds to the tone of the hos
pital work and more than compensate
for the additional expense entailed.
On the other hand is raised the point
other clothing than that worn by the
employees during the hours of their
duty. Dr. Brittin d. Evans, medical
director of the institution, has taken
the matter up with other hospitals
and has received many replies, some
of the hospitals imposing rules and
restrictions upon the amount of cloth
ing laundered and others none.
But the point that arises in the mat
ter is whether it would be best to
impose any restrictions upon the at
tendants. At present the hospital is
overcrowded. Buildings erected to
accommodate maximum of 1900 pa
tients have to-day crammed into them
2,208 patients. Of this number 337
patients have no rooms nor even beds
but are sleeping on the floors on i'm
provised mattresses or springs laid
down in corridors and corners. In
the old or main building the upper
floor, never intended for use as sleep
ing quarters but was supposed to be
used for storage purposes, has been
fitted up and one-fourth the inmates
of the whole building have quarters
this hot weather. are certainly not the
pleasantest in the building.
Huddled in with the patients are
the nurses, many of them doubling up
in the occupancy of rooms intended
for one person only. For the women
there is a nurses home accommodate
ing fifty-three. For the men the ap-
preparation for the erection of a
building to house seventy-six has
been secured from the legislature and
plans are now under course of pre-
paration for the building.
The attendants work from seven in
the morning until nine at night seven
days a week. They are allowed one
afternoon and two evenings from seven
to ten o'clock off each week. The men
receive for their service from $24 to
$50 per month according to the length
and character of service and their
location and also receive uniforms
and board. Women attendants receive
$22 to $25, board and uniforms. Ger
tain of the attendants have to do
night duty and the halls and corridors
of the buildings are patrolled during
the night and watchman clocks keep
tab on their movements.
With conditions such as this the
position of hospital attendant is no
sinecure and there is great difficulty
in securing enough attendants to
properly care for the patients. There
are now ninety-nine men and ninety
women attendants at the hospital.
The proper average of attendants to
patients is one to eight At Morris
Plains it is one to twelve. Even If
enough attendants were secured to
keep up the proper average there is
no place for them to sleep. 1t is diff
ficult to see how the hospital can
make any restrictions on the laundry
work of the attendants and expect to
keep them pleased with their posi-
tions. The attendants as class are
migratory, moving from one hospltai
to another and staying only a few
months at each. At Morris Plains
five hundred nurses are hired ana
leave the institution for various rea-
sons annually.
Dr. Evans, the medical director, has
laid these conditions before the board
of managers regarding the overcrowd-
ing of the institution. Under the law
the hospital is compelled to take
everyone sent there and can put up
no bars.