The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-07-22
NEED MORE ROOM AT H|LLMAN HOSPITAL Dr. Hogan Tells Why Bond
 Issue Should Carry
  INJUSTICE IS DONE Poor People Unable to Pay for Atten-
INJUSTICE IS DONE
Poor People Unable to Pay for Atten- tion Are Refused Admittance Daily Because It Is Impossible
 to Handle Them

pr. E. P, Hogan, superintendent of tho Hillman hospital was asked yesterday for statement on the bond issue to be voted on August F, carrying s1oOO0o to be used for Improvements on the hospital He said: "I would regard it as exceed ingly unfortunate for the poor people of Jefferson county and of Birmingham If this bond Issue for the hospital is not carried And I am sure that every citi- zen should cooperate in thls general plan for providing for the sick and the afflicted.
 "The Ifillman hospital at present Is un- able to accommodate more than 70 pa- tients in a comfortable manner. Yet there are now 96 patients in the different wards of the hospital. and notwlthstand- ing the extra patients on at present, extra beds have not been provided. thereby overcrowding the wards. It has been necessary to refuse admission to from six to 10 patients daily on account of lack of space.
 "The needs of the Hillman hospital are many, including general repairs and inn provements, and I wish 70 call attention to some of our defects. There are a large number of cases that come to the hospital for treatment and return at once to their homes, returning daily for fur ther treatment There is really no pro- vision for properly taking care of these patients because of lack of space. "Again owing to our present overcrowd- Ing no space is provided for the diseases of children and the separate treatment of white and colored patients. We should | have space for the private examination and treatment of women which Is i'm. possible at present in our overcrowded wards. Now all wards are overcrowded and space should be provided for al least 100 additional patients which is impera- tive to meet our immediate needs There are now from four to eight more beds in the different wards than there should be. The demand for space has been so great that the nurses study has been converted into a hospital ward.
 "There is special need for two wards for the treatment of children. At pres ent, children and adults occupy the same wards and medical and surgical cases are frequently of necessity placed in the same wards. There is also an urgent reed for obstetrical or confinement wards. for white and colored women. The small wards used for this purpose are greatly ocercrowded, three patients occupying one ward originally intended for one patient. Saturday night four patients were crowd ed into this small ward We also need additional dormitory space for the nurses the same overcrowdihg that prevails over the hospital in general exists in this department.
 q wish to say that no thoughtful clti- zen who believes in the humane treat ment of his fellowmen can visit this hos ptal and see these patients without feel ing that Jefferson county should rise up as great people and provide more adequate accommodations for those so unfortunate as to be i'll and not have the means to provide for their own care and treatment, There are now large num- bers of cases of most deserving people in Jefferson county, and the city of Bir- mingham, who cannot afford treatment in the private hospitals and yet owing to our overcrowded hospital we have to refuse them admittance daily.
 ''It is the duty of every citizen of Jef- ferson county and the city of Rirming- ham in my opinion, to vote for this bond issue that means so much for the im- proving of conditions in this hospital and of the poor unfortunates of the county and city who come to 1t for treatment every day"