Omaha daily bee., 1912-02-01
HOSPITAL CONDITIONS BAD
County Commissioners Report Most
Deplorable State of Affairs.
CHILDREN BEING MIsTREATED
Juvenile Authorities Say They Have
No Other Course hut to Put In
corrigibIes with the Iu-
sane Patients.


sane Patients.
Confined in the insane ward Of the
county hospital with between thirty-five
and forty lunatics and feeble minded men
for companions, two boys Of tender years.
one and another Is. were discovered by
the members Of the board Of county COM
missioners Tuesday afternoon when they
visited the county hospital and farm.
The hospital generally was found in n
deplorable condition. according TO Com
missioner Frank c. Best, chairman Of the
county hospital committee.
The condition of the two boys in the
mems insane ward and OF one or two
other boys in the hospital. was called 10
the attention Of Judge Howard Kennedy.
Of the juvenile division of the district
court, who said he would take the mat
tiers up at once.
The boys originally were sent TO the
county detention home by Judge Kennedy.
Because OF incorrigibility aud the inabil-
ity Of Mrs, Elizabeth ByIn. superlntend-
ent OF the home. to master them, they
were sent 10 the hospital by the juvenile
court.
situation Serious.
THE situation is awful" said Mogy
Bernstein, head juvenile officer. The
boys were sent from the detention home
to the hospital because it was impossible
to control them at the home. At the
home We have a sort of cell that We are
supposed to keep incorrigible boys in, but
they break out. The boys sent TO the hos
pital fought with Mrs. By.n and she
could do nothing with them. One OF them
bit her Oh the arm. We have to send
them to the hospital. There is no other
way Of handling them. We ought TO have
some place at the detention home for such
cases, but we haven't. | have asked for
such provision, but never have been able
to get 1t.
I'VE have a little girl out there now in
the women's insane ward. She is diseased
and none Of the hospitals would take her,
We couldn't keep her at the detention
home with the other children. No place
to care for her We had to send her to
the county hospital. She is not insane.
but where can We send herr
No Place for Them.
I'VE had to put the boys in the insane
ward" said Tom McCleneghan. outgoing
superintendent of the county hospital
and farm. II know they shouldn't be
there, but they were brought out TO US
by the juvenile authorities and we were
told to keep them. We had no other place
TO put them. l didn't want them there.
Nobody connected with the hospital
wanted them there. But we couldn't just
turn them out.
Complaint that one of the boys has not
been kept clean at the hospital and has
been knocked and cuffed about and
abused by the adult insane and feeble
minded patients with whom he has been
confined, was made to Mayor Dahlman's
office by the boys mother The complaint
WAS sent TO the board OF county commits
sioners.
This boy is Willie Woodwork. son OF
Mrs Mary Woodwork, 2S22is Cunning
street. He is 10 years old. The boy now is
at home with his mother, County Physi-
clan McCrann having given an order fer
her TO take him home to battle him.
Condition is Rotten.
Rotten"
With this word County Commissioner
Frank c. Best, chairman of the county
hospital committee. answered the query.
How did you find conditions at the
hospital?' after the members Of the
Board Of County Commissioners visited
the institution yesterday afternoon. The
visit was made because the board wanted
TO know about conditions at the hospital
and the county farm and because Ed
Robinson, the new superintendent sue
ceeding Tom McClenghan, wanted the
board TO know Just what the situation Is
when he takes charge.
Here are some of the conditions Mr..
Best said he found:
Young boys confined in the mems In
sane ward with between thirty-five and
forty adult patients.
Sleeping accommodations poor. Cots
filthy and in need of repair. insufficient
bedding. Vermi in evidence.
Poor sanitation and insufficient disin-
lection.
Apricots spoiled and other food not
properly kept.
Antilles Makes Report.
George Antilles, head OF the county
auditing department. submitted a report
of his inventory. not yet completed.
Among the items Of the report are:
Fire hose in halls worn out and not
tested for years; much tin and enameled
ware; chairs, dishes. cups and towels
needed In mems sick ward. Coffee grind
er out Of repair: coffee crushed instead Of
ground. Cable rope on elevator broken.
Rails and car for transportation of
food in poor repair. Typhoid ward needs
sheets. spreads and pillow slips. Towels
needed in women's sick ward. Roof leak
ing in several places. Mattresses in poor
condition.
Despite the general run down. oondi-
tlon Of the hospital, the cost Of mainte-
nance last year was nearly y7oo greater
than the cost the previous year. and still
greater than the cost in 1908 and 1903, as
shown by the following figures Of Mr..
Antilles: 1908, Ss1sS.s4; 1903. t4SsSss3; 1910.
81 45l.57. 1911. ss4,42is2
From the itemized statement OF coun-
ty hospital expenses for last year the