Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-01-09
WORTHY CHARITABLE ENTER.
ee,sE COULD BE LAUNCHED
WITH SMALL COST.
ST. THOMAS HOSPITAL
NEEDS AID FOR POOR
Many Whom County Will Not Help
Are Cared For at Hospital Annually
With No Thought Of Any Remunera-
tion-County and General Public
Should Assist in Providing.

II the people Of Marshalltown want
to do q real charitable act that would
afford permanent results for good. and
at the same time assist worthy IN
stitu1ion, they could provide for free
ward, or at least few free beds, Tor
the use Of patients at St Thomas hos
pital who are unable to provide; Tor
their own care when they meet with
sickness or accident
The Sisters Of Mercy at st. Thomas
hospital are called upon annually TO
provide for a great many OF the IN
fortunates, and the expense for such
maintenance falls directly on the lnstl-
.ution. It is an expense that the order
should not be compelled to bear. at
least in its entirety. as is now the case.
The county is able 10 provide the cost
of at least one bed where Its patients
could be cared for The general pup
lie. too. might provide others. ana In
that way the sisters would be at least
partially repaid for the time ana e&-
tense of looking after patients VINO can
not pay.
No Gases Refused
Aftho there are no emergency cases
refused at the hospital because the SIS
re-s know that they Will never be paid
Tor their care. II IS asking great
deal of an institution TO pay out its
bard-earnad money year after year
ms, for the sake Of being charitable
Many times patients are kept at the
rcspi+al for months and months. and
-ba sisters never receive a cent Tor
-ns;- care This is necessarily eSpen-
siva hur the expense should not all ta!l
IN the hospital
Would Cost $500 Per Bed.
The minimum expense Of maintain
mo a charity bed in the hospital Is
s20n per wear A ward could be fitted
m nicely with four beds. or $1,000
,asr The county itself should pay fo-
~ 1eas, one Of these beds. and know
thar At any time il would be ready for
emergencies. The county works on the
theory that tust because people are not
.-rauners.'' and have not been helped
before diversity overtakes them. that
they are are not public charges when
they meet with some distressing az
ci6en- or severe sickness. Therefore
the county refuses TO pay. and the nos
7,ital is called upon TO provide the care
far nothing. Many cases Ct this kind.
ere the county should have really
+ ned from humanitarian stand
8 roint. could be cited were il not for
ths embarrassment that would be
caused the patents themselves
A Few illustrations.
Jus. few Illustrations of what the
hospital is called upon TO do. and there
are many just such cases every year
might be recalled in this connection.
Two years ago last summer one
10 Nd
Hotel. suffering from a sunstroke. with
lem perature Of 1oa. and almost al
Deaths door His condition required
Immediate attention # the man were
saved. He was rushed To the hospital
in an ambulance and all the sisters
4 End nurses turned in and worked with
I. the christians to save this mans life.
= wells was kept at the hospital for
y about three months. The county was
Y asked to paw. but referred the bill 70
+ RIackhawk county where. II seems
J Wells had once lived. Blackhaw1 coun-
Is ~ also refused to par. The hospital
Ia stood the EXPENSE. for Wells never paid
j. a penny. The PHYSICIANS in the case
~ got nothing for their time. but they are
used to such treatment. However. they
like to see the hospital get at least a
srlan portion Of what is due the insti-
tuition In such cases,
Another case of 4 woman. 2 stranger
who was very i'll and needed enner-
gencv treatment She was taken and
remained at the hospital four months.
The hospital never received a cent for
her care.
There are many. many other similar
cases which. We're a free ward pro-
vided. the hospital could get something
for the good work that il is so often
called upon to do at an actual loss.
A little effort on the part of few
of the many civic and fra1erral or
carnations of the city would result in
an annual support fund for free ward
in St Thomas.
Who will start the movement?