Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-11-07
STATE oRAWe ON COUNTY FOR
,sss -FoR; CARE OF ok PATIENTS
FOR THREE MONTHS.
STATE CAN HOLD
COUNTY FOR PAYMENT
New Law So Says, Without Giving
County Any Explicit Means Of Re-
covering FFsm Patient o. Relatives
Farmers Urss opsnins Of County
Hog Cholera Serum Plant. '.ss

this county in the state sanatorium at
oakdale. and the amendments Of the
laws on the subject make it not UNI
likely that the supervisors may con-
| slider the establishment OF a county
| tuberculosis hospital Another new
! county project that it is not improbable
| may be launched in the opening Of
hog cholera serum plant for the
| county.
The size of the three months bill
against the county for the care Of its
| tuberculosis patients by the state sug-
gests that the establishment Of a
! county hospital might be more eco
| nomical. Some farmers are agitating
the question of a county serum plant.
County 10 Liable.
Amendments to the laws on the sub.
ject of tuberculosis and the care of
tubercular persons, which were passed
by the general assembly last winter.
hold the county, and not the patient
or his relatives. responsible for the
cost OF caring for patients at the Oaks
dale sanatorium. How the county may
collect is not quite clear. 1t Is pre-
sumed by the supervisors that some Of
the relatives, who are able, will raise
no objection to paying, and that the
county can collect from estates, as it
does for the care of insane patients
kept in state hospitals. But the law
does not say explicitly that the coun-
ty can hold the patient or his relatives
for the expense. 1t does say, how
ever. that the county shall be liable
to the state for the cost of care and
treatment. and as a result the state has
just billed against the county for
$593.05 for the care of six patients at
Oakdale for three months.
The law fixes $45 as the maximum
charge per month that can be made by
the state for the care of each patient.
In the bill rendered for the last quar-
ter in most Of the cases the charge
has been at the rate Of $50 a month
May Care For Advanced Casts.
Another amendment puts on the SUI
pervisors the responsibility of caring
for persons suffering with advanced
cases of tuberculosis that can not be
cared for at the state sanatorium.
Chairman E. B. Emes and Superin-
tendent ]. G. Koontz, Of the county
farm, do not think it would be feas-
IDLE to establish a tuberculosis hospital
for the treatment of advanced cases
at the county farm.
The law says that in counties Of
the population Of Marshall the super
visors may invest not more than
$4,000 in a tuberculosis hospital with
out submitting the proposition to the
vote Of the people.
Should the states bills continue for
two years to be as large as the one
Of the last quarter was. the total
would be $4,000. provided, of course
that the county was unable to make
any of the relatives pay.
Farmers Want Serum Plant.
Just preceding and following the
talk on hog cholera given by DR.. Niles,
Of Ames. in this city, several farmers
were discussing the feasibility of es-
tablishing a county serum plant. The
widespread prevalence of cholera in
this part of the state, and the inabil-
ity of the state and government plant
at Ames to furnish serum enough,
make these farmers believe that the
county should invest in such q plant
that the demand here can be supplied.
Several counties have opened OF are
soon to open such plants, and a few
others are building tuberculosis hos
pitfalls.
Superintendent Koontz believes that
the county farm would be a very
suitable place for hog cholera serum
plant.