The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-08-07
READY TO ENLARGE BUILDINGS
DR.. Watterson Declares that Lake Coun-
ty Will Make Arrangements Co Take
Care of Kenosha Patients and Argues
Against Building of sanitarium Here

Dr. w. H. Watterson, medical super
mtendent of the Lake Breeze Sana-
torium in Lake County, has sent let
ter to the Evening News explaining
conditions at the Waukegan institu-
ton for the care of tuberculosis
patients He holds that the institu-
ton is plenty large to take care of
any patients which Kenosha county
could send to the hospital. The let.
ter follows:
Kenosha News, Kenosha, Wis.
Dear Sirs:-Your editorial in a re-
cent issue of the News leads me to
believe that you are mis-informed con-
corning the Lake Breeze Sanatorium,
Waukegan In the first place you
have been informed that Lake Breeze
Sanatorium can care for but twenty
coy patients during the cold weather.
We can care for from thirty-two 1922
to forty (40) patients in the winter
time very comfortably and we have
never had that many in that season of
the year, and have seldom had over
half that many during the cold wealth
er. And of that number only about
half or the average of about ten, comes
from Lake county. In two articles in
your paper you stated that all of our
patients are from Lake county; this
has never been the case. At the pres
emit time there are six patients from
Lake county and all the other patients
are private patients, two of whom are
from Lake county and the others from
outside of Lake county including one
from Kenosha.
In your editorial you also mentioned
that it is not probable that the trus-
tees of Lake Breeze Sanatorium would
care to increase the facilities, etc.
The trustees of this institution will in
crease the facilities if necessary, but
7 assure you that it will not be neces-
sary and that Kenosha county or an!
other county would not fill the instit +
ton to its capacity. However, if they
should do so the trustees will then con-
slider increasing the capacity, but until
that time they would not care to in
crease the capacity beyond what they
feel is necessary.
AS to the idea Of your $500 per
week allowance for patients and that
this allowance be only in case the
patients are sent to Wisconsin insti-
tutions is a legislative measure which
is extremely unjust and can be chang
ed if the unjustness of it is placed oe-
fore the legislative body and even so
where does the $500 come from if not
from the tax payers Of your state any
way, SO what difference does it make
in the long run.
The Lake Breeze Sanatorium can re-
lieve Kenosha S situation permanently
to the advantage both of Kenosha
county and to the sanatorium. Your
county is better provided for than ours
for the incipient cases in that you
have state institution which ILL
nois has not.
From my ten years experience With
tubercular people, I can assure you
that if Kenosha spends the $4,000
they have already voted for a sana-
forum that they viii not be able to
care for the tubercular patients they
have in that sanatorium at the rate
per capita as cheaply as Lake Breeze
Sanatorium can care for them LOW. |
urge this before your thinking body Of
supervisors, because l know whereof
/ speak and trust they will not spend
money for an institution which will be
of more expense to them after they
build it than the annual expense would
be Of caring for their tubercular
patients at as handy an institution as
Lake Breeze Sanatorium is to them.
The street car line from Kenosha join
ing on to the Chicago, Milwaukee cleo
tric, could bring your patients to
Grand avenue, Waukegan, and from
there our institution will handle them,
whether ambulatory or ambulance
cases at the rate given the supervisors,
Of $3.50 per day for the ambulatSEz
cases, and <e9 ea : for the hos.
pital cases.
I believe it is due the public and
your board of supervisors that the
above facts be placed before them, and
I therefore submit them for your
publication.
Yours truly,
w. Fl. Watterson,