Perth Amboy evening news., 1914-09-14
R|DDLESTORFFER
EXPLAINS RUSH
HOSPITAL CALLS
President of Hospital Board
Writes to NEWS and Chief
Burke Gives Orders to His
Men to Rush Accident Cases

The following special order of
Chief of Police Patrick j Burke was
read to the outgoing squads of po-
lice by the desk sergeants Saturday
and Sunday:
'On and after this date all men,
bers of this department In case of
accident, or otherwise, where I'm their
judgment, medical treatment should
at once be administered shall take
the injured party at once to the city
hospital; If possible telephone hos
pital and let them know you are on
your way
The order followed the announce
ment of Sidney RiddlestOrifer, presi-
dent of the Perth Amboy Hospital AS
sociation, that the institution is
equipped to take care of all emer-
gency cases day or night at a mo-
ment's notice. Mr.. Riddlestorffer
calls attention to Article tx, Section
of the bylaws, which reads in part:
Emergency cases are admitted at
any hour of the day or night without
formal order"
1t had been the impression in the
police department that an order or
permit was required to admit victims
of accidents and that the order was
necessary from a staff physician.
Chief of Police Burke stated today
that in several instances when vic
tins were brought off the street to
the institution, when the institution
was under a former uperintendent, /
an order from a staff physician was
demanded when the injured party
was taken to the hospital, and he had
no notice of any change III the rules. |
This caused delays in gaining medi-
cal treatment for accident victims,
and Chief of Police Burke Friday
commented on the need of a place
where emergency treatment could be
given and where the injured party
could be carried without the neces-
sity of first seeking a physician.
Mr.. Riddlestorffer's letter to the
NEWS in reply to the observation
made By chief Purke in the NEWS
follows:
"To the Perth Amboy EVENING
NEWS:
Gentlemen
I'm reference to the article appear
ing in the columns of your valued pa
per under date of the 18th inst, by
a contributor, setting forth the needs
of an emergency hospital, would state
that the Perth Amboy city hospital
is equipped to take care of all such
cases day or night at moments no
tice. In order to meet such require
ments the board of governors have
installed an extra operating room,
now having installed two operating
rooms, one on the first floor for mi
nor operations and one on the third
floor for major operations. The pur-
pose of installing the small addition
al operating room on the first floor
is to take care of emergency cases
cases which might e suddenly rought
to the institution at a time When per-
| haps an important major operation
might be receiving the surgeons at
tention in the regular operating
room. With the new addition now
in commission the city hospital has
more than doubled its capacity and
increased its usefulness from hu-
manitarlan standpoint and its staff s
ever ia readiness to take care of all
emergency cases without hesitation,
as the purpose of the institution and
| it's only object, is the care, cure an
nurture of sick and injured persons,
and the board take this opportunity
to impress upon the readers of your
valued columns that in respect to
emergency cases referred to in your
article Of Yesterday, the 11th inst,
THAT the bylaws governing the tnsti-
tuition, as shown by Article tx, Sec
tion 2, read: Emergency cases are
admitted at any hour of the day or
night without formal order.
''While regretting that there
should be any citizens in Perth Am
/ boy who do not fully appreciate the
fact that our hospital doors are al
ways open to receive the emerg oncy
patient, yet the writer is pleased to
have an opportunity to address this
communication in reply to the article
appearing in your paper anent this
subject. and by this means publish
the fact that the city of Perth Am
boy has a hospital always ready to
take care of her citizens needs.
Yours very truly,
&c RIDDJFSTORFFER Presiden'."