The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-01-15
ON
AoyLUMS OF
THE STATE
CLAIMED THAT SYSTEM is BEING
ABUSED, AND LEGISLATION is
SUGGESTED BY STATE AUDIT.
OR HOWARD.

pubic GYaiTS in its report to the
2c."'rur and Legislature. Some OF
the abuses of the system are pointed
0ut ana remedies suggested. f.. r
ttOWald, state auditor who, as Sec
r1:ary Of the board of affairs, made
several State institutions, makes
slowing that there are many persons
in th' aeylums who ought not to be
here and that there are others pres =
"nt a, public charges who are able
to lay for their keep or who have
, Da!rIts "r other relatives who ought
10 b" Charged with this cost
, 'he report III part is As follows:
In connection with our recon-
lncndatIOIs for the care, mHint cnanc"
| and support OF the inmates of the
. hospitals lOr the insane in the state
- n..,h1ma we beg To call atten-
! IT," to ,tmr facts existing relative
Ia same We ind upon investigation
| that There are II considerable number
I 0i paI!tGtS II the Oklahoma hospitals
Tor the Insane who have not been
| resident of the state OF oklahoma
! for Cnr v.ar previous 10 being COM
! rNiited t. these institutions. Regard
lnG :. :, We rave made an inyestiga-
| ti3r and find that in all the states
/
( able IT, gaiE any information. that
! ~ The statutes of said states there
/ are provisions made whereby any
, perSon other than resident OF said
! state who shall become insane within
I said state shall be transported back
to the state in which they reside.
! This condition is not true In Oklaho-
ma, and owing to it the superintend-
en,s of our insane asylums have
been compelled to accept and sup
port and maintain at the expense OF
the state a considerable number of
foreign patients, We recommend
-, that some legislation covering this be
enacted.
Further. We find that the state
hospitals for the insane have been
imposed upon by county officials
in committing 10 these hospitals pa
tients. who, from the nature OF their
condition and surroundings are not
/ strictly speaking insane persons, but
INDECENT pauper patients who should
not he committed 10 an insane asy-
lum but should be- cared for in the
counties from which they have been
committed In connection with this
We lind further that there are in the
hospitals FOR the insane in Oklahoma !
\ considerable number of patients,
who either through their estates or
through persons who are under the
law obligated to care for them are |
sufficiently able to pay for their care /
in the insane asylumS of the state |
Of Oklahoma We have gone further |
into this matter and find that in all (
of the states from which we have |
received information, including Ken ,
tucky, Missouri and New York. that
the statutes Of these states provide
that where any insane patient is
committed to hospital for the in
sane, who is able. through any funds,
To pay fer said care. that he or those
under obligations TO care for him,
are required TO pay into the state or
to the county which later transmits
il to the state for the care of said
patient This arrangement does not
exist in the state of Oklahoma, and
the result has been and is that there
are as stated above considerable
number Of s,atientS who We believe
should pay the state for their care
in these hospitals, If they are TO be
and cared for at these
institutions We recommend that
some legislation Be enacted whereby
the burden of caring for people in
this institution who are financially
able TO pay for their care be taken
oc of the shoulders of the taxpayers
Of the state of Oklahoma.
In this connection we desire to
state that our investigation shows
that in 1911 there were 96i patients
in the hospital for the insane at
Norman and and 4SO at the institu-
ton at Fort supply The popula-
tion of these Institutions at this date
: composed OF 93l at the Norman
institution, ca at Ninita and SO at
the Oklahoma hospital for the insane
at Fort supply. 1t will be seen from
this that if some legislation 10 prop
erly protect the states interest Is
not enacted that the call upon the
state for new buildings with which
to take care of all Of these patients.
many OF which are not proper charg-
es against the state, will be great
HIn connection with tho cara ~