Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-10-02
CARE OF INSANE
HUGE PROBLEM
Members of the State Board of
Public Charities Will Make
Report on 1t

Members of the State Board of
Public Charities who have been en-
gagged in studying the situation as re-
CARDS the insane in the State at the
request of the Governor are divided in
their opinions whether the State
should assume the whole care or the
counties have hospitals in addition to
the State institutions. There will be
reports expressive of the opinions Of
members made to the Governor in a
few days.
Members of the Board were in ses-
sion at Philadelphia on Saturday dis
cussing the situation, the committee
on lunacy having submitted the fol-
lowing IDEAS
County care license should be re-
stricted to counties and poor districts
which comply with the provisions of
the law by erecting suitable buildings
for the insane. under plans approved
by the Board of Public Charities and
which shall provide a standard of
care, also approved by the board.
The county care hospitals should
have their own board of managers
and should not be governed by the
poor directors or the superintendent
of the almshouse.
The county care hospital should
have farms and employment buildings
as well as recreation facilities; and
the insane patients should not be
compelled to work on the almshouse
farm The welfare and improvement
of the patients being the object in
view, the labor of the patients should
be regulated by the physicians.
Every hospital for the insane should
be under the charge of a competent
managers, and no license should be
issued to any institution which does
not have a resident physician.
The county hospitals should CO.
operate with the State hospitals of
the several districts. In fact, they
agricultural colonies of the State hos
pitfalls. When the boards of managers
for the county institutions for the in
sane are appointed it might be prac-
ticable to have the local trustee of the
State hospital serve as member of
the county hospital board. thus bind
ing the State and county hospital into
one system of State control.
In speaking of the difficulty with
which the State Board is confronted
in making reply to Governor Brum-
baugh's request for plan to have
the State car for all the insane. Fran
els j. Torrance, president of the board,
said:
1T will require s5,000,000 to care
for the patients we have now, and with
the need for appropriations to care
| far overcrowded conditions at present
State institutions, 1t Is hard for us to
| figure how we can ask the Legislature
! for enough money to erect new build
| ings that would compare with our
present State institutions. Because of
this financial condition and several
other things, the members of the
board are not of one mind as to
whether 1t would be advisable to make
such a recommendation to the Gov
ernor."
While State care would be an ideal
condition, Mr.. Torrance indicated that
the cost would be almost prohibitive
at one time.
According to the report, the State
institutions. with capacity of 1912
patients. have at present 10,S76 in
mates. This overcrowding, the report
says, has become so great that several
have been compelled to close their
doors for months at a time and COM
| pei the insane to remain in aims
houses and jails.
In the hope of alleviating this con-
gestion in some degree the committee
recommended the completion of the
State Hospital at Farview and ap-
proved of ward buildings to be con-
structed at Warren, Norristown, DAN
vile, Rittersvilie and Dixmont. which
would increase the capacity of these
institutions by 500 BEDS The COM
, mittee also cites the need for a State
hospital in the southwestern district,
and will ask the next Legislature to
make an appropriation for such hos
pital.