Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-03-27
it from members of the denomination
whose name the hospital bears.
Not Run for Profit.


the Episcopal church has elected from
year to year the trustees, although the
trustees are not all Of them members
of the Episcopal church. There has
been no profit to the Episcopal church
from this relation.
Every one recognizes the fact that
Mercy hospital is a splendid ~institu-
ton and is doing a good work. st.
Luke's was established because there
seemed need for another hospital
and it has been administered in the
broadest and most unsectarian way
Mercy hospital and st. Luke's hospital
are not competitors, but in some ways
they supplement each other and 1t is
best for the doctors as we'll as for the
public that a city Of $4,000 people
should have at least two hospitals.
Hospital statistics show that there
should be hospital for every $4,000 Of
population. The continued growth Of
Davenport will make the need of this
new building for ST. Luke's increas-
ingly felt.
Doing Good Work.
mo question has ever been raised as
to the religious status Of member Of
the board Of women managers, super
intendent, doctor, nurse or patient.
The people have come and gone, and
the only thought in the minds of those
responsible for the institution has been
the relief of human suffering and the
welfare of the patient. There has new
er been any profit to the Episcopal
church or to any individual derived
from the hospital, and there never can
be profit. No institution of this kind,
over term Of years. ever has sur
plus, and if by any chance there were
a profit, the trustees only could use it
in developing the institution or in
. making the hospital more efficient. As
, a matter of fact, up to three years ago
st. Luke's hospital had yearly deficit
! No general appeal to the public was
made, but the deficit was made up by
. a few friends of the institution.
Another thing to be remembered is
| that the trained, graduate nurse is now
tor feels that he must have such as
t sistance and her presence in the sick
room is not only guarantee of better
| care of the patient but the strain OF
/ sickness on the family is much les
) sened. The nurse must have hospital
, training and experience. st. Luke's
l hospital training school for nurses has
/ put large number of efficient nurses
r within call, and the whole community
, has profited by the work the training
t school has done
= Is Open to Public.
at may also be noted that the mem.
bers of the Episcopal church cared for
by the hospital has been comparatively
: few. Possibly 80 per cent Of all per.
l sons received as patients have had nc
connection with the Episcopal church
: Any one in the community has been al
i liberty to use the institution and the
patients Of st. Luke's hospital, as vel
as the doctors who have cared for then
will testify that no effort has beer
made, directly or indirectly, to inf1u
ence them in favor of the Episcopa
church.
Perhaps it might be well to men
ton the fact that the hospital has don,
every year a good deal of work fo
which it has received no remunera
ton. Never in the history of the in
stitution has patient been turned
away, when there were accommoda
tions, because he could not pay hos
pital bills, and it is the hope of thos
who are interested in the hospital tina
in days to come-with larger mum
Der of beds and with a larger revenu
an ever increasing amount of chart
table work may be done by the insti
tuition.
in order to provide for this main
tenance of the hospital the prices TO
rooms vary. The cost per patient pc
day is now $40. This is an increas
Of 40c per day over the cost Of main
tanning the institution in 1910 TIL
reason Of the increased cost will b.
clear to any one who considers tn
| increased cost of living and of service
To meet this cost, for some of tn
rooms the hospital receives $25 pc
week; for some of the rooms SIS pc
week. Patients are charged $40
week in the ward.
'No doctor has ever received an
special privileges nor has any docto
ever made dollar out of the hospital
The superintendent, nurses, and do
mestics, have been paid salary, bu
even with the greatest care, were /
not for some small endowments ant
an occasional gift received by the hos
pital from friends, it would be impos
sible to maintain the institution New
ertheless the institution Is needed ant
must be maintained.
1T would be impossible for the Epis
copal church or any other denomina
ton to give to the community a new
f1re-proof building with up-to-dat
equipment, hospital which would af
ford to the doctors all that is now nee
essary for the scientific and effectiv,
treatment Of patients. The trustees o
the hospital, therefore, in contemplat
ing new building, have felt that mas
much as the hospital was for the us,
Of any one in the city or neighborhooc
desiring to go to a hospital, and in 81
much s LID To the limit of ito rasnnrcn,