The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-01
DR.. kline MAKES
STATEMENT
REGARDING
HOSPITAL

lions originally adopted by the City
Commissioners for organizing and
conducting the Morrell Memorial
Hospital and agreed to by the Med
ical Staff:
1. That the City Commissioners Sc
lect a board of five trustees by elect
ing one each January TO serve for a
term Of three years; electing three
the first year for one, two, and three
years respectively, no physician be-
ing eligible, who with the legal
trustee and acting mayor shall con-
stitute board of five members.
2. This board to have full control
of the financial management of the
hospital and select the Medical Staff
as hereinafter provided.
3. The Medical Staff to be elected
in December each year and COM
mence service in January following,
except in case of vacancies, which
may be filled at any time on recon-
mendation of the medical staff.
4. No physician shall be eligible to
election on the staff unless recon-
mended by the Lakeland Medical So
ciety or the Medical Staff of the
hospital.
5. No physician shall be eligible
to reelection on the medical staff,
who has not been away within two
years to study up in their line of
work, or does not go away within
one year after election
{ 6. The Medical Staff shall have
complete control of the medical
management of the hospital, includ-
ing the Training School for Nurses,
the superintendent, intern. and
nurses.
z. The Medical staff shall select an
executive committee of five elected
by themselves with which the hos
pital trustees can confer at any time
on any matter pertaining to the
management. or the success of the
hospital.
s. The executive committee to
have control of the medical manage
lment of the hospital during the in
term of meetings of the Medical
staff.
The above was endorsed and
adopted by the City Commissioners
and the Board of Trustees elected by
them. This action was accepted in
good faith by the Medical Staff and
it lwas the basis on which all work
was done for the hospital.
The City Commissioners annuled
their contract with the Medical
staff, abolished the Board of Trus-
tees and took away the medical man
agement of the hospital and Train
] ing School for Nurses without ever
consulting the STAFF or even giving
the staff notice of same.
The above plan of organization
was specially planned and designed
to';keep the hospital out of politics
and factional strife that would in
jure its usefulness and success, also
to encourage the physicians to go
away each year and prepare them
selves for better work, three have
gone away and others are going in
which they will spend time and
money preparing for better work in
the hospital OF which the city and
citizens will receive the benefit.
The success of the hospital de-
ponds on the work done in the hos
pital by the Staff in combined work,
as no one physician can do the best
work by himself. 1t takes combined
work to get the best results,
Unless the Staff can do good
enough work to draw patients from
out of the city the hospital will be
a failure financially.
Any other plan of action means
imperfect, inefficient, unsatisfactory
work and ultimate failure.
| The hospital belongs 10 the CITY
and it and the citizens are entitled
to the best service and best results
and a proper management of the
same
Any other plan adopted by the
City Commissioners must embrace
the above principles If it succeeds.
The staff doesnot want the financial
management of the hospital. When
the Medical staff was organized ev-