The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-02-17
Kenosha Hospital Has Cared
for 1,156 Patients in the
Past Year - Needs
New Home.
NURSES ARE BADLY CROWDED
Excellence of Hospital Induces Out
ofTown Surgeons to Operate
in Kenosha Instead of in
Other CiaBes.

In the fiscal year of the Kenosha
ospital, recently closed, the great
lumber Of 1,156 patients were admit
ed and cared for-an average Of
l-5 per day, for the year. The hos
ital has been taxed to it's limit and
he normal capacity of fifty beds, by
lacing two beds in the larger private
ooms, was raised to ffty-four in time
emergency.
The greatest need of the hospital at
resent is a nurses home for the
venty-four resident nurses now crowd
into the inconvenient quarters in
old building standing on the hospital
rounds. The board hopes that the next
Ear or eighteen months may see the
roiect of the new home well under
ay and it is estimated that such a
ONE would cost in the neighborhood
twenty-five thousand dollars.
Many valuable gifts were reported
oceived in the year past, some rang
lg as high as three hundred dollars,
nd from this down to small but who'll
acceptable offerings of money
nd fittings.
Many Give to Work.
The names Of the donors reported by
he board are: Mrs. DR.. Ripley, Mrs.
G. Simmons, The Flower Shop, Mrs.
c. Allen, Mrs. Bray, Mrs. Harry
'aldwin, Mrs. James j. Hoyt, The
dickens Club, Mrs. E. G. Timme, Ep-
Jorth League, Salem; Sisters of St.
larry, George III. Cook, Mrs. McHugh,
Irs. @. G. Brown, Mrs. e. r. Head,
IRIS. Wolf, Mrs Truman Parker, Mrs.
= W. Allen, Mrs. Charles Conner
mann, Mrs. Emma Grove, Mrs. Bull,
Ir. and Mrs. Will Mutter, Calem; Mrs.
Mabel Lubeno, Salem; Mrs. DIR. Winde-
helm, Mrs. E. L. Grant, Mr.. Barlow
)r. Van Westrienen, Mrs. Snider, Weis-
;opf School, ST. Matthew's Sunday
school, Mrs. Whitaker, Mr.. and Mrs.
TT. Lance, G. G. Brown, A. J. Con-
Ion, Jewish Society, Miss Dupons.
AS the hospital performs the func-
ion of an emergency hospital as well
rs that of an operative and general
hospital, the mortality rate is neces-
arily higher than in a general hospi-
tai. AS one of the board members ex-
claimed, numerous cases Of accidents
and operations are brought to the hos
pital when in a dying condition and
when there is no hope of saving the
lives, but merely of making the last
hours comfortable and neglecting no
possible chance of aiding them.
AS usual the hospital has run behind
in its expenses, the deficit for the year
being $2,440.10. Much of this deficit
Is caused by services rendered, bills
for which are uncollectible, but the
major amount comes from the ward
service. Patients in the wards are
charged but one dollar per day, which
is less than the nurses service, meals,
and other necessities in connection with
the patient s occupancy of ward bed
amounts to. Every patient served in
the ward is an item of expense to the
hospital, Some of this is made up by
the private room patients, but gener-
ally the deficit may be said to be met
by contributions from friends of the
hospital. The ward service must be
continued as a matter of community
expediency, as the hospital board feels
that the very people whose homes are
least fitted for use in caring for the
sick are the ones who could not afford
a higher fee than the one dollar charg-
ed, and raising the amount would be
prohibitive so far as this large and
deserving class is concerned.
Can't Collect Accounts.
AS to the great amount of service
rendered that is never collected for.
the hospital board finds this knottv
problem.
A certain percentage of service is
devoted by the hospital to purely
charitable purposes, and this in the
past year has amounted to $64S.12, but
IN addition to this an amount fully
$4,000 more than that, is carried on
the books with little hope of collection.
The authorities of the hospital regret
that they are being forced in this way
practically to do involuntary charity,
for they feel it their right to select
their own charities and to. give to
those to whom they wish
Big Men Come Here.
The excellence Of the hospital is
TESTED to by the fact that many sur
cons of prominence select it for their
oerations in preference to having To-
j patients taken to the Chicago or
her city hospitals where they are in
habit Of operating. Yesterday
Edward Oxner of Chicago, OPP
tied upon a patient in the hospital
d Dr. Chislett has operated there