The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-06-01
HOSPITALS SHOULD
NOT Be MADE BEAR
EXPENSES OF POOR
sUcH .sEsolUIIoN WAS
Al MEETING IN ST.
JAMES CHURCH
County Commissioners Will Be Asked
To Make Special Levy Permis-
sable By The Law

That the community instead of in.
~dividuals should take care OF the eN-
pense to care for injured persons or
ones afflicted with some disease and
Unable TO pay for treatment rendered
them were stipulations set forth in
a resolution adopted last night at a
meeting held in St. James church ar
ter addresses had zen delivered by
prominent speakers. The senti-ent
or the meeting also favored a special
levy by the county TO bear the ex-
pense OF taking care of such unfortu-
nate persons in the local hospitals in
stead OF making paupers ~ them By
sending them TO the county infirmary.
commonly known as the poor house.
The speakers said there were many
worthy persons who became IN. or
Were injured, and owing TO temporary
financial embarrassment could not 20
TO a hospital and pay their own way
and rather h 40 to the poor house"
letting their neighbors know OF their
temporary destitute circumstances.
would suffer their agonies without
complaint.
W. H.. Smith. OF the city health de
partment. was first introduced by
Chairman +. L. Bayha. The speaker
said: Persons could be better cared
for at either of the two local hospitals
than at h county infirmary where
there II a certain capacity and only
one nurse n n physician. The law
does not say the commissioner must
send the sick or injured poor to the
infirmary but that they should decide
upon a place that Is best for the pa
tent, best for his family and best for
the community.
70 the year OF 1915. Slg. 900 was
appropriated for the care of patients
while the actual cost for caring for
those patients was triple the amount.
dnd the extra expense rested upon the
two local hospitals alone. n the county
should do its duty and pay for these
worthy poor h would only require an
extra levy of iT-lOO per mill for as
sessed valuation. then the hospitals
could be paid for what they did but
the amount would not be- a. 4 profit
but only at the actual cost" The
speaker gave statistics ON tuberculo-
sis cases and urged that action be tax.
en- 10 reopen View Point sanitorium.
Judge Ewing Talks
Judge James ". Ewing was the
next speaker. He brough greetings
from the ROTARY club which il TAX
ing considerable interest in the move
ment 10 have the county commission
ers appropriate a sum 10 relieve the
hospitals OF part of their burden. He
said When a man h. sick his earning
capacity Is gone n the welfare of
ms family is impaired II Is a Chris
tian duty 10 care for the sick poor and
AN- N'EN Q ~ WY EAlAdAAa ANlf3 at
torneys. including Prosecutor -. A..
Mckee. Nelson &. Hubbard and myself
have interpreted the present law that
the county commissioners have the
power to make a special levy 10 take
care Of these patients but the commits
stoners claim the law IL not clear to
them"
Or. Mcfarland Talks
DIT. VI. Mcfarland, field secretary
OF the AntiTuberculosis society, was
the mex speaker. She told of the many
cases OF this dlsease in Wheeling and
throughout the state and said while
We helped to annihilate this afniction
we were not only helping those suf-
iering from The sickness but were
also helping our own safety OF health
She advocated the adoption Of some
means toward %reopening View Point
sanitOrium md said IL would be a
great benefit to the state inasumCh as
II would teJ 10 encourage other dis.
tricts TO es.I I0 similar Institutions
Dr. McF - has conducted an in
v~cstication &C tuberCular cases
throughout the state and saws the dis
ease is more prevalent in Kanawha.
Fayctte and Mcdowell counties. chief
is among colored persons and child
ren.
Hold Other Meetings
\ number of other meetings. 10 fur.
thor discuss The plan Of the Rotary
club viii BE- held IN the near future
by members % the brOthcrhOods Of 10
cal churches and by Othc> %organiza-
fions. They viii be- addressed BY mem
beers n the Rotary club and others
familiar with the situation.
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