The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-02-18
PUBLIC HOSPITAL
IDEA WINS FAVOR
County Commissioners Confer
With Physicians of City
MODERN BUILDING OF TWO Sr0-
RIES AND FULL BASEMENT.
No Formal Action Taken, But Com
missioners Are Studying Situation.
Original Plans Being Expanded.

At a meeting of the county commits
sioners, held Friday afternoon. the
subject of the proposed county, or
public, hospital received very serious
and significant consideration. although
as yet without official action. The
project certainly finds favor with the
public generally, and especially, per-
haps, with those guardians of the pub
lie health, the local physicians. And
there are also evidences that the fur
ther and more mature consideration of
the commissioners themselves only
serves to increase their enthusiasm as
to the potentialities and possibilities
for public benefit that may be devel-
oped for and by the proposed building
At the Friday meeting the commits
sioners were in consultation, by their
own request. with a delegation of ply
sicians. Doctors White, Morgan,
Caughlin, Woods, Pike and perhaps
others joined in the conference. 1t
was strongly represented that the
best economy in planning such an en-
terprise absolutely required consider
alton of the future. as well as of the
present, with the effect that the COM
missioners will at least attempt to
bring building two stories above the
basement instead of one, within the
available resources of the county.
Such a structure, with a light and
suitable roof-room for operative pur-
poses, would permit the housing %
enough pay patients, in addition to in
digept ones, to make the institution
absolutely .self-sustaining and that
with the constant employment of a
corps of nurses and attendants suffi-
cient for any emergency. AS the
cost of maintaining an efficient hos
pital of twenty beds is from eight
hundred to one thousand dollars per
month, great saving to the taxpayer
is involved; and the physicians pres
ent offered to guarantee that such a
result could be obtained Another ar
gument for more room is found in the
fact that, at first at least, the build
ing must accommodate all the wards
of the county, whether needing hos
pital treatment or not.
During the conference between the
commissioners and medical men, a
number of important questions came
under consideration, some of which
are of popular import. One of these
is the question of the location of the
proposed hospital This is a matter
that may be decided by financial or
other necessities of the county; but
there is, nevertheless, food for thought
in the suggestion of one or more of
the physicians that it should be not
| too distant from the main school
! building. IL is well known that past
and present superintendents of our
city schools, abetted by local physi-
clans, have endeayored to evolve some
plan by which all pupils could have
! the vast advantage of free diagnosis
and treatment, especially as to conta-
gious. diseases, and to eyes, mouth and
throat. The chief deterrent has been
total lack of room or facilities Con-
tiguty to the schools of such an in
stitution as the one under consider
alton would at once remove this; and
it is understood that the hospital as
sociation. which the local medical fra
ternity pledge themselves to organize
will not only undertake such a work
but would also agree to equip the hos.
nital (no small matter) and to care
! professionally, for the county's char.
ity patients. Another suggestion in
this same connection is the desirable.
ity of the high school classes in do
mestic science, or household econom-
les, adding to ordinary lessons ol
kitchen and sewing room some spe-
cial ones in the hospital relative tc
dietetic cooking and to nursing. espe
cially in fevers and diseases of mos
common appearance in the average
household.
Nothing is too good for Twin Falls
city and county; and a project is
being developed in this hospital mat
ter that, with haste eliminated anC
thoughtful liberality-which is always
the truest conomy-shown, ma,
! bring great practical results at home
as well as no little credit abroad
Such an institution as is plainly pos
sible would bring. upon occasion
great lights of the surgical profes
sion-the Mayos and the Murphys-
into consultation and clinical instruc
ton