Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-01-31
ANNUAL REP5RTS' '..'
AUGUSTA GENERAL
HOSPITAL FOR 1915
Reports of Board Of Directors
and of Visiting Committees as
Accepted at Recent Annual
Meeting of Corporation

Accepted at Recent Annual
Meeting of Corporation
Given herewith are the reports Of
he hoard&Qf directors and Of the visit
ing committee Of the. Augusta. General
hospital for the. year 1915. as submit
ted and accepted at the recent annual
meeting Of the corporators Of the in
stitution:
| Rsnort Of Directors.
Following our usual custom we are
presenting our 17th annual report of
the operations of the hospital. We
have been fortunate in retaining the
services Of our Superintendent and her
assistant, both Of whom have served
the institution so many years.
We began the year with 20 patients
and have received since 729, the largest
Of any year since the Hospital was
opened. OF these 375 were surgical, 1873
medical and 1876 for treatment Of eye,
ear and throat. The number per day
has averaged 80. and the largest num-
ber any one day AZ. Owing to the in
creased cost Of nearly. everything used
in carrying on the institution the per
capita cost has increased from 2.13
last year to 2.29 this but notwithstand-
ing this and the further fact that our
charity work has steadily increased so
that more than 25 per cent Of our ex-
penditures were for those unfortunates
in our community who needed the SER
vices of the hospital but were unable to
contribute much of anything for such
service. 1t was for such largely that
this and all similar institutions are
maintained and we ought to feel satis-
fed that we can render this humane
assistance to those unable to pay. With
these large expenditures for free work
and other unfavorable conditions our
finances come out better than a year
ago. thus demonstrating that we are
working along lines that the communi
ty believes in and is willing to sustain.
Our Indebtedness when everything is
paid will be less than $4,000 while last
year it was above $4,000. The Chill
dren's Home and State School for Girls
have had quite a number Of patients
with us. The District Nurse has con-
tinued her many and helpful visits
throughout the year, going into 40
families and making total Of 1914
calls. No work of the Hospital is more
helpful and it should be extended as
we can.
| We have graduated five nurses the
past year and total Of II since we
started. a blessing to the community in
itself, sufficient to fully justify the ex-
istence of the Hospital if it accom-
plished nothing else. We now have 20
in training. Our patients coming from
all our best homes and scattered
through IL counties of the state leads
us to the conclusion that the modern
hospital idea is becoming better under
stood and appreciated and it points to
the great necessity of increased capaci-
ty for accommodation OF those who are
bound to come to us in the future.
At times the hospital has been over
crowded and our new wing is much
needed. We have received for treat
ment an unusually large number of
children the past year The Hospital
aid has rendered it's usual and most
helpful assistance and to it perhaps
more than to any one source is due our
success both financially and medically
We were somewhat disappointed not
to receive from the State as large an
appropriation as we asked for but they
have many demands upon them and
it's only reasonable to conclude that
they treated us as we'll as they could
The Commission Of State Charities
have visited us several times and b,
advice and otherwise have assisted us
what they could. Their recommenda
ton to adopt a system of bookkeepine
md +
ment over the old methods and espec-
tally helpful as the Hospital grows. We
have made many. attempts to secure a
laundry to be located at and be operat-
ed by the hospital and one has nov
been purchased and nearly installed
and payment for it has been financed
and we hope large saving in this
branch of work is assured.
Mrs. Haynes with her usual thought
fulness for the best interests of the
hospital has made very considerable
expenditures In repainting and decorat
ing the Nurses Home, putting it in ev.
cry part as good as new. Mrs Tam.
son knight Greenwood, a life long resi-
dent of this city, left by will to the
hospital property which when con-
verted into cash will amount in the
neighborhood Of $4500. Miss Mary N
Edwards and Arthur n. Edwards have
continued their generous gifts as a me.
} mortal to their mother. These will
the numerous smaller but no less an.
preciated gifts from numerous friend.
have been most helpful and for al
which we are most grateful
The largely increased work Of tn,
hospital especially the number Of surgi.
cal cases necessary to attend to a.
night has seemed to your Board IL
create necessity for a night superin
tendent as no one person can be or
duty both night and day. We have au.
thorized the employment Of a compe.
tent nurse to have charge Of the worl
nights and SO relieve Mrs. Hayden and
Miss Clark although neither have eve,
complained Of being overworked bu,
there is limit to human endurance
and It's only fair we should conside,
these painstaking and conscientious
officials. We started the year with ar
Inferno DR.. E. c. Hutchings, but or