El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-03-16
Nd MEDICAL AID
FOR DESTITUTE
Unless City and County Get
Together on Hospital,
Poor May Suffer.

Unless the county commissioners
either rescind their action regarding
the receipt OF patients at the county
hospital, or the city at oncs establishes
an Institution TO receive charitable
cases thsre viii be scores OF destitute
persons. stricken with Illness in FL
Paso, who will not receive proper
medical aid This statement was made
Thursday by several prominent physi-
clans and surgeons who are members Of
the county hospital clinic, medical and
surgical staff.
Last Monday the county commits
sioners made q decision to the effect
that a patient TO be received at the
county hospital for treatment must
have resided in the state OF Texas for
u months and in Il PasO county for
six months The action OF the COM
misSioners will result IN scores OF per-
sons who have resided here less than
the specified period being refused ad-
mittance to the hospital even though
they are in a critical or dying condi-
ii for the want of proper medical aid,
physicians say
Could Not Isolate Diseases.
i prominent physician stated that II
contagious disease became epidemic IN
certain parts of the city many of the
patients could not be taken to the
county hospital to be isolated, under
the ruling of the commissioners He
S: id il i essential for the safety of
the public health to I once isolate
typhus, smallpox and other contagious
diseases.
Physicians Board Forms stan.
The commissioners recently appoint
ed q hospital board end gave them full
power to operate the hospital, at an ex-
pense of less than $4,000 year. When
the board took charge OF the institu-
ton 20 prominent physicians and sur
geons OF Ell Paso formed the county
hosni-al clinic, medical and surgical
staff and offered their services with
out compensation. Each physician and
surgeon volunteered his services for a
certain number of hours each week at
no cost to the county or patient.
Reduce Operating Expense.
This action of the physicians resulted
in establishing staff equal to that OF
any similar institution in the country.
and without charge to the county. The
expense of operating the hospital last
month was reported to be about 500
less than that Of the previous month,
and the efficiency was greatly in
creased
Fan To Consult Board. Claim.
Despite this, the commissioners with
out consulting either the hospital
board or physicians, according to q
member OF the medical staff. passed the
restrictive order and called the super
intendent of the hospital. who had been
appointed by the board, and informed
him that If he received a patient who
had not resided in the state for q year
and the county for six months they
would deduct from his salary the cost
OF treating the patient
According to volunteer physicians
some action must be taken at once TO
receive the charitable cases. They
cannot be left on the streets to die,
they say
Mayor Lea, it is reported, favors
taking over the county hospital by the
city administration and naming II the
KlUttz memorial hospital, in memory OF
the late DR.. W. c. Kluttz. city health
officer. There has been friction be-
tween the county and city for some
time regarding accepting patients at
the county hospital, doctors say. The
commissioners have stated the city has
imposed on them by sending scores of
patients to be treated. II Is claimed
Appears To Be Misunderstanding.
Under the arrangement which has
heretofore existed, the city has cared
for county smallpox cases at the city
isolation hospital, and the county has
cared for all typhus cases The present
difficulty seems TO be due to a mis-
understanding, and 1t is said that con-
ferences have been refused by some OF
the authorities.