Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-09-17
DISCUSS PLANS OF
$4,000 IN week
HOSPITAL DRIVE
Executive Commi t t e e
Meets Monday After
,noon-Feeling Public
Will Make Movement
for Augusta General
Hospital Great Sue
cess

Campaign plans will be discussed
Monday afternoon at meeting of the
executive committee for the coming
money raising movement to obtain
$4,000 in one week for an addition
to the Augusta General hospital.
Widespread interest has been arous-
ed in the undertaking to give the city
enlarged hospital facilities so that it
will be able to accommodate all pa
tients applying for treatment. The
overcrowded condition in the last few
years has been SO marked that fire.
quently week after week, every bed
has been occupied and cots set up to
accommodate the overflow OF patients.
Although the Augusta General hos
pital has been ministering to the
hospital needs of the public for 10
years, a member of the institutions
board asserted yesterday it never has
made a general appeal for funds. Now
that the imperative need of charging
the plant so that it can meet the de-
mands made on it is recognized by
almost every resident, the members
of the campaign committee feel con-
| fident that the public will make the
movement a brilliant success.
! Heading the campaign committee is
Hon. George E. Macomber. The move
ment has enlisted the support of such
we'll known residents as Judge Fred
f. Beane of Hallowell, Mayor Willis
E. Swift, Lewis A. Burleigh, Nathan
Weston. Henry E. Dunnack and Sam
uel Stewart. who are among the mem
bers of the executive committee. Be-
sides, the members of the hospital
board will be engaged actively this
week in the preparatory work for the
| campaign.
! Besides meeting the big general need
t.of more hospital space so that no one
in Augusta, after the construction of
the new wing. will be unable to have
hospital attention whenever necessary,
the success of the coming campaign
will increase to a marked degree the
efficiency of every department.
BY enlarged quarters, a member of
the staff explained, a special medical
department will he made possible. A
larger surgical department will be an
! otnef gam, and an eye, ear, nose and
throat department will be established
From a business standpoint as well
as from humane one, it is contended
i by the prominent men identified with
the campaign the hospital should be
enlarged. 1t is estimated by those
thoroughly familiar with the condi-
ton of the present hospital plant that
when the addition is complete, one
nurse will be able to do what is now
requires the services of two to accom-
plish, on account of the congested
condition.
This seemingly amazing gain in eff
| fciency," an officer of the hospital
said, will be to a great extent due
to the fact that when the extreme
overcrowding is relieved it will be
possible. through the addition of the
new wing, to reorganize the system In
the institution to a marked extent"
The officer also stated that the rea-
son the work of the institution is
mot now conducted at the highest ef-
| iciency is because the building was
not originally constructed for hospita]
purposes. Many conveniences of
structure in a recently erected hospita,
are not possessed by the local insti-
tuition.