The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-21
sIrin's ]
f. Passing Of the Ward

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New Yeek clly, Nj. 3o.-TAe
t6aDafal ward. whAch epf 0utdries
has boqa coua3doeod : wise and
prac4acal aenQdats01 for the
ajck ppo4 8 nou bslne attacked
q q anfionatod iuefitnttou. The
~ - q that eveSy hospital pa
dokt 6kuald - hoooed In . private
Eoom, whether DO can AFFORD % pay,
Tor Il q kol
4. Doahlla6s It win ~ more than .
few yeAfS before this pleasing
prUphscy = entjreIy realised. bat
Me- York has already struck the
0rpt blow for = vArdless hospital
future IN it, new FIN AveNpe
ho6pital.
Thia building, which u rising
slowly and magnifcdltly between
1o6th and 10eth streets on the ave-
nue., opposite Central Park. will
bet d hoped for Just . short
time-the only hospital Of it, kind
In the world. It will have NO
ward, but private rooms. each with
q bathroom attached, are to be
rented ct rates ranging from moth
tu4 up. Thu patient without . cent
70 his name will receive exactly
the same treatment - the one with
. large hank balance.
This sliding scale Of rat1 10
designed for the special benefit Of
the so-calIed middle class, which
suffers acutely under the present
hospital system The extremely
poor who do not mind going into a
ward can get free treatment in
definitely at many hospitals, and
the wealthy can afford to pay for
private rooms, but the middle class
that large. portion Of the p0pula-
ton which must keep up appear
ances on small salaries-cannot
take advantage of either. Its pocket
book will not permit it to have
q private room, and its pride will
not permit it to enter q ward.
ITO provide this in-between class
Of people with comfortable, we'll
lighted, well-aired private rooms at
whatever nominal fee they feel
comfortably able to pay, is one Of
the big aims Of the new hospital,
according to DR.. Wiley Egan
Woodbury., who is to be it, direc-
tor. mo other hospital in the
world has been founded with such
an idea as this behind It," he says
Niddso Class Snners.
Consider the clerical forces, the
men and women at desks, counters
and benches. Their salaries permit
them to live comfortable home
lives, but many have large families
dependent upon them, and have
been able to save but little. Seri
GUS illness, especially il it is o.
long duration, is an overwhelming
calamity to them. To swallow
their pride and to subject them
selves to the humiliation and dis
comfort of going into . genera
ward, or to bear the expense Of OBJ
tanning the sort Of hospital servic'
that they really should have
either extremity would be unfortu
nate.
i This is illustrated by q cas-
which came to the reporters at
tention the other day-that of ;
young married couple who are i,
desperate circumstances owing t
/ an unforeseen misfortune. Boil
I husband and wife have worket
Ibravely and ambitiously since the!
were married . few years ago. Tn
young wife did clerical work, ant
the young husband held position
with . future attached to it in Wal
Street. At first they lived In chea1
boarding houses in order to saw
money. Gradually, however, the,
ACQUIRED their own apartment;
iudicious amount Of real antiQu
|! furniture; then valiant littl
secondhand car, and now they ar
expecting a baby.
The hard struggle of their earl
married years seemed to be splen
didly worth while several week
ago-when the Wall Street explos
ion occurred. The young husban
was standing too near the scene Q
1.-The disaster, talking to q bushes
acquaintance. and was horribly Ia
jured. He has been in hospita
ever since, at the expense OF $50
; a week. This has swept the couple
small hoard of savings away, an
the wifeNis now having to sell he
household effects to pay the bill.
!: "As for me, l can 60 into
ward" she told q friend recent!
"but the boy must have the bes
treatment available if he is to &c
we'll. Even now We fear that h
will lose the use of his right leg.
Needless to say, private hos
pital room, such as the Fifth Ave
nue. hospital intends to provide
would be a tremendous boon t
this married pair, the innocent vic
Tins of cruel misfortune.
1.-THE mere thought Of putin
two or more sick people togetha
, in the same room should be arsr
, ment enough against it," declare
, r. Frank Manville, president Of th
!. board of trustees of the new hos
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