Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1921-12-01
UNLOAD TOO
MANY PATIENTS
STATE WELFARE COMMISSION
FINDS TOO MANY COUNTY
CHARGES IN ASYLUMS
DRUG ADDlCTS ARE INCREASING
Commissioner Burrell Send Letter To
All Probate Judges.

The first gun of what may result in
a finish fight between the state and
the various counties was fired Satur-
day when David Burrell, state COM
missioner of public welfare, addressed
/. a letter to all judges of the state hav-
ing power to commit persons to the
insane asylums asking their coopera-
ton in keeping the asylums free of
those people who do not rightfully be-
long there.
THE institutions are becoming so
crowded." said Mr.. Burrell, in an in
terview given out at Boise to The
Statesman, that l have found it neces-
sary to start an investigation to find
out the cause of the increase in COM
mitments to the asylums.'
In his letter the commissioner states
that he has found many old people at
the asylums who are feeble and infirm
from old age, but not insane.
1.-The surprising thing" he says, lis
that practically all of these old people
have come from county poor farms,
contrary to the provisions of section
--87, Idaho Compiled Statutes. This
section says that no case of idiocy
or imbecility or simple feebleness of
mind, must be maintained at the asy-
lums.
AS soon as the receiving hospitals
at the Orofine and Blackfoot institu-
tions are completed Mr. Burrell in
tends calling a clinic of physicians to
examine all patients at the institu-
tions. Such patients as are not classed
as insane and dangerous to life and
property will be returned to the coun-
ties from where they were committed
The commissioner expects the hospit-
ais to be ready about the first week in
December and as soon after that date
as possible he will conduct the clinic
and weed out the patients.
II have been looking through some
of the commitment papers of those re-
Gently sent to Blackfoot," Mr.. Burrell
said Saturday, land the grounds on
which those people have been sent to
an asylum for the insane could just as
well be applied to almost any person
in Idaho
1T looks to me as if some of these
county poor farms have just been un-
loading on the state all their old and
infirm charges simply because they
didn't want to take care of them"
Records of the Blackfoot institution
on file in the state department of pub
lie. welfare show that since June, q
persons have been committed to thai
asylum from Ada county.
In his letter to the judges Mr.. Bur
rell points to some of the reasons fol
the increase in the number of patients
at the asylums One of these is the
drug or narcotic act passed by the
legislature in 1913. He says:
II am advised by the superintendent
at Blackfoot that he has handled more
cases of drug and narcotic addicts il
the past nine months than during any
previous biennium since he has beer
in charge of the institution"
The reason for this, Mr. Burrel
believes. is that those accustomed tt
using liquor who have been deprived
of it have turned to drugs to satisfy
their desires.
One of the commissioners ideas o
reducing the number of patients at th'
institutions is through cooperativ,
plan with the Mexican government
Many of the patients are Mexican
and through an agreement with th
Mexican consul recently established a
Boise, the department hopes to hav
all these patients removed from tn
institutions and returned to their ma
tive land
The total number of insane and fee
BILE minded persons under care of tn
state is now S23 divided as follows
Blackfoot, 1872; Orofino, 281; Nampa
210.