Great Falls tribune., 1921-03-08
DOCTORS FAVOR
new ISOLATION
HOSPITAL HERE
Committee From Medical So
ciety Presents Plan to County
City Health Board.

A move will be made at once by
Falls for the erection of detention
hospital capable Of FURNISHING adc-
quate facilities for the treatment Of
Communicable diseases. The joint
county and city health board will meet
at Hotel Rainbow Thursday morning
to discuss methods of procedure and if
way is found to undertake the pro-
ject, q comprehensive plan will be
adopted and the work initiated as soon
as possible The Cascade County Medi-
cal society will act. with the board in
an advisory capacity.
Decision to launch a movement to
erect a hospital building was reached
by the joint board Monday after Or.
Leroy Southmayd. representing the
medical society, reviewed facilities now
furnished. DR.. Southmayd was named
at recent meeting of the society to
act with DR.. w. A. Hulbush and DR..
A. f. Longeway in comforting with the
board.
Facilities Are Needed.
For many years." said DR.. South
mayd, detention hospital accomoda-
tions furnished by the city and the
county have been anything but a
credit to either. Conditions now are
probably worse than at any previous
time, but the Cascade County Medical
society believes it is time to have
detention hospital worthy the name.
We believe that there should be facil-
tiles for caring for cases that are
menace to the public health and the
society has decided to ask that the
board find some means of complying"
DR.. Southmayd declared that the
buildings now used as detention hos
pitals are not properly heated and
that infection has spread from the
hospitals now operated One small
small pox case now in the city con-
tracted the disease there, the speaker
said. A measles patient was only re-
Gently denied admittance because to
receive him would be to expose him
to small pox, scarlet fever or dipther-
ia. With these diseases already rep
resented in the hospital. cases Of other
contagion could not be received with
out liability of exposure, said DR..
Southmayd.
Would Cut Expenses.
The county commissioners. Mayor
Louis Newman and Drs. A. Dolan and
+. T. Foard of the health service
agreed with DR.. Southmayd in that the
erection and maintenance of an ade
quate detention hospital would be less
expensive that the present plan. DIR.
Southmayd said that either Of two
plans for erecting hospital are feas-
ible. One plan would be for the coun-
ty and city to erect an isolation build
ing adjacent to one or both of the
city's general hospitals. and the otner
would call for a building in another
location, erected so that units could
be added as needed. Opinions ex-
pressed at tne meeting apparently
favored isolation buildings approximate
to the general hospitals.
Twenty-Five thousand dollars is now
spent annually for curative work by
the joint health service. Of which $2.4D0
is paid as rent for the buildings under
lease on Commercial avenue. In addi-
ton the county pays $4,000 annually
TO the general hospitals for the care
Of county poor. The opinion was ex-
pressed that saving in both depart
ments could be realized if detention
hospital were built DR.. Foard stated
that there are now 100 tubercular pa
tients in the county and that several
Of them should be receiving treatment
now.
To Improve Present Building.
The board decided that present de-
tention hospitals should be improved
as much as possible until new build
ing can be erected. Another building
an Commercial avenue IS available and
will be secured in lieu Of both build
ings now in use if more desirable
location cannot be secured elsewhere.
Regulations which have prevented the
admission of contagion cases hereto
fore will be changed.
DIR. Hulbush told the board that it
Is sometimes difficult to find author:
ties empowered to admit patients 20
the hospital and asked that arrange
ments be made to overcome inadverten-
cies previously experienced. He de-
clared that only recently he was COM
PEELED to take action that amounted to
forcing an entrance.
II was rather severely reprimanded
for what / did" said DR.. Hulbush
but il the occasion ever arises / will
do it again. 1t was necessary to either
get into the hospital or leave the pa
tient on the street.
"It is not always going to be pos
sible for the city and the county to
pass the buck" DR.. Hulbush con-
tinued ......
Would Have County Lead.
Mayor Newman stated that it would
be necessary for the county to take the
lead in building detention hospital,
but that the city would cooperate to
the extent of its ability.