Detroit tribune. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1933-1933, 1933-10-21
HEALTH STANDARDS
MET BY HOSPITALS
Death Rate Decreases
With Establishing
Of Hospitals
Hospitals Comply
With Housing Code

Officials OF the city and state
boards Of health stated that the
five tubercular hospitals operated
by colored physicians and under
the direction supervision OF the
Herman Kiefer Hospital officials,
meet the requirements Of the city
and state boards.
These same officials declared
that the hospitals in question are
not created as segregated" hos
pitfalls. Instead. they were created
as medium TO take care of the
surplus of tubercular patients at
the Herman Kiefer Hospital.
Investigation Made
These facts were established
through an investigation made by
lnewspapermen following a TRADE
against the FIVE Negro tubercular
hospitals by Snow +. Grigsby. local
postal employee and member of the
local branch of the National As
| sociation for the Advancement OF
III Colored People. at the ST. Johp
= Forum two weeks ago. Grigsby, a
: that time. charged sho owneR =
1.-THE hospitals with having racE,
at the expense of INDECENT tubef
cular patients. He also said thkt
the hospitals did not measure up
TO the state board OF health re-
quirements and were unsanitary.
DR.. Arthur p. Derby, director Of
the t-patient-clinic at the Her
man Kiefer Hospital and In charge
OF the hospitals. said that prior TO
the establishment of the hospitals.
there was, at one time. a waiting
list OF more than 800 tubercular
patients with no bed space avail
able. Since the creation OF the hos
pitfalls there is bed space for all
tubercular patients. A patient. he
said, can be given bed the same
day that his physician discovers
symptoms OF the white plague.
DR.. Derby said that this enables
the hospital authorities to isolate
the patient from his immediate
family and friends thus avoiding
the possibility OF the infectious
disease being given to others. It
also protects the community in
which the patient lives.
In 1928. ccording to the year
book issued by the board OF health,
the death rate among Negroes was
447 per hundred thousand. This
death rate has been reduced to 3i2
per hundred thousand for last
year.
Death Rate Reduced
This reduction in the death rate.
according to DR.. Derby. has enabled
Detroit TO win the Chamber OF
Commerce Blue Ribbon for two
years as the healthiest city in
America. He attributed it to the
establishment OF the is privately
owned hospitals which wiped out
tho long waiting list.
The supervisor also declared
that the patients in the privately
owned hospitals are transferred to
Herman Kiefer as soon as there Is
bed space there. Only the day
before, according to records, seven
patients were removed from one OF
the colored hospitals and given bed
space at Herman Kiefer. There
were 101. Negro patients on the day
Of the investigation.
DR.. Burt Estahrook. Detroit
health commissioner. branded the
charges as unfounded. stating that
the Is hospitals. including the five
colored. met all requirements for
the care and treatment of tuber-
cular patients.
He said that the requirements
demanded that resident physician
should be at call at all times and
II this physician has not had ade-
quate training pneumothorax. an
other physician shall take care OK
this form OF treatment. He also
said that there must be laboratory
equipment for examination OF
sputum and urine, and x-ray
equipment. These requirements
are carried out. DR.. Estabrook
declared.
He further stated the food at the