The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-02-13
HoPEMONT WILL GET NEW
HOSPITAL AND BUILDING
S2O4,OOO Will Be Spent By WPA
On Two New Structures.

1
Within a very short time, work will
be started on the new Administration
Building at Hopemont Sanitarium.
| The contract has been let to a Wheel
ing (W. Va.) construction company.
The cost of fifty-one bed hospital will
be $184,000. Hopemont is 9 miles west
of Oakland and is the site of the West
Virginia tuberculosis sanitarium.
Funds for the construction are be-
ing supplied from WPA funds.
The administration building will be
LA feet by 45 feet and will be located
at the west end of Gore Hospital.
There will be four floors in the build
ing and the three top floors will be
reached by ramp.
The ground floor will house the ex-
permental laboratory, morgue, en-
trance lobby, postoffice, public toilets,
store, offices of the financial secretary
of the institution and superintendent
VI S1OuluSs
On the first floor will be found the
offices of the superintendent, assist
ants office, library, consultation room,
examination room, two wards and
three bedrooms.
The second floor will be used mainly
as patients rooms. There will be twen-
ty-one single rooms, four of which will
be supplied with private baths.
The third floor will accommodate
seventeen patients each with private
room. On this floor will also be found
the operating room, sterilization room
and delivery room.
~ Use Glass Brick
The operating room will be air con-
ditioned and there will be no windows
used in the construction of the room at
all. The walls will be of glass brick
which will permit light to come into the
room. Venition blinds will be used in
the operating room to cut down light
when needed. The entire building will
be of soundproof and fireproof con-
struction.
Dr. A. V. gladden., superintendent of
the institution said the hospital would
be used for general surgery. He also
said it would be maintained separate
and a pra tfmetorh-e,
and apart from the institution and pa
tients would be admitted from this sec
ton for different ailments. One rea-
son for putting up the building was to
have the equipment and facilities ham
dy that patients in the tuberculosis in
stitution could be operated upon there
instead of necessitating their removal
to another city. 1t is also the inten-
tion of the authorities to have a sur
.geon at the new hospital at all times.
With the completion of this building
a much-needed hospital will be had in
the community. DR.. Gladden. pointed
out that any patient in this section
would be admitted as pay patient.
The new building will be used for tu-
berculosis patients only for operating
purposes.
Physicians Apartments
Another much-needed building will
also be put up at the same time, this
being the physicians apartment build
ing. The building will house four apart
ments and will be used only by physi-
clans at the institution. Each apart
'ment will have two bedrooms, a dining
room, kitchen, bath and living room.
This building will be put up just east
of the receiving cottage. A Keyser
contracting firm was low bidders at
$4,000.
To Employ Local Labor
According to present plans the two
contractors will employ local labor. AS
it is a WPA project other labor will
come from the immediate district.
At.present there are $50 patients at
Hopemont with more than hundred
on the waiting list. Conley Hospital,
built only for child tuberculosis pa
tents, with ascapacity of 80, has only
thirty children in the building. An at
tempt is being made throughout West
Virginia to bring in children who are
afflicted with the disease.
Death Rate On Decrease
According to medical facts, death
rate in West Virginia from tuberculo-
sis is on the decrease. In 1926 the
death rate was TIT and in 1888 this
had declined to 52.7. According to the
American Medical Journal, 1895 new
cases of the disease were reported in
the state in 1885. In 1888 there were
932 deaths in the state attributed to