The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-02-15
County Hospitals Soiled
Linen Is Aired BY Schlarb
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marty because we do not purchase
the necessary scientific journals
and give the minimum training to
our interns. All committees that
have studied the hospital have
agreed that this is the result OF
burdening the administrative head
with far more duties than one man
can possibly perform.
WASN'T CARRIED OUT
I'VE have also been in complete
accord on the fact that administra-
tion should be separated sfrom
personal medical services. Two I'M
biased committees which studied
the matter thoroughly agreed on
this. the entire board of county
commissioners voted II on June IA.
1887. and recently DR.. Brown
wrote a letter to the board in
which he recommended essentially
the same thing. The order was
not carried out because statements
were made which caused ii to ap-
pear that this was merely an ef-
fort to injure DR.. Brown.
This was misleading, but the
board of commissioners Is sensi-
tive to political pressure and when
the matter took this turn. they
would not go through with Ii.
HASN'T NECESSARY TIME
Failure to work out a plan for
running the hospital is partly due
TO the fact that the superintendent
is also the personal physician Of
most of the patients. He has not
time to be everything, and this
was reflected in his written ap-
proval of the proposed reorganiza-
tion. The files Of the committee
studies say on page IA that, When
one man attempts to be hospital
surgeon. keep the medical records.
sign all final diagnosis. read all
x-rays. do all fracture service, per-
form many personal bedside serv-
ices, and be the administrator of
q large institution. none Of these
duties can be performed properly"
TT is my opinion that addi-
tional space at the hospital will
further complicate this already
unsatisfactory situation.
NOW OvERCROwDED
"On the second question, re-
lating to new wings, there is no
question that the hospital in its
present condition is overcrowded,
and we all concur that this must |
be changed. We do not agree on
the method. We could: /. Make |
arrangements with the other hos
pitfalls to care for some of the |
overload. 2. Proceed with plans
for improved administration, max
ing necessary physical improve
ments in the present structure.
and then under proper operating |
conditions, determine whether we
need more buildings and how to
build them. Or, 3. We can go |
ahead now and just build two
wings, trusting that this will solve
the problem.
Both the advisory committee
and the medical committee recon-
mended that we make the changes
in the system of operation first
and then work out plans for more
space. 1t Is quite true that there
is overcrowding at the hospital,
but 1t Is not due to lack Of wards
so much as insufficient admin
istration and badly needed equip
ment for the space we now have.
ADMITTED THROUGH
PRESSURE
1T is true that through pressure
patients are admitted to the hos
pital against the judgment of the
social service investigators. II is
also true that patients sometimes
remain there for long periods Of
time after they could be dis
charged.
In a check made on November
10, 1889. 20 per cent of the pa
tients then in the hospital had
been there more than so days.
This is never done in accredited
private hospitals where patients
are taken home as soon as they
can be safely moved. We should {
not be using our hospital for I