Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-10-17
WOULD CHANGE
WARM SPRINGS
HOSPITAL PLAN
THREE DIVISIONS INSTEAD OF Is
RECOMMENDED IN REPORT OF
ADVISORY COMMITTEE

ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Three divisions for the state hospita
at Warm Springs. instead of 10, hav,
been recommended to the governor b!
the advisory committee on state gov.
eminent reorganization. The division.
would be medical nursing and bushes:
administration.
The heads of those divisions would
be accountable to the superintendent
who would have charge of admittance
and discharge OF patients
Among the recommendations APP
proved by the committee was one sug-
costing the Institutions formal name
be changed from the state insane
asylum to the Montana state hospital
by amendment TO the present law.
Other approved recommendations
following survey by Griffenhagen g.
Associates included:
Would Revise Law
Replacement of the present commit
ment law with statute based on the
principle that mental illness is q
disease and not a crime"
That the mentally deficient and ep-
leptic persons without pSychoSeS now
at the hospital be transferred 10 the
state training school for feeble minded
persons as soon as the remodeled
buildings at the latter institution are
opened
That those senile persons with SIM
pie deterioration. the alcoholics and
drug addicts without pSyChoses, the
higher grade mental deficients, and
the other patients who do not need
further disqualification, be returned TO
their communities when facilities are
available for their care.
The following recommendations were
made for the motor vehicle resistra-
ton office at the state prison in Deer
Lodge:
l. Use of as few female employees
as possible because Of the necessity of
working prisoners in the same quar-
tiers.
2. Abolition Of the position of chief
clerk, in favor Of a junior position,
and assignment TO other supervisory
employees of the chief clerks duties re-
quiring discretion.
3. Incoming mail should be opened
only when two employees are present.
T. Remittances be routed directly TO
the cashier instead of indirectly
through receipt writers.
5. Consideration of eliminating the
receipt writing process for an equally
effective but simpler method
6. Consideration of the possibility of
producing certificates by photograph
ing applications.
T. Condensing certificates of owner
ship to standard card size for con-
venience in filing.
8. Office work performed within the
prison walls be transferred to the outer
office If the labor problem can be met.
9. Use of window envelopes and
postage meter for outgoing mail.
10. Consolidation of the motor We
hicle recording fund with the motor
vehicle administration fund.
II. Discontinuance of the practice
OF charging purchases for the peniten-
tiary proper to the motor vehicle
funds.
IL. Substantial reduction of the
agencys petty cash fund.
Civilian Clerks Favored
Even if all of the work of the
agency were performed by civilian en-
ployeS, as in other states, its main
tenance at a reasonable cost would
NC JuStA4AeH' btIe I!44ieiiI!dSeH report
added
To correct faults charged at the
Warm Springs hospital, the experts
recommended:
Grouping of the hospital staff in
seven divisions - medical, nursing,
dietary, housekeeping, mechanical,
farm, and office-each directed by q
qualified head reporting to the super
intendent instead OF the 10 who now
report to him;
That 40 mentally deficient and ep-
ileptic persons should not, in the in
terests of their own condition, of the
other patients, and of the professional
work of the hospital, be retained in
a hospital for the mentally i'll"
Measures were suggested to insure
that all patients, or their guardians,
who have money should help pay their
expenses as provided by law. Such ar
rangements for payments should "be
required regardless Of the actions OF
the committing judges
The state department of public well
fare should be made responsible for
the social work aspects Of finding
places for patients medically able to
be discharged, the report said
Others in the long list of recon-
mendations were:
That the present wholly inadequate
medical staff be increased in size by
the recruiting of junior physicians de-
string to qualify themselves as psy-
chiatrists;
That a consulting medical staff be
created;
That the medical division be given
complete authority over assignment of
patients to working details throughout
the hospital; and that these industrial
therapy assignments be recognized as
for the good Of the patients and not
merely for the purpose of getting the
work done;