The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-03-12

subject for which they have been sci
to this institution. II is expecte
that some of these nurses will folio
!. up this special work In psychiatry
their later training, and few perhaI
return to work at our own state ho
pital. There is a movement on foe
now to get the federal government
put up building for housing studen
nurses who will take special work i
psychiatry.
The ultimate objective which ID
Holmes and others of her schoo
would reach, is the establishment o
a mental hygiene clinic for service Il
people with disturbed minds, this elm
is to conduct examinations for stated
periods at appointed places in the
state. Early help in setting such PEG
pie right will save many from reach
ing a condition where commitment tC
our state hospital seems necessary
Such an objective will no doubt be
realized some day here, as it has been
in certain other states. But this
seems too great an undertaking, and
too costly to be thought of at the
present time, particularly when the
hospital itself is suffering a serious
shortage of doctors within its own
walls. The nearest approach to this
objective that can be hoped for now
is the careful examination of patients
as they come in, to determine whether
these are actually insane or not. And,
following that, the continued treat
ment of the milder cases aready at
the institution to prepare them for
release to their home communities
and re-establishment in the normal
ways of life.
The methods of commitment to our
state hospital and release therefrom
have been harsh up to this time, but
measures are now before the legis-
lature which promise a much better
handling of the whole matter, with
safeguards against hurrying people off
to the hospital as insane when no
one of experience has had chance
to pass on their cases. Likewise,
in the matter of release, legislation
pending would give those patients not
actually insane some chance for dis
charge from the institution, where
otherwise they would in all probable
ity be retained for the balance of
their lives. The transfer of certain
patients not actually insane, but of
weak mind, to the State Training
School a Rnttldnp hag
nized as desirable for some years
past and is expected to be taken care |
of through legislation now before this |
assembly. The removal of patients |
from the institution by the methods |
mentioned and the slowing up of COM
mitments through more careful ex
will do much to relieve the
condition of the hospital |
and at the same time cut down much |
Of the present running expense.
The successful operation of any in
stitution, while it must have good
can only be carried out
through the loyal cooperation of eff
,ient help. For this reason, the prob
ems of the help at our state hospital
must be given some consideration.
n and the food somewhat better pos
IDLY although no great complaint is
heard on these scores. The hours of
work are easier than they were two
,ears ago, having been reduced from
2 hours a day to eight. Mention
lad been made of the need for a rec
cation hall for the employees, but
hat is some thing that cannot be {
worked out at present. The one thing
hat does produce complaints is the {
manner of issuing commissary provi- {
ions to the families who do not eat {
t the employees dining room but who I
We in separate homes The practice '
as been to allow each family $25 I
rorth of supplies from the commits /
airy in lieu of the meals the worker '
able and the feeling is that this h
mount is not enough. A better way t
ould seem to be to give such fam s
les higher wages and let them buy h
II their own supplies. o
While some improvements in the
st-up at Warm Springs have been a
ifected since the assembly last met, p
nd other changes are provided for i'll Il
gislation now pending, our state C
ospital lacks a long way of being a
lie kind of institution we might well n
Ike as a place to send our unfortun- c
e friends. To begin with, the loca- &
on of the state hospital will always Il
} regretted. We should, perhaps, f;
rgive and forget past errors, espe- p
ally when committed by others than