The Coolidge examiner., 1943-07-23
COUNTY ATTORNEY RECOMMENDS NO
ACTION" IN HOSPITAL CASE UNLESS
COMPLETE AUDIT IS MADE OF FUNDS
Ronald j. Ellis in Spage report to board of supervisor
believes Pnal county has claim fees received b.
Mrs. Beatrice Davis-Indicates other charges, 4
could be proved, may be serious.

collected anaesthetic fees and lab
oratory fees from private patients
without any direct arrangement
with the board of supervisors, all
though most of the members OF
the board of supervisors for at
least the major portion of that
time knew that this was being
done"
Ellis declares that up until 1898.
the anaesthetic fees were con-
tributed by DR.. G. B. Steward, SUI
perintendent of the hospital, and
Mrs. Davis to the county for the
purchase of hospital equipment.
The fees were $40 for each anaes1
thetic with certain fixed rates for
laboratory fees. The anaesthetic
was given by Mrs. Davis under DR.!
Stewards supervision.
Originally, according to. Ellis.
Mrs. Davis was employed merely
as head nurse, not to give anaes1
thetics or to do laboratory work.
In 1888, when the new hospital
was complete and fully equipped
with modern X-ray and a labor
atory. DR.. Steward explained to
the board of supervisors that
thereafter Mrs. Davis would give
anaesthetics to county patients at
no cost to the county. She would
also do all the laboratory work
for county patients at no cost to
the county and would take all
X-rays on both county and private
patients at no cost to the county.
The county would collect the fees
on the X-rays given.
In consideration for the extra
work thrown upon Mrs. Davis, She
was to receive all laboratory fees
from private patients and Mrs.
Davis and DR.. Steward were to
split all anaesthetic fees collected
from private patients. This ar
arrangement was continued until DR..
Steward resigned last year.
Attorney Ellis states that if
some one other than Mrs. Davis
had been selected to give the an
aesthetic, the county would have
no claim on the fee. And so he
asks: "If Mrs. Davis, who was the
head nurse and whose duty to the
county did not include the duty of
giving anaesthetics to private pa
tients, was selected. then why
should Pinal county have any
claim on this fee?"
He goes on to say:
at is my opinion that Pinal
county cannot recover from either
Mrs. Davis or DR.. Steward for the
anaesthetic fees collected from
private patients. These fees con-
stitute the bulk of the fees which
the examiner reports were collect
ed by Mrs. Davis during her TEN
ure as head nurse of the Pinal
county hospital If, however, the
board of supervisors feel that an
attempt should be made to recov1
er these fees in view of the facts
and the law which | have referred
to above, | shall abide by your de-
cision and present the matter to
the court to the best OF my abil1
lity."
Ellis declares that the case of
the laboratory fees stands on the
same ground as the anaesthetic
fees except for the fact that the
work was done mostly in labor
atory furnished and equipped by
Pinal county.
Specially referring to Lee Orrick
of Coolidge, Attorney Ellis said
that the county ''was not prejudice
ed by this charge" since it would
have had to pay the blood donor if
the case was proper county case
Referring to the sewing machine
| incident mentioned in the state eX
aminer's report, Ellis declared
that in the deal the county was
not injured as it wound up witt
a better machine"
"A trade was made with the
sewing machine company, whereof!
Mrs Davis wound up with cabi
net model sewing machine, the
county wound up with Mrs. Davis
portable sewing machine, tbs
Singer Sewing Machine compan!
had the old county sewing machint
and the county, so far as the rec
ords show, paid nothing on tn
deal"
Attorney Ellis devotes one para
graph to the excessive purchas
es" charge laid at the door c
Mrs. Davis and states that man
of her purchases could be just:
fled in view of anticipated shors
ages in certain items due to tn
war and rationing. z
. 81 know of no responsibility" h
states in this connection, "eithe
; civil or criminal, for the acts RI
ferred to by the examiner" S