The Wilmington morning star., 1944-06-08
HOSPITAL STAFF
WINS APPROVAL
OF CITY, COUNTY

OF CITY, COUNTY
CONTINUED from Page One)
mission to the hospital, Parmele
said in discussing the financial at.
fairs Of the hospital, two methods
are used in determining the eco
nomic status Of patients: through
welfare agencies and direct appli-
cation to the hospital. Howeve-,
he continued accidents and emer'
gencies have accounted for loss
Of approximately $4,000 in ac'
counts receivable during the last
year.
A forum during which questions
were asked Of Parmele brought out
that the controversy between doc
tors and nurses resulted over dis.
agreement as to details OF the man.
ner in determining just which pa.
tient was entitled to the services
Of the inadequate number Of aur.
ses available for acute cases. Both
doctors and nurses appear to be in
perfect accord that so..called lux
u-y nursing be abandoned for the
duration, it was said.
In a recent meeting Of doctors
and nurses when it was desired to
increase the general duty nursing
staff to open the new annex, the
medical staff requested that pri-
vate duty nurses return to the old
standard Of l2.hour duty and hat
the nurses association furnish &c
general duty nurses.
The nurces declined both sugges-
tons for reasons indicated in q
recent resolution passed by the as.
ISOLATION. Recently number Of
nurses have volunteered for selv-
ice and, the hospital is making CUT
fairly well and coping with its
numerous problems, it was said.
Chief point in the controversy be-
tween the factions seems to hinge
on who, shall decide when q pri'
vate duty nurse is necessary, il
was brought out. The board Of
managers and doctors decided on
committe Of three doctors,
while the nurses preferred that the
attending physician or a commit
tee on which nurses had represen.
tation should make, the decision.
The board had previously agreed
that any one, regardless Of the ma.
ture Of his or her illness might
have special nurses during the
first "a hours after Admission to
the hospital.
Celebrating on the effort the
board made to hire nurses, Par
mele declared:
THE board Of managers have
withdrawn their request for H.
hour duty, have increased the orig.
inal compensation offered for gen
eral duty nursing and, have more
clearly defined luxury nursing
which would incure constant en-
ployment OF those remaining or
the registry for private duty nurs.
ing. The board has not in thu
past nor does it now desire to hav.
any part In the employment Of pri
vats duty nurses, as to when the,
should be transferred. This j;
clearly matter for the physicians
to decide. Therefore, the onl,
known difference is a professiona
one that the board feels the medi
cal staff should be the determin
ing factor in this matter which j!
50 material to the well.being o
those critically ill.
The board Of managers, con
scious Of their responsibility to tn.
people Of New Hanover county
have only one object in mind
which is to see that every patien
in the James Walker Memoria
hospital receives the beet nursing
care possible, whether that person
be rich or poor and that no per
son receive constant luxury nurs
ing attention when those less for
tunate are receiving inadequat.
nursnS care.
At the conclusion of the meetin,
a unanimous vote Of gratitude ans
confidence was given the board b,
the governing bodies on a motion
by Mayor Cameron seconded BY
Commissioners George Trask ans
Addison Hewlett.
In addition several member. o
the governing groups declared tina
the mesting was in no way iadi
cative OF criticism but rather thai
it was primarily for the clarified.
ton Of the fact that the institu
ton is not public and that the gov,
ernmenal bodies have no jurisdic
ton in the matter other than in ap
propriatins sums for the care Of
the indirent.