The Wilmington morning star., 1944-03-23
LETTER BOX
MORE ABOUT sANATORIUM

To the Editor:
From the beginning Of the move
ment to build new T. B. san
atorium for New Hanover County
the Junior Chamber of Commerce
has based it's plea for action by
the County Commissioners on
definite and existing need for such
an institution.
The refusal of the Commission
ecs to allow a special bond cleo
ton. giving the people a chance
to say whether or not they wanted
to spend their own money on
new sanatorium, was obviously
based in some degree on the as
sumption that the need was not
so real. Less informed folk de-
clared that we could save unnec-
essary expense at this time by
sending our T. s. patients to State
owned or private sanatorlums.
This in spite OF the fact that DR..
J. C. Vessel, former operator OF
the old New Hanover T. B. home.
declared that he had had great
difficulty in placing his patients
in other homes All existing faclll-
ties in the State are crowded.
Last week the County Medical
Society passed a resolution, unan.
imousiy stating that we did need
new sanatorium. The men In
this group should know the condl'
ton of the health of our people
better than anyone else. Which OF
our commissioners would not heed
the advice of his own physician
in a matter relating to his own
aealth? A sick man does not give
the cost of prescriptions first con-
sideration. The health of the Coun.
ty is the responsibility of each
Commissioner just as much as his
own health is.
Last week, also, the County
Health Board made newspaper
appeal for private home for one
of our T. B. patients who coulc
not obtain care in any hospital OF
sanatorium. Such cases will con
tinue and increase because the
physical stress Of war living viii
break down many border-line vic
tins of tuberculosis. U. S. Public
Health Services indicate that there
are many cases which remain I'm
reported and uncared for until the
sufferer is in critical condition.
All this is merely supporting
evidence of the need for a new
County sanatorium now.
The question of costs was big
factor in the decision of the Board
With. nothing definite as to siz'
and type of construction required
estimates for the cost of nev
structure ran all the way from
$500, 900 to $150,000. Either of thes'
figures represents lot Of money
and we, as taxpayers agree ina
it would not buy as much as
would before the war. however
economics experts agree that TO-
at least five years after the wa
the cost of building will not var.
much below what it now is. Bear
ing this in mind, it seems unlike
ly that the good intensions of thu
Board to build new sanatoriun
would bear any fruit for almos
another decade Can we afford tt
wait until costs are back to nor
NAL? The Junior Chamber of Com
merce does no. think so.
1t has been suggested that i
Fort Fisher or other nearby Ar
my camps should be evacuated
soon we could take over part o
the facilities for use as sana
forum. But these buildings wer,
put up as temporary structure
and would not be good invest
ment either. Beside the extra op
Grating costs such as residen
physician and transportation woul'
offset higher initial cost of
place near the city limits.
Therefore, we still want gu
Commissioners to hold an election
to let us decide whether we wan