The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1949-12-01
DOCTOR STATES NEED is
GREAT FOR HOSPITAL
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Giitions there are from six to eight
INDECENT patients in residence at the
hospital most of the year. The x
Ray is not heavy enough for suit
able handling of more intricate
work. True, the kitchen has been
rebuilt, but the patients are obliged
to lie in old, dark rooms. There
is no nursery, no formula room and
confinement cases must be handled
in the surgery room. The hospital
building has had to be propped up
twice during recent years; it is ex-
pensive to heat and there are few
accommodations for making the in
stitution appealing to its nurses. At
present there are five graduate
nurses and one practical nurse on
the staff. There is also a laundress
a cook, a relief cook and a chore
boy. Only the loyalty of the nurses
TO the hospital, make it possible
to retain their services in such in
convenient surroundings.
I'VE have a two-story building
with no elevators, and all patients
going up or coming down stairs from
the surgery room must be carried.
I, myself have carried hundreds of
those patients up and down thu
stairs" stated the doctor" With
only Is beds to accommodate pa
tientS, we have had as many as 81
patients at one time. There have
been patients in the Libby Hotel
and patients in the laundry's drying
shed in our efforts to take care of
q hi
for storing equipment much Of
which has had to be stored in the
outdoors shed. This includes equip
ment and supplies needed every
day. We have put up with this
and tried to do our best but at
times it has been hard going"
Plans for the new hospital will
be adequate the doctor believes, for
the next 10 or is years. He con-
drmed the fact that when needed
there will be room to increase the
Is beds to 81 beds, and added that
he favors the addition of two solaria
en- the wings which would give the
institution a capacity of AZ beds.
When asked what doctors will |
be permitted to bring patients to |
the new hospital, DR.. Cairns stated |
that any graduate of an A-Class
medical school, holding the degree
Of Doctor of Medicine and licensed
by the state board of medical ex-
aminers. He added that in his opin-
ion, any doctor of medicine could
be invited to do special work in the
hospital. Asked if Chiropractors
and Osteopaths would be allowed
the use of the hospital, he answered
that according to the rules of the
Montana Medical Association, Chiro
practors, Osteopaths, Christia n
Science healers and herb doctors,
are not allowed to practice in such
a hospital except upon consent of
the hospital board and staff. He
hopes that hospital rulings on this
matter will not be used as an excuse
10 avoid contributing to the fund.
When asked who constitute the
staff of a hospital, the answer was,
hose resident doctors who are
members in good standing of their
county, state and national medical
associations.
Asked about the care of needy
people needing disqualification, he
replied that during the past, all
needy folks when OK'd by the pro-
Der authorities at Paul Church's Of
ice, have been given full hospitah
,ation as have emergencies arising
rom accidents.
Asked if he would be interested !
n accepting the managent of the I
hospital as it is planned, /
Or. Cairns reply was mol" He
hen stated that he believed that
loctors offices should be had either I
o the hospital or nearby to it. His
eason for this, he explained, is to +
are for emergency cases and afford c
e