The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-05-05
Union Health Plans Termed
Excellent By Eminent Doctor

| IN lJlU Lne WOMEN CARMEN
district in New York was centereC
in the narrow streets of the East
Side. The majority of the factories
were in dirty, wooden walkups
with splintered and sagging floors
A wood-burning stove in the mid
die Of the room provided the only
heat in the winter, and the con-
stantly burning gas jets made the
already humid atmosphere intoler-
able in the summer. In this environ
ment of disease and i'll health, the
sound of the tubercular cough was
almost as familiar as the whir OF
the sewing machines, for per cent
of the workers were tuberculous.
AS result of the historic strikes
of 1909-1910 and 1910-1911 against
these sweat shop conditions, Joint
Board of Sanitary Control was
made up of members of the Inter
national Ladies Garment Workers
Union, the manufacturers and. such
eminent public citizens as Hamll-
ton Holt, Lillian Wald, Louis Mar
shall and Meyer London.
After their activities for the i'm
provement of working conditions
in the trade, the ILGWU in 1913
established a small health center
with DIR. George M. Price, mem
Der of this board, as its director.
The quarters consisted of an office
of 300 square feet Of floor space.
The staff included, in addition to
DR.. Price, a part-time physician, a
nurse and clerk. The equipment
consisted almost entirely of the
traditional physicians "black bag"
100000 Visits in Year
A few weeks ago, ceremonies
were held, attended by leaders in
government, medicine, management
and labor, marking the expansion
of the Union Health Center. Now
occupying six floors of modern
union-owned skyscraper at 275
J Seventh Avenue, the health center
| has a staff of 148 physicians, 80
nurses, pharmacists, n technic-
ians, and $50 clerical workers. 1t is
an example of the frequently-re-
peated philosophy of David Dublin
sky, it's president, that the ILGWU
is concerned not only with wages
and hours but with the "better
things" of life, such as health and
recreation.
Last year, 100000 visits were
made by $4,000 individuals to the
center's fifty-one examining rooms,
twenty-five physical therapy units,
eight X-ray units, and other elm
ical, diagnostic and therapeutic
services. Largely in the off-work
hours after A p. NJ, its resident
medical staff, with the aid of a
visiting staff of sixty-six general
medical examiners and sixty-eight
medical specialists, gave services to
an average of 1900 patients a day
in the allergy, arthritis, ear, nose
and throat, eye, social hygiene,
chest X-ray, general medical, lab
oratory, X-ray, electrocardia-
graphy, and physical therapy
clinics.
| The excellent nutrition depart
ment gave "down to earth" advice
on diets, in terms of both need and
budget, to 1000 patients, the social
service department assisted l,3OO
patients with family, personal and
medical problems, and the drug de-
partment filled 100000 prescrip-
tions.
Aside from the sheer numbers
to whom it brings medical services,
one of the most impressive factors
of the center is the administrative
organization devised by DR.. Leo
Price, son of the center's founder
and the present medical director
For example, each patient carries
a metal identification plate similar
to those used for department store
charge accounts, so that the physi-
elan can stamp it on the various re-
cords, thus saving time. Each pat
lent also carries a book of stamps
issued by his local union emitting
him to an average of $50 in medical
services during year.
Health Center Pattern
When a patient comes to the
center, a stamp is removed from
the booklet and affixed to detach-
able section of his clinical record,
so that it can be forwarded later to
the local union for reimbursement
to the center.
Throughout the organization, the
mechanical aspects of administra-
tion are streamlined, but great
care is taken to avoid the loss of
the patient doctor" relationship.
Although its services today are
far cry from those of 1913, the
center's original charge of 81 a
visit has not varied greatly. Today,
SO per cent of the services are
rendered at 81 or less. Of its near