The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1950-05-05
By TED R. SCHOENBORN

! Inc Montana State Hospital al
Warm Springs has long been accus-
toned to being treated like a step
child in state institutional affairs,
even if it never has been happy about
it, and is growing more insistent on
its rights. When state departments
and institutions have over-expended
their budgets; when good business
practice requires cooperation be-
tween state institutions-so
the State Hospital finds itself jock
eyed in such position that it is re-
CURED to pick up the check.
My first months as manager were
eye-openers. There wasn't enough
of anything at the hospital-not
enough doctors-not enough nurses
= note enough attendants = not
enough toilet paper-not enough food
not enough covers for cold nights.
When the laundry did not get around
to the wards in time there were not
enough sheets and not enough pillow
cases. There wasn't enough of any
thing but patients.
That a situation like this should
exist was without excuse or justifi-
cation-a check of the liberal allo-
cation made by the legislature, to-
gether with disseminating the special
privileges and practices of certain
groups of employees (these practices
will be explained in future articles)
made it possible to correct the above
situation. And it is the concensus
that now the patients have better
food and living conditions they seem
to walk with a lighter step-because
like normal people their stations and
dignity have been raised.
Kindness Is a Must
Your hospital has all the latest
equipment and modern drugs, what
ever can be done successfully for the
patient in most cases is done fast and
well-but without a jar on the
pharmacy shelf labelled kindness
without this one calelylic, most of the
drugs are valueless.
During my nine months at Warm
Springs | read many case histories of
these unfortunates and with few ex-
ceptions | found these people defeat
ed and depressed, | found sense of
may happen to them if by chance
they offend in any way. That is the
fear that bothers me most because
fear can take away even from normal
people the courage to be individuals.
One need not be psychiatrist to und-
erstand, that the unwanted children,
the people that had bad start in
life, broken homes, or that had mis-
fortune pile on misfortune until they
broke under the strain, need SYM
pathy and understanding. So, it
seems to me that every one of us have
an individual responsibility to see
that these people are given kind
free from insecurity and
fear. Only by proper understand
ing and healthful environment can
they be brought back to normal.
| learned many things regarding !
the reactions and moods of mental
patients-hundreds of them worked |
in the physical plant of the institu-
ton, which was under my direction
and responsibility.
These workers were of all types. |
[ soon came to understand that the |
vicious residue were merely sick in
mind rather than evil in spirit.
Many of you have seen mild temp
crate people in everyday life made
vicious by harshness. You have also
seen the toughest specimens of what
We term "bad eggs" softened and
made gentle, by kind word, by the
ouch of friendly hand That is
Why they have taken the clubs away
rom the attendants and are train
ng them to treat the patients like
formal human beings-that is why