Inaugural address of the mayor, with the annual report of the officers of the city of Quincy for the year 1942, Part 8

Author: Quincy (Mass.)
Publication date: 1942
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 442


USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > Inaugural address of the mayor, with the annual report of the officers of the city of Quincy for the year 1942 > Part 8


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At this time, I wish to express my appreciation for the continued co-operation of the Board of Managers.


We wish to express our thanks to the Quincy Patriot Ledger for its continued interest and help in conveying our story to the citi- zens of Quincy.


For the patients and the hospital personnel, we express our ap- preciation and thanks to our many friends, Campfire Girls, Girl Scouts, Needlework Guild, civic clubs, and other organizations for their kind generosity in sending magazines, clothing, toys, scrap- books, and flowers to the hospital.


To the Mayor, the City Council, and all City Departments, we wish to say "Thank You" for the response and help given us when called upon on the many occasions during the year.


To my faithful and loyal assistants and employees, I am duly grateful for the support given me for the year just ended.


Respectfully submitted,


JOSEPH P. LEONE, M D., Superintendent.


1933


1934


1935


1936


1937


1938


1939


1940


1941


1942


Admissions


5,584


5,889


5,874


6,247


6,281


6,298


6,665


7,444


8,308


9,126


Births


818


839


819


832


883


925


915


1,079


1,268


1,561


Daily Average.


154


158


168.3


179.3


181


183


196


221.2


236.5


253.2


Lowest Census


102


107


126


126


131


130


161


167


178


194


Highest Census


206


198


211


224


224


235


236


276


284


295


Laboratory Tests


16,151


16,681


18,066


23,697


20,835


23,350


29,840


34,520


37,477


39,163


X-Ray Exams


3,631


3,192


3,502


3,736


4,038


4,431


4,895


6,066


5,939


5,454


Accidents


1,080


1,359


1,434


1,809


1,630


1,702


1,938


1,851


2,272


2,436


Physiotherapy


5,880


6,171


7,137


9,432


8,914


9,563


9,804


9,412


9,932


8,815


Out-Patients


2,466


2,464


3,407


4,912


4,982


6,910


6,709


5,666


6,374


6,146


Operations


2,797


4,366


4,538


4,329


4,076


4,511


5,009


4,928


5,470


5,916


Patient Days


56,206


57,823


61,283


65,610


66,007


66,798


71,131


80,968


86,356


92,458


Deaths


270


253


254


254


268


262


278


289


287


326


8-hr. day


Receipts


$159,905 $180,834 $172,553 $194,913 $236,715 $221,308 $265,495 $302,581 $380,404 $465,972


Pay Roll


$178,238 $187,701 $202,782 $218,895 $235,088


$248,596 $258,610 $272,476 $292,467 $327,067


Expenses


$119,950 $143,651 $146,989 $146,888 $155,999


$153,018 $177,114 $181,437 $204,407


$215,615


Total Expenses


$298,188 $332,931 $351,777 $365,784 $391,087


$401,615 $435,724 $453,913 $496,874 $542,682


Net Deficit to City


$136,282 $152,097 $117,219 $170,870 $154,371


$180,306 $170,229 $151,332 $116,460


$76,710


Per-Diem Cost


$5.30


$5.92


$6.08


$5.58


$5.92


$6.00


$6.00


$5.60


$5.72


$5.87


1.


2.


Pre-


New


Natal


Adm.


Clinic.


Bldg.


3. Tumor Clinic 4. Nurses' Home


136


CITY OF QUINCY


.


.


137


REPORT OF CITY HOSPITAL


REPORT OF THE SCHOOL OF NURSING AND THE HOSPITAL NURSING SERVICE


To the Board of Managers of the Quincy City Hospital:


Gentlemen:


The effect of military activities upon the nursing service in civilian hospitals has been felt throughout the country. In an attempt to meet the rapidly changing needs, our efforts have been concerned with the following significant activities:


1. Replacing the gradually depleting number of graduate staff nurses, many of whom have resigned to enter the Army and Navy Nurse Corps.


2. Increasing the enrollment of student nurses. These young women assist materially in the care of patients during their period of education.


3. Locating the inactive and married graduate nurses who can work on a part-time or hourly basis. This group helps replace the permanent graduate staff nurses who have resigned.


4. Assigning Volunteer Red Cross Nurses' Aides to all wards. These women have completed the standard 80-hour course taught at the hospital.


5. Offering a refresher course at the hospital to those graduate, registered nurses who are able and willing to assist during the present emergency. Nineteen nurses have completed an 86-hour course. As many more would avail themselves of the same oppor- tunity, if there was a nursery school located conveniently to the hospital where small children could be placed.


6. Adopting "the replacement system" whereby the graduate, registered private duty nurses, who are regularly employed at the hospital, replace or fill the vacancy of a staff nurse for one month each year.


7. Employing high school students during the vacation period in the capacity of nurses' aides.


The continued loss of full-time members from the staff and the orientation of many new people to the particular routines of this hospital has had its repercussions despite a sincere effort to con- trol the situation by means of class room instruction and ward supervision for the various groups.


The latest statistics show that twenty to twenty-five thousand graduate nurses are now serving with the armed forces, and it is estimated that the enrollment of three thousand additional nurses per month must be maintained to meet the future needs.


Graduates from this school are serving in military hospitals in various parts of the world. We can anticipate that just so long as war continues, nurses who are eligible for military service will answer the call of their country.


138


CITY OF QUINCY


Schools of nursing are being constantly reminded of their in- dividual responsibility to help meet the urgent need for more nurses. Appeals come periodically from the offices of the organi- zations concerned with the recruitment of nurses for military service. Among three of the responsibilities placed upon schools are :


1. Stimulate and maintain capacity student enrollment.


2. Offer refresher courses for the inactive graduate nurses who wish to return to nursing for the duration of the war.


3. Offer succeeding courses for the training of Volunteer Red Cross Nurses' Aides.


A Curriculum Committee has been organized during the year with the membership made up of two appointed members from the Medical Staff, the President of the Medical Staff, ex officio, the Chairman of the Advisory Committee to the School of Nursing, the Superintendent of the Hospital, the Principal of the School of Nursing and the Instructor of Sciences. This committee has given valuable assistance to the school faculty. It has been especially helpful to have their advice at a time when we have suffered a heavy loss of regular lecturers from the medical staff.


The Advisory Committee of the School has met regularly each month to consider and advise upon the activities concerned with the educational trends in nursing, and problems dealing with the administrative policies of the school. Attendance at all meetings has been most gratifying, which indicates the sincere interest of the members in the conduct of the school.


We announce with regret the resignation of Miss Rita Kelleher, instructor of sciences for more than four years, who leaves us early in January for a similar position in a larger school. Miss Dorothy M. Smith, a graduate from this school in the Class of 1936 and from Teachers' College, Columbia University, in 1941, has been appointed to fill the vacancy.


Graduation exercises for a class of 18 students was held on June 18th in the auditorium of the senior high school. Reverend Victor V. Sawyer gave the commencement address.


The graduating class this June will number thirty-four students. From the available records on file we believe it will be the largest class that has ever graduated from the school. The total number of enrolled students on December 31, 1942 is 112, and this seems to be the highest student census on record.


It seems consistent and also very fortunate that the enrollment of students increased at a time of national emergency and when the hospital reports the highest daily average number of patients in its history.


For the purpose of record, the following statistics are given:


Superintendent of Nurses and Principal of the School of Nursing 1 Assistant Superintendent of Nurses and Principal of


the School of Nursing 1


139


REPORT OF CITY HOSPITAL


Instructor of Sciences


Instructor of Nursing Arts


1


Ward Instructors


2


Day Supervisors


2


Night Supervisor


1


Assistant Night Supervisors 2


14


Head Nurse (Night)


1


Graduate Staff Nurses (Full-time)


55


Graduate Staff Nurses (Part-time)


6


Student Nurses


Senior Students 35


Intermediate Students


57


Junior Students


20


Respectfully submitted,


112


HELEN O. POTTER, R.N., Superintendent of Nurses and Principal of the School of Nursing


1


Head Nurses and Assistants


140


CITY OF QUINCY


REPORT OF THE SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT


To the Board of Managers of the Quincy City Hospital:


Gentlemen:


The increased financial prosperity of the community is still re- flected in the decrease in the number of persons coming to the hospital on service, especially for obstetrical care and tonsillecto- mies. In these instances, particularly, every effort is made by our department to refer all patients who can possibly arrange for private care to their family physicians. We do not feel, however, that employment in a war industry should categorically bar a per- son from service care, but we try to apply the principles of social casework to each case, judging it on its individual merits and cir- cumstances. We realize that not every man at the shipyard, for instance, is earning the high wages commanded by skilled crafts- men. Many of those now employed there are but a few months removed from welfare and W. P. A. assistance and are using a large part of their weekly earnings to pay debts accumulated dur- ing the lean years.


I. Case Load


Total cases investigated 1,708


Service patients 1,487


Accident cases 158


Old accounts


63


Action taken on financial investigations of service cases:


Free


132


Part-pay


75


Referred to Welfare or Health Departments 195


Pay


848


Other types of service cases:


Welfare


88


Old Age Assistance


118


Aid to Dependent Children


31


Number of home calls made 685


Referrals:


To other clinics and hospitals 37


To City Home


5


To Convalescent Home for Children 2


To Visiting Nurse Association 18


Home nursing 12


Nutritionist's service


6


To foster homes (children)


6


To Red Cross 9


Home Service 5


Motor Corps 4


To other social agencies 30


We find that the decrease in the quantity of cases has enabled us to improve the quality of our casework. While the problems of financial dependence are not so prevalent, we have noted an in-


To private convalescent homes 42


141


REPORT OF CITY HOSPITAL


crease in marital and domestic difficulties, in the need for board- ing homes for children, and especially in the problems relating to chronic illness and nursing care for the aged.


II. Prenatal Clinic


As mentioned before, every effort is made to bar from Prenatal Clinic any patient whom we feel should have a private doctor. Con- sequently our clinics have become much smaller, and even the addition of service-men's wives has not served to bring our total number of new patients over 100. These patients made 545 visits to clinic.


Because of the wartime restrictions on travel, the Visiting Nurse Association has discontinued routine home visits to prenatal patient, but a nurse and a nutritionist attend every clinic meeting and give lectures and demonstrations and answer the patients' questions.


III. Tumor Clinic


Because of the apparent lack of interest on the part of the com- munity as a whole, due in part to our proximity to Boston with its old-established and specialized clinic facilities, the Executive Com- mittee of the Quincy Tumor Diagnostc Clinic noted to discontinue the Clinic, as of August 15, 1942.


IV. Occupational Therapy


We still feel that there is a definite need for occupational the- rapy, or at least diversion for the patients in our hospital and re- gretted sincerely that the economies of the war program prevented the establishment of a full-time occupational therapy department. When this fact became apparent, Miss Elizabeth Marston, who had given generously of her time on a semi-volunteer basis, was ad- vised to resign. The work is being carried on to a lesser degree by Mrs. William Shine, a volunteer, who comes each week and helps those patients whose stay in the hospital is longer than average to make use of their spare time.


V Social Service Committee


In December, 1941, Mrs. Malcolm C. Sargent, who had served graciously and efficiently as chairman of the Social Service Com- mittee for five years, indicated her desire to resign, and in January, 1942, Miss Helen Gavin was elected chairman. Miss Ruth Darr resigned as secretary of the committee, retaining her post as treasurer, and Mrs. Harold P. Newell was elected secretary.


The Sixth Annual Charity Ball was held on April 17, 1942, at the Neighborhood Club, and netted $905.78 for the Social Service Fund. Mr. Myron N. Lane was chairman, and the size of the profits of such a venture in wartime is no small tribute to his personality and perseverance.


The Fourth Annual Charity Bridge party was held on November 13, 1942, at The Gordon House, and the net profits were $68.29.


In keeping with its custom of presenting to the hospital a permanent piece of equipment, or a large gift to help purchase new equipment, the Committee gave $350 in 1942 to be used in the establishment of the Blood Bank for civilian defense.


142


CITY OF QUINCY


We sincerely appreciate the time and effort of members of the Committee, not only in connection with our two large money- making projects, but in their whole-hearted response whenever the hospital has needed their help. At the present time, there are three members of the Committee who are volunteer clerical assistants in the wards of the hospital.


VI. Acknowledgements


While the outward aspects of our work continue unchanged-the financial investigation of each service admission and determination of ability to pay, with adjustment of bills or referral to other agencies for reimbursement, the investigation of automobile acci- dents, with the financial status of the patient taken into consid- eration, and insurance companies and lawyers contacted, the ad- ministration of Prenatal Clinic, and the arranging for service ton- sillectomies-during the past two years we have been able to de- vote more time to the individual patient, and by studying him in all phases of his illness, we have been better able to help him ad- just to the handicaps imposed by his illness, or to so improve his environmental and personal situation that he may become an in- dependent member of society.


To this end it has been necessary to seek the aid of other social agencies, both here and in Boston, and it has been given in a full cooperative spirit. We also wish to acknowledge the help given by members of the hospital administrative, medical, and nursing staffs, which is sincerely appreciated by our department.


Respectfully submitted,


DUTH DARR, Director Department of Social Service


143


REPORT OF CITY HOSPITAL


REPORT OF THE X-RAY DEPARTMENT


To the Board of Managers of the Quincy City Hospital:


Gentlemen:


The following is a report of the work done in the X-ray Depart- ment during the year 1942.


Personnel


Constance Larkin is the only one of the technical staff left from the 1941 group. Mildred Mack replaced Virginia Spaulding who resigned. Hilda Lundberg, R.N., replaced Mitchell Maloof, who resigned to enter the armed forces. Marie Cooney replaced Mary Popowitz, who resigned to enter the employ of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.


New Equipment Desired


We need a new automatic thermostat in the dark room, in order to keep the solutions at a definite temperature, regardless of the temperature of the room. We need a new rotating anode x-ray tube for finer detail.


Room for Low Voltage Therapy


We still need a change in the location of the low voltage therapy room on account of the difficulty of getting bed-ridden patients up four steps for treatment.


The following is a statistical report of the work done during the year 1942:


Diagnostic patients 5,132


Therapy patients


307


Radium therapy patients 31


Total 5,470


We desire to express to the Administration and the Staff our appreciation of their continued cooperation.


Respectfully submitted,


CHARLES WHELAN, M.D. Roentgenologist.


REPORT OF THE LABORATORY DEPARTMENT


To the Superintendent and Board of Managers of the Quincy City Hospital, the report of the Clinical and Pathological Laboratory is hereby submitted.


Gentlemen:


The year 1942 showed a further increase in laboratory tests. During the year the technical force of the Laboratory took over


144


CITY OF QUINCY


work that was formerly done by the house officers. This included intravenous therapy, clyses, and blood letting.


The Blood Plasma Bank was started in May, and one of our technicians was assigned to this work. Later, Miss Marion Coady took over the technical work as a full time technician. The Blood Bank now has 145 units, and our objective of 240 units should be reached within the next few months.


There have been a few changes in the personnel of the depart- ment. Miss Elinor Rich, who has been connected with the Labora- tory for a period of about ten years, is on a leave of absence, hav- ing enlisted in the service of the United States Government (the WAVES). Miss Rich has been outstanding as a technician, and has already progressed in her government work, and now holds a position of great responsibility. Miss Claire Malone was added to the technical force in February, 1942, and Miss Dorothy Kelley assumed the duties of clerk in the department in March, 1942.


The postmortem examinations during the year were somewhat reduced, although the percentage meets the requirements of the American Medical Association. This reduction in postmorten ex- aminations is partly due to the shortage of house officers.


The equipment in the Blood Bank was principally furnished by the hospital, with an initial grant from the Federal Government.


We wish to thank the Superintendent and the Board of Managers for their continued support in supplying personnel and equipment to the departmeet.


The following is a condensed, classified report of the examina- tions made during the year:


State Laboratory Reports


Hintons 1,707


Wassermanns, blood


2


Kahn, blood


1


Wassermanns, spinal fluid


39


Davies-Hinton, spinal fluid


41


Spinal fluid, Gold Sol.


29


Spinal Fluid, Total Protein


56


Spinal fluid, Choride


15


Widal


38


Culture, Typhoid, Feces


158


Culture, Typhoid, Blood


9


Culture, Typhoid, Urine


4


Culture, Typhoid, Gall-bladder


1


Culture, Dysentery, Feces


9


Agglutination test for Undulant Fever


22


Weil Felix reaction


1


Heterophile antibody test


4


Sputa, Pneumonia


2


Sputa, T. B.


5


Serum bromide


1


Serum calcium


2


Throat culture


2


Miscellaneous culture


4


Blood culture


2


Kidney stone


3


145


REPORT OF CITY HOSPITAL


Quincy City Hospital Laboratory Reports 1


Urinary examination


10,086


Bacteriology 1,483


Bio-Chemistry 1,576


Body Fluids and Excreta 320


Hematology


16,274


Blood typing, matchings and Rh.


2,424


Serology


537


Basal metabolism


331


E-K-G


371


Animal inoculation and Aschheim-Zondek


426


Surgical Specimens


1,242


Autopsies


55


Miscellaneous examinations 106


Intra-venous therapy, clyses and blood lettings Grand total


39,062


Very truly yours,


FRANCIS P. MCCARTHY, M.D.,


Pathologist.


REPORT OF THE PHYSICAL THERAPY DEPARTMENT


To the Superintendent and Board of Managers of the Quincy City Hospital the report of the Physical Therapy Department is hereby submitted.


Gentlemen:


Examinations


15


Auto Condensation


87


Diathermy L. W.


1,438


Elec. Saturation


175


Fulgeration


15


Galvanism


8


S. W. Diathermy


902


Sinusoidal


334


Suction Pressure


232


Infra Red


144


Radiant Light


2,433


Ultra Violet A. C.


551


Ultra Violet W. C.


272


Cabinet


6


Scotch Douche


24


Colonic Irrigation


4


Sitz Bath


32


Shower


23


Whirlpool


58


Exercises


171


Manipulation


497


Massage


1,383


Total Modalities


8,813


Patients


Male


2,419


3,831


146


CITY OF QUINCY


Female 2,706


Total Patients 5,125


The above constitutes a report of the work done in the Physical Therapy Department during the year 1942.


Respectfully submitted,


C. L. PAYZANT, M.D.


REPORT OF THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT


To the Board of Managers of the Quincy City Hospital:


Gentlemen :


The following is a report of the major work performed dur- ing 1942:


1. Installing black-out curtains and heavy wire mesh screens. Panelling off and taping windows. Installing platforms over Elevators, machine-rooms and skylights.


2. The installation of more than 17,000 feet of wire to supply more than 300 emergency lights throughout the hospital and homes.


3. The wiring for lights and signals and the heating in- stallation of the Hunting Porches.


4. The wiring for and installation of Germicidal Lamps in the Nursery and Formula Room.


5. Rebuilding a discarded dressing sterilizer to a baby form- ula sterilizer and altering old basin sterilizers to comply with State Plumbing 'Code. The appliance used for this purpose also thermostatically controls the use of steam for sterilizing, accom- plishing the saving of steam and preventing the deterioration of walls surrounding sterilizer from excessive evaporation.


6. The rearrangement of and repiping serving counter in cafeteria.


7. The partitioning and rearrangement of the Admitting Office.


8. Partitioning Rice Building from the Main Corridor.


9. Repairs to the M&S Building roof and to roof of connect- ing corridor between the Administration and Rice Buildings and the plumbing and installation of fixtures in the Blood Bank and the new Formula Room performed by outside help.


Several employees that have been with us for many years, have, during the past year, left us to go to work in Defense Plants. Due to the difficulty to obtain material and the Government's re- quest to curtail all but necessary maintenance work, their places have not been filled. This has, in some instances, been the cause of unavoidable delay.


147


REPORT OF CITY HOSPITAL


There has been, during the year, one Clerk-Stenographer added to the Maintenance Department to keep records of the de- partment and, when time permits, assist in mimeographing forms used by various departments of the hospital.


The Heating Plant has, during the year, produced 40,691,356 lbs. of Steam. To produce this amount of steam, 346,903 gallons of No. 6 oil has been used at a cost of $14,638.79, making the mean cost of steam 35.95c per 1,000 lbs. of steam. The mean temperature as recorded at the hospital throughout the year, has been 49.68° Fahr. as compared with 51.29° in 1941.


The Refrigeration Plant has, besides the refrigeration of the Cold Storage Rooms, produced 371,600 lbs. of ice.


Respectfully submitted, CARL E. ERIKSSON Chief Engineer


REPORT OF THE AURAL SERVICE


To the Board of Managers of the Quincy City Hospital: Gentlemen :


The Aural Service of 1942 was very efficiently served by Dr. Robert O. Gilmore, Dr. James M. Ward, and Dr. Walter L. Mc- Clintock, each one having served four months during the year.


During 1942 there were 9 Bronchoscopies, 1152 Tonsils and Adenoid, 9 Mastoidectomies, and 83 Sinus Operations performed.


I wish to express my sincere appreciation of the excellent cooperation from the Aural Service Members, Staff Members, Nursing and Hospital Staffs.


Walter L. McClintock, Capt. M.C.U.S.A. is now on active duty with the armed forces.


Respectfully submitted,


WILLIAM J. HARKINS, M.D. Chief of Service


REPORT OF THE PEDIATRIC SERVICE


To the Board of Managers of the Quincy City Hospital:


Gentlemen :


The following is my report of the Pediatric Service for 1942:


I believe that during the year no quarantine of the ward was necessary for contagious disease.


148


CITY OF QUINCY


During the year, five Americanaire Air Sterilizers have been installed in the Nursery. This is of proven value in cutting down respiratory disease. Also, one lamp has been installed in the babies' ward of Hunting-3. Two large humidifiers have been purchased, which are of great value in treatment of certain conditions where a moist atmosphere is required.


The next important change which was made was the in- stallation of a new formula room, inasmuch as the old formula room was extremely crowded and inadequate.


The piazza at the end of Hunting-3 has been closed in, giving us many extra beds.


It is to be hoped that more sterilizer lamps can be installed in the rest of the Children's Wards, because experimental work shows that the number of air-borne bacteria are cut down to approximately one-fifth of the usual number before the installation of the lamps.


Respectfully submitted, EDMUND B. FITZGERALD, Chief of Service.


REPORT OF THE HOSPITAL LIBRARY


To the Board of Managers of the Quincy City Hospital:


Gentlemen :


We are extremely gratified to report that there has been a marked increase in reading done by patients during the year of 1942. In 1941 the circulation of books and magazines in the hospital library was 16,587, while in 1942 the circulation jumped to 20,767. This is an all-high record for our years of library service in the Quincy City Hospital. The increase is entirely within the adult circulation, however, because, we find, the circu- lation of children books and magazines has fallen off sharply. This may be a direct result of the discontinuation of story-telling in the children's wards. We feel that the three major factors causing this total circulation increase for the year are, (1) the increase in the hospital census, (2) the much larger circulation of magazines which we have experienced since the cessation of the sale of magazines within the hospital and (3) the discon- tinuance of the services of the occupational therapist.




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