SAMPLING THE MENU-Chef C. E. Roush. givlIiI
Home Supt. J. A. Arm~tron9 ill taste of the day's fare in
one of the Home and HOlpa"l', two spacious kitchens.
Roush. who hu worked in some of Tuha', better eating
places. is in semi-retirement ilInd is an amplo']_ of the
home. Armstrong laid. Home kitchens coul prep".
food fOf ill' many ,n 200 penons. induding speci.1 dieh
for hospital patienh. (Tribune Photos)
Kinkaid Envisions $4 Cost Per Day
, .
SECTION THREE
PAGE THIRTY-SEVEN
COUNTY HOME FOR NEEDY, 5100 E. Slit St... charity patient sit.7
County Home: Key to Hospital Fuss?
NURSE AND FRIENDS-Mo,t of the 42 penons living
.t the Tulsa County hom. can walk, but a f.w ar. in
wh..l chairs or bedfast. Nursa Nina Faiv~ is on the
,porch with two whe.I chair residents.
By J. BOB LUCAS
The neaUy maintained Tu I s a
County home. now operating at
less thlm 40 per cent of capacity,
could be a key to solution of the
county's concern over rising costs
of hospitalizalion for charily pa·
Uents.
11Iat's the belief of Co u n t y
Conunissioner Robert L. Kinkaid,
who supervises the inslitution.
Home superintendent J. A. Armstrong
agrees.
"We can take care of charity
patients, at liu1e extra cost. Io\"hel:I
they are recG\'ering after major
medical or surgical care at Tulsa
hospitals." said the commissioner.
"And I belieo.-e we can do
it for $4 per day,"
Street and Hudson Avenue! Could presmt lItaff, but it needs 10 to the COUJIty farm as "too ex·
it handle a sizable inIlux of con· broaden its coverage," Extra has- pensive for the taxpayer."
valescent cases? pita! equipment would be needed, "After a week in the hospital
Space would be no problem, a 'd-"
visit to the home showed. In a too, sat W....ace. a member of after major surgery," Kinkaid
bygone era, it easily housed and the Tulsa Hospilal Council. said, "we could take them to the
fed as many as 110 persons. but "But It could be made into II county home and keep them for
state and U.S. welfare programs good convalescent home," he said. only $4 per day."
have absorbed much of its case Kinkaid said 80 per cent of the If t?is plan isn'~ aceeptable.
load in the past 30 years. inmates at the home and hospi- he saId, the hospItals co u I d
Only 4.2 men and women li\"e tal come from County Commis- charge $2'6.20 per day for ~e
there now-needy Pl!091e who can- sioner Frank O'Brien"s Dist I 1$ week. and then reduce the pnce
not qualify for anyone of the per cent from Commission~. to $13.SO durmg the palieors CODvast
number of state and U.S. man W. V. Caffey"s Disl 2, and valescence in the hospital
public assistance programs now 5 per cent from his Dist. 3. . "But before admission, all ~ar.
a\'ailable. lty pabenlJ should be examined
liE DESCRIBED WH.H liE by either the director of the Cit)·.
DESPITE A DECLIXE IN OC- called Caffey's plan to construct County HeaIlh Department. or the
CUPANCY. the home still fills a a new charity bospilal adjacentlcounty physician. to cut 0010\"11 on
need. and tries to keep pace with
the times.
Kinkaid'~ proposal ~s Sl!V- A $9.500 heating system was in-
~aI quution~ .. What, for IIlstance. stalled last year, complete with
IS the condluon of the home- standby boiler for emergency
once caUed the ''Cann''-at 51st use. And two years ago, an automatic
fire alarm and deteclion
system went into operation. nus
extensive system even operates on
a battery if the electrical S)'stem
fails.
By design. the institution was
intended to handle more than 100
persons. Its kitchen. refrigeration
facililles. and laundry stiU can
do that big job, Armstrong said.
Take a bumpy drive along 51st
Street on the northern edge of La·
Fortune Park and you'll discover
a sigD at a driveway entrance
reading. ''Tulsa CounLy Home and
Hospital..
'1'\1\11 one-story brick buildings
with tile roofs can be seen back
among the trees. One is the borne.
the other the "hospital:· Each
today houses 21 inmates or pa.
tienU.
The grounds are spacious and
well.groomed. Buildings glisten
with new floor and waU paint jn.
side, and v.ith aluminum screens
and storm doors outside.
Both plumbing and electrical
systems are in "fair condition"
but need some renovation or repair,
Armstrong said.
TfIE COST PER PATIE~"T
last yi!ar was less than $5 per day
-not counting the $9,500 spent
on the new furnace.
"We furnish our people everything-
tobacco, laundry, clothes,
etc.," Armstrong said. "We have
plenty of furniture, mattresses,
linens, and e'\.erything else to take
care of convalescent hospital patients.
We have 64 hospital beds.
"We bought four new air-eooditioners
last )'ear, and 10 ti.
our hospital beds are in air condi·
tioned rooms."
The "hospital" actually is a
limited operation-sort of a first·
class nursing home.
"We would need a little hospital
equipment." said the superintendenL
TI!oll Intems from Hill·
crest Medical Cooter visit the
home and ho5pital twice each
week. Registered practical nur.e5
are on dUly at all times.
Ken Wallace. assistant adrninl&lrator
0{ St. John's hospilal agreed
today that the County Home can
be used to care for convalescent
hospital patients. But 90me im·
provements are needed, he added.
"They need some registered
nurses and more complete intern
and resident physician co\'erage,"
he said. ''I'm not crilicizing the
hypochondriacs and head-i!Old pa.
tients... he said.
The County Commission a n ~
major hospitals are deadlocked in
a dispute o~'er per diem charity
costs. The county paid $13.50 per
pallent last year, and has of·
fered a raise to $15.SO. Hospilals
countered with a demand for
$26.20.
WIIAT TYPE OF PERSON
goes to the county farm? AU
kinds. replied Armstrong. e\'en
highly educated professional men.
Some SUly the rest of their Ih·es
ther~ Others rest a v.irile and
lea\'~
See HOME, page 47
Tulsa Tribune
