Loading...
The Wingham Advance-Times, 1955-12-07, Page 9Well Equipped Wards Provide Finest in Accommodation One of the .first things that impresses a visitor at the new wing of the hospital is the vast expanse of hall which stretches out in front of him from the nurses’ station, just inside the 1946 wing, right to the end of the new building. The corridor in the new wing makes the older part of the building look small by comparison, because the new wing, with only one floor, covers so much more space. On either sjde of the corridor are two-and four-bed wards, each of ’them tastefully decorated in different pastel shades, with bright pictures on the walls and flowered drapes which accentuate the lightness of the rooms. Bedspreads are chosen to harmonize with the color schemes. Equipping a room at the hospital is not simply a matter of moving a bed into it. Each four-bed ward is equipp-1 SPACIOUS WARDS WINGHAM, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7th, 1955 ed with four overbed tables, four bed­ side tables, two upholstered chairs and four straight chairs, four bed lamps, footstools, partition drapes around each bed, as well as double drapes on the windows. In addition each ward has a locker set into the wall for each bed and two or three audio-visual system stations, accord­ ing to the number of beds, from which patients can call the nursing station for attention. Wards in the new wing are also • equipped with phone jacks into which a telephone may be plugged, so that the patients may receive telephone calls in their rooms. Between wards are the washrooms, • one for each two wards through con­ necting doors. Two bathrooms, one of them . containing a therapeutic bath, are situated off the main hallway. New Nurses’ Station Situated about halfway down the long corridor is the nurses’ station, where the nurses report while on duty and where calls are received on the audio-visual system from the various wards. The station is at the inter­ section of two corridors, one of which leads to the day room. This is a large, airy sitting room and lounge where up patients are encouraged to spend their time as much as possible as part of the curative program. 1 Furnished with lounge chairs and chesterfields, the room is also ex­ pected to have a television set for the entertainment of patients. A door wide enough to admit wheel chairs and beds will make it possible for many of the bed-ridden patients to he entertained in the room, as well as the up patients. Lecture Room Downstairs A lecture room, where girls taking the hospital’s nursing assistants’ course can be trained, is situated in the basement of the new wing., The room is equipped with desks and blackboards and two hospital beds for instruction on bed making. Also situated in the basement is a large fenced-in room where hospital stores will be kept. Staff washrooms and lockers and a sitting room lounge .for nurses are also in the basement. The imposing entrance to the new wing is shown in the photo above. The new waiting room is located inside the entrance, and is lighted by three plate glass windows in front. 11 If r: ADDITION TO NURSES’ RESIDENCE I PAYS TRIBUTE TO HOSPITAL AUXILIARIES The following words of praise for Hospital Women’s Auxiliaries are from an address prepared by J. Gil­ bert Turner, M.D., C.M., F.A.C.H.A., president of the Canadian Hospital Association, and given at a luncheon at the association’s annual conven­ tion. “The phenomenal growth of Wo­ men’s Auxiliaries has been one of the most outstanding accomplishments in the past ten years and their contri­ butions to the work of hospitals in time, money, donations of goods and equipment, have been remarkable in their extent and are exceeded only by their tremendous force in the field of public relations. “With the-populace becoming more and more hospital minded as the months go by, it is vitally necessary that we have every available ambas­ sador of goodwill. It should be re­ membered that we may be the reci­ pients of all these benefits from these very fine ladies without any prejudice to good administration.” Board of Directors At Wingham Hospital Members of the board of directors of the Wingham General Hospital for 1955 are as follows: Chairman, H. C. MacLean, Wing­ ham; vice-chairman, Roy Cousins, Brussels; directors, R. E. Armitage, Dr. W. A. Crawford; F. L. Davidson, DeWitt Miller, R. H. Lloyd, A. D. MacWilliam, all of Wingham; J. V. Fischer, Turnberry; Harvey Johnston, Morris; Alex Robertson, East Wawa- nosh; W. B. Anderson, Lucknow; H. Gowdy, Howick and Carman Thomp­ son, Teeswater; honorary member, Capt. W. J. Adams; secretary, John Strong; treasurer, Miss I. D. Harri­ son. On the administration staff of the hospital are Mrs. Iris E. Morrey, ad­ ministratrix; Miss E. A. Lambertus, director of nursing and Mrs. E. Pol­ lock, accountant. One of the spacious wards in the new wing, designed for two beds. New wing is composed of both two-and four-bed wards, designed to make life as pleasant as possible for chronic patients. ORIGINAL HOSPITAL The Webster residence, purchased in 1906 and containing about 22 rooms, first served the community as a hospital. New Auxiliary Room to Provide Needed Space for Sewing Ladies of the Hospital Auxiliary, who have carried on in very cramped quarters their work of keeping the hospital supplied with linens for the past few years, will find new freedom of movement in the beautiful work r.oom provided for them in the base­ ment of the new wing of the hospital. Decorated in a delicate shade of blue, and with fluorescent lighting and a sweep of windows down one entire side of the room to light their work, the auxiliary room will provide every facility for the sewing bees which have .been of such great help to the hospital in the past. At one end of the large room is a whole wall of .cupboards for storage of materials, and throughout the room are arrang­ ed the large sewing tables so neces­ sary for the preparation of linens. Organized in 1906 the Auxiliary has always formed an integral part of the Wingham General Hospital. It has made itself responsible for inside furnishings for the hospital such as bedding, curtains, dishes, nursery sup­ plies, patients’ gowns, and in addition has assisted with the social events in connection with the hospital. Many Activities The Auxiliary has used many dif­ ferent schemes for raising money for its activities, the most profitable being the marathon bridge parties and the annual spring and fall rummage sales and tag days. The latter have become famous throughout the district and people come from miles around to buy the bargains offered in the armouries. Rummage sales alone have added over $15,000 to the Auxiliary’s treasury, all of which has been spent on the hospi­ tal in one way or another. “Hospital Night” at the Lyceum Theatre, for which Auxiliary members sell tickets donated by the theatre owner, and collections from the Week of Prayer and Holy Week, have also assisted the Auxiliary in its work. The latest activity of the Auxiliary is the setting up of a tuck shop in the new wing >pLthe hospital for the sale of gifts and 'sundries to patients and visitors. Volunteer members will work at a counter provided for the shop in the waiting room of the new wing, and on a wagon which will go the rounds of the hospital at periodic intervals during the day. Officers for 1955 The following are the officers for 1955: President, Mrs. R. E. McKinney; vice presidents, Mrs. Walter Pocock, Mrs. Peter Fisher; treasurer, Mrs. W. J. Adams; recording secretary, Mrs. Charles Hinde; corresponding secre­ tary, Mrs. W. J. Greer; convener of buying committee, Mrs. Murray John­ son; sewing committee, Mrs. Gordon Godkin; cutting committee, Mrs. A. Peebles; social committee, Mrs. R. E. Armitage and Mrs. Gordon Buchanan; marathon bridge committee, Mrs. W. H. French and Mrs. W. A. McKibbon; tuck shop committee, Mrs. A. Peebles, Mrs. W. VanWyck, Mrs. W. B. Mc­ Cool and Mrs. Jim Hamilton. The hospital of today is’the centre of most medical services, although the doctor is still the director of the patient’s care. In 1911, Ontario with a population of 2% million had 5,000 general hos­ pital beds. Today its 5,000,000 people have 22,000 general hospital beds. In the past 45 years Ontario has more than quadrupled its bed facilities in caring for a population that has only doubled. PLAN COLORS TO HELP PATIENTS GET WELL The beautiful color scheme in the new chronic wing of the hospital is designed to do more than flatter the eye, according to W. Howard, of the T. Eaton Co. Ltd., who acted as color co-ordinator during the decorating of the new wing. Mr. Howard says that the color scheme in each room was designed with a definite purpose in mind. All of the colors used were chosen for their known value to stimulate, to raise morale and to supply an environ­ ment conducive to bringing the pat­ ient back to health, the decorator said. To this end the company which sup­ plied the paint, Canadian Industries Limited, also furnish a color condi­ tioning service which renders service to hospitals, schools, factories, hotels and similar institutions in planning color schemes. The T. Eaton Co., Ltd., which sup­ plied draperies, furniture, etc., for the new wing, made use of the color con­ ditioning service in harmonizing the, furnishings with the paint colors used. ALMOST FIFTY YEARS SINCE FIRST HOSPITAL STARTED IN WINGHAM With the opening of the new 50- bed chronic patients’ wing of the Wingham General Hospital today, al­ most fifty years will have elapsed since a small group of Wingham citi­ zens first got together to plan a hospi­ tal. It is doubtful if any of them would have visualized the changes which have come about in the hospi­ tal since that time. It was in 1906 that several public- spirited citizens decided to purchase the Webster residence, a house with about 22 rooms, and to have it fitted up as a hospital. Between five and six thousand dollars had been raised by a joint stock company to finance the venture. The following were elected as of­ ficers in the newly-formed hospital: Honorary president, Dr. T. Chisholm; president, Thos. Bell; vice-president, W. H. Green; secretary, R. Vanstone; treasurer, Dr. A. J. Irwin. The direc­ tors appointed were: Thomas Bell, Richard Clegg; F. J. Taylor, Rev. T. S. Boyle, W. H. Green, A. E. Smith, D. T. Hepburn, C. P. Smith, W. F. VanStone, R. Vanstone, Dr. J. E. Tam- lyn, Dr. R. C. Redmond, Dr. J. P. Kennedy, Dr. J. R. Macdonald and Dr. B. H. Hamilton of Belgrave. • Started in 1907 The hospital started operations in 1907, with Miss K. Stevenson as the superintendent. By September of that year 70 patients had been admitted, and it became apparent, even at that early'date, that there would be no lack of patients at the new hospital. Rates for nursing and maintenance during the first year were from $3-50 to $15.00 per week depending on the room, whether public, semi-private or pri­ vate. Even at that time the facilities of the hospital were worthy of note- A doctor from Chicago, who was visiting the hospital at the time, re­ marked that the operating room was more complete in some respects than most of the large hospitals in that city. During its entire existence as a hospital, the Wingham General has suffered from a lack of space. The need for additional room was felt as early as 1913, at which time addition­ al property was secured on Catherine Street behind the present site. The hospital continued to operate as a private concern until 1937, when it was turned over for public opera­ tion and placed in the hands of a board. New Wing in 1946 In the spring of 1945 work was started on a new three-storey addition to the hospital, which brought the capacity of the institution to 50 beds. The new addition was completed in the early fall, at a cost of $110,000 and was officially opened on October 3rd, 1946 by the late Hon. Russel T. Kelley, minister of health. Since the addition of the 1946 wing, the number of patients taken in every day increased steadily until at some periods the hospital was operating at almost double its rated capacity. In 1953 the task of raising money for an additional chronic patients’ wing was started, and a publicity committee was formed to publicize the need for additional space and to ap- broach inunicipalitics in the hospital area for funds. Figures on a pro­ rata basis, under which each munici­ pality paid in accordance With its representation of patients in the hos­ pital, the scheme raised approximately $175,000 from Wingham and other nearby communities, making the hos-, pital a truly district effort. Work on the new boiler room and laundry started in 1953 and the new wing was started in the fall of 1954. New Features in Chronic Wing Will Add to Patients' Comfort As befits a hospital wing, as modern as any in the province, the new addition to the Wingham General Hospital will have' a number of innovations which will add considerably to the comfort and well-being of the patients and to the efficiency of the staff. One of the greatest aids to hospital efficiency will be the new audio-visual system which has been installed in the new wing. By means of this apparatus patients in the new wing will be able to communicate directly with nurses at the central nursing station, who will be able to attend to their needs with a# minimum of unnecessary running around, In the old wing of the hospital nurses were summoned by means of a light above the door when patients pressed a button near the bed. This meant that nurses often had to walk the length of the hall, find out what was needed and make a second trip. With the new system of communi­ cation patients can talk into a mouth­ piece at the bed and make their needs known, necessitating only one trip on the part of the nurse. New Cafeteria Another innovation at the new wing will be a cafeteria in the basement, for the use of the staff and visitors to the hospital. The cafeteria is ex­ pected to effect a considerable sav­ ing of food, since hospital help will be paid for their room and board in future, and will be expected to pur­ chase their meals in the cafeteria. In this way they will purchase only what is needed, resulting in less waste. Meals will be served in the cafeteria at nominal rates. Patients in the new wing will be encouraged to get up and around at the earliest possible moment, in ac­ cordance with latest therapeutic prac- , THE WAITING ROOM An interesting feature of the new wing is the beautiful new waiting room; inside the main entrance to the wing. Equipped with lounge furniture and with windows to the ceiling, the room will also contain’a tuck shop, operated by the Hospital Auxiliary. Administration offices adjoin the waiting room. Every Modern Facility in New Kitchen at Wingham Hospital Just about every known facility for hospital cooking will be provid­ ed in the new kitchen at the chronic patients’ wing at Wingham General Hos­ pital, in contrast to the old, small, restricted kitchen which served the hospi­ tal for so long. Situated in the basement of the new wing, the modern kitchen is equipped to provide meals for 150 patients and staff, and if necessary can handle the cooking for a larger number, if expansion in the hospital con­ tinues as it has in the past. Centre of activities in the new kitchen will be the giant stoves and, ovens, situated in the middle of the floor in a sort of open-kitchen arrange­ ment, now so popular with the smarter restaurants in the big cities. Steam tables, meat cutting tables and other working space is amply provided for ' around the perimeter of the central ovens. For the mixing of cake batters and bread doughs a giant Hobart mixer is provided, capable of mixing batter for many cakes in one bowl. A large three-compartment pressure cooker, looking very much like a sterilizing oven, will assist in the preparation of quick dishes, and a deep fat fryer, similar to those used in restaurants, will help provide variety in the meals. Walk-in Refrigerators A feature of the new kitchen will be the six walk-in refrigerators, placed at strategic places around the walls of the room. One of these will be a deep freeze, in which frozen foods will be kept. Others will be ordinary refrigerators for vegetables, dairy pro­ ducts and meat, each with the ap­ propriate temperature for the type of food it will hold. One of them will be used as a root cellar for the storage of potatoes and other vegetables, with an air-conditioning system to guaran­ tee the proper temperature for keep­ ing such vegetables. A novelty to many will be the walk- in refrigerator situated at the ex­ treme north end of the, new wing. In this will be kept the wet garbage and tin cans which cannot be burned in the iheinerator. Although the idea of keeping gar­ bage in a refrigerator may seem a tice, and to that end a dining room for up patients has been installed in the new wing. Patients who are able to be up will have their meals here rather than in bed, Psychiatric Rooms Something new for the hospital will be two psychiatric rooms, situated at the extreme end of the new wing; where patients of a violent disposition will be kept. Equipped with one bed. each, the two rooms will be apart from the rest of the wards, with their own wash room and with other safety features not found in ordinary wards. All of the beds in the new wing will be equipped with the new safety sides, operating in the same way as the sides on a child’s crib, which can be raised to prevent patients from fall­ ing out of bed at night. Other new features of the chronic patients’ wing will be a physio­ therapy room, for massage and the treatment of fractures, and a thera­ peutic bath for arthritic patients. little odd, there is a simple explana­ tion for the practice. A good deal of garbage is collected at the hospital during a week, much of which cannot be disposed of in the incinerator. With garbage collection in Wingham only once a week, it is necessary to keep the garbage around for several days and during the summer months the accumulation can become affected by the heat. For this reason it was found advisable to keep garbage re­ frigerated between collections. Dumb Waiter Communications between the kit­ chen and the rest of the hospital are facilitated by the installation of a dumb waiter between the kitchen and the main floor of the hospital. Meals are placed on trays and moved in stainless steel carts, capable of hold­ ing ten trays each, to the dumb wait­ er, where they are transported to a pantry on the main floor, for distri­ bution throughout the hospital. The up patient’s dining room is conven­ iently located next door to the pantry. The staff cafeteria adjoins the kit­ chen for easy operation and is con­ nected to it by a door in the roar. The cafeteria is arranged in such a way that staff members can come down the stairs from the main floor and file through the cafeteria line into the staff dining room.