VOL. 5, NO. 8
FKIIRUAHY, 1959
DURHAM, N. C.
164,724 Days
Make a Year
"WhHt makes a yoar in the Duke
Medical Center? Saj’s the ehild in
■school “365 days make a year.” In
Duke Hosyiital 164,724 days of pa
tient care make a year; and so do
16,761 operations; and 777,960 labora
tory tests.
The j-ear 1958 has been one of
^ro^vth and chan5i:e for the Hospital.
The 0{)eniii!i of the new \vin>: in the
late summer of 1957 was the j;o-ahead
sifjnal for remodelinf? and recondition
ing certain older portions of the build-
iiifi;. The $250,000 Ford Foundation
•irant to Duke Hospital for 1958 w'as
used to effect ]>art of this renovation.
Matas Ward now occupies a part of
tlie former Drake Ward and has been
increased from 18 to 24 beds. Old
Matas Ward has been converted to
j:ive additional s])ace to the Blood
liauk and to provide consultation
rooms and offices for in-))atient psy
chiatric care. Cabell Ward—after a
face-liftiu;— is in use for open-ward
I)sychiatric i)atients. Meyer Ward is
now under;oin" nnich-needed renova-
il
tion. The remainder of Drake W’ard
is now oi)en and occuj)ied by medical
and surgical patients re(|uiring mini
mal nursing care. During the i-enova-
tion of Prevost Ward, Negro Ob and
Gyn ])atients were cared for on Strud-
wick Ward. I’revost has been re
opened as two separate wards for
Negro patients: Prevost with 15 ob
stetrical beds aiul Campbell with 17
gynecological beds. Ob and Gyn of
fices have been moved from Prevost
to Williams and Williams expanded
into Holmes. Strudwick Ward is now
closed for renovation.
The ►Sui)erintendent’s Office, Per
sonnel, Nursing, Social Service, Voca
tional Rehabilitation, EKG, and Em
ployee Health offices have all been re
located. The Business Otlice has been
redesigned and enlarged. The Wom
en’s Auxiliary jnoved into ((uarters
formerly occupied by the Superin
tendent’s Office. The new Auxiliary
(luarters include a snack bar so the
coffee counter in the lobby has been
disj)ensed with. The ^Medical Center
now has a well-a])])ointed Conference
Room near the Superintendent’s Of
fice. The Ambulatory Dining Boom in
the new wing is ojjen and serving
j)atients who have their doctors’ per
mission to be uj) aiul about.
So detailed a story of the i>hysical
changes does not touch the heart of
the Hospital’s work. E(iuipj)ed now
with 630 beds and 30 bassinets aiul
staffed with more than 350 physicians,
Duke Hosi>ital served 13,451 white
l)atients and 5,550 colored patients in
1958. Of these 9,565 w’ere ])rivate
])atients and 9,436 were staff i)atients.
They came from !)9 counties in North
Continued oij j)age 6)