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Duke Hospital, InterCom
Co-Supt^A Cotnet
Early last month our Department
heads met to look back on last year’s
operation and to look forward to the
new year w'hich started July 1.
We would like to share with the
readers of this column some of the
information that was discussed. The
past year w’as good in many respects
and very difficult in others. Some of
the good things are;
1. Plans for the new addition to the
Hospital and clinics crystallized and
architectural drawings are in the final
stage.
2. Student Health was moved to a
new location and provided with more
adequate space.
3. Some of our doctors occupied
new offices in Baker House, making
available much needed additional ex
amining rooms in the Private Diag
nostic Clinics.
4. Our nursing staif instituted team
nursing, and other improvements that
have meant better nursing care for
our patients.
5. A bio-physicist joined our staff
to supervise our rapidly growing ra
dio isotope laboratory.
6. More than 150,000 medical case
histories were reduced to microfilm,
paving the way for more efficient
record service in the future.
7. An extensive program in paint
ing and redecorating w'as Carried out.
8. The Hospital and Medical School
purchased approximately $150,000 in
new equipment from a grant from the
Duke Endowment.
9. The Out-Patient Clinics w'ere
equipped with an Addressograph Sys
tem that has meant faster service for
our patients and more efficiency for
our people who work there.
10. The William Brown Bell Re
search Building was formerly dedi
cated.
Our difficulties in the main were
financial. An increase in costs of op
eration and a decrease in income from
patients put us in a very serious po
sition.
Fortunately, we seemed to catch our
second w'ind after Christmas. We re
couped some of our losses but still
finished the year about $150,000 in
the red.
We start our new year with a new
Duke First Has A First
From F'armville, Va. comes news of
a special event for Duke’s first baby
patient, Sara Wilkinson, now Mrs.
Calvin Haldw'in, who was honored
guest here in July, 1950 for Duke
Hospital’s 20th anniversary celebra
tion.
Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin became the
parents of a fine boy at midnight on
July 24, which date is also the fa
ther’s birthday. Of special note is the
fact that Mrs. Baldwin’s obstetrician
was Dr. A. Tyree Finch, a Duke
graduate.
schedule of rates, but we also have an
expense budget that is $160,000
larger than last year’s. We expect to
operate at a loss again this year but
are looking to our employees and staff
to help us hold it to a minimum.
We have all been living in aji era
of inflation and full employment.
Now we find ourselves in a period that
has deflationary characteristics and
a condition of unemployment.
The financial situation of the Hos
pital and the University generally is
extremely serious. It has been neces
sary throughout the University to
adopt a schedule for annual salary
increases that are about one half of
what they have been in the past fcvv
years.
We regret very much that this must
be so. However, other people are hav
ing their difficulties too. The City of
Durham, for example, has fouiid it
necessary to say that its empl')yees
will receive no salary increases this
year.
Annual Picnics
The Personnel Office with the help
of very active committees has staged
another Anniud Picnic for all the em-
jiloyees of the Medical School and the
Hos{)ital. Each year we feel that the
current one was tlie best.
The following quotation from a let
ter written by the (^hief of one of our
clinical departments sums up for
many of us the importance of our
annual outing:
“Jly de])artment would express to
you its appreciation for the fine i>ic-
nic and the collective fun it had.”
“This picnic is one of the few ‘in
stitutions’ and ‘traditions’ that have
From
The
Auxiliary
By Mrs. ,S. W. Myatt
The Women’s Auxiliary has re
ceived the gift of a folding invalid’s
chair and walker through the gener
osity of Di-. and Mrs. W. M. Nichol
son.
We regret that on July 12, due to
the increase in the price of coffee and
cream, it was necessary to raise the
price of coffee to seven ceiits a cup.
Thanks for being so cooperative and
bringing your pennies.
The junior members, forty-five in
all, are to be complimented for the
fine work they are doing this Sum
mer. They have been happy, willing
w’orkers, often working overtime, es
pecially on Children’s Service and
Guide Service, while the senior mem
bers are on vacation.
IMany senior members deserve a
note of thanks for serving additional
hours in order to keep all day services
operating. This is particularly true
of Guide and Registration Services.
Bouquets to the president and all
chairmen of services!
The Auxiliary will take its annual
vacation and the office will be closed
and all services suspended beginning
Friday, Aug. 27, until opening date
Monday, Sept. 13.
been established at the Medical School
and we hope it will be continued.”
To every employee and staif mem
ber who worked hard so that the rest
of us could have fun : a very sincere,
“Thank You!”
Some of the committee members
who deserve special thanks for their
hard work are: Dr. Kenneth Penrod,
Morton Bogdonoff, John McBryde,
Elon Clark, J\Irs. Norma Jean Black-
stone, Ann Barnes, Dr. Ralph Ar
nold, Dr. Alex Woods, Don McGrath,
Flint ('arden, Minnie Jones and
Lorene Bates; and for the Negro em
ployees j)icnic, Carl Rogei’s, Sally
i\Ioore, Charlie Wall, Cornelia Free
land, Sam Sellers, Ernest Pratt, Hay
wood Jolnison, Minnie Hell and Jessie-
Ferrell.