Conference of Officers in Charge of Government Hospitals Serving Veterans of the World War

(b) To standardize requirements, to expedite the inter-department use of existing Government facilities, to eliminate duplication in the purchase of supplies and the erection of buildings.

(c) To formulate plans designed to knit together in proper coordination the activities of the several departments and establishments, with a view to safeguarding the interests of the Government and to increasing the usefulness and efficiency of the several organizations, and to report to the President thereon.

4. The Chief Coordinator of the Board of Hospitalization shall preside over the Board and be responsible for its efficiency and for developing its activities along practical lines. After a full discussion of any question by the Board, the decision of the Chief Coordinator will be final as to any action to be taken or any policy to be pursued, but any member may appeal from the decision to his own immediate superior.

From this you will readily see that the extent of the work under the administration of this Board is very far-reaching and is an innovation in Federal Hospitalization activities, for beside being interested in behalf of reasonable economies in administration, the Federal Board of Hospitalization is particularly and especially interested in carrying out the highest ideals of modern hospitalization for the far advanced Veteran.

The President and his administrative family have in mind, as the basic principle of all hospital service, the very best that can be supplied, measured by real end-results.

The Board of Hospitalization represents all of the Departments of the Government directing and controlling the Federal Hospitals of the United States. Each of the Chiefs of these Departments will speak of his particular relation to the subject of Hospitalization as it refers to the World War Veteran, as the program proceeds.

In order that each of you may understand the magnitude of the entire subject of Hospitalization of the World War Veteran, I wish to present the following facts;

Today there are being hospitalized under Government control, in Federal Hospitals, 22,440 World War Veterans, who are distributed among the various Departments as follows:

U.S. Public Health Service 16,373 U.S. Army Hospitals 1,681 U.S. Navy Hospitals 1,059 Soldiers Home Hospitals 2,500 Dept. of the Interior Hospitals 827 —————— A total of 22,440

This does not take into account patients in contract hospitals which now number 9,066. This enumeration demonstrates something of the scope and nature of the work for which the members of the Board of Hospitalization are responsible.

It may interest you to know that there are now under construction 7,592 new beds, which will be ready for occupancy within the next few months and that the Government is at present contemplating at least 2,500 more beds under the new Langley Bill, so ultimately the Government will have under its direct administration hospital capacity for a minimum of 32,000 patients, which is estimated to be the peak load.

Heretofore there has been no coordinate plan of operation of these various institutions. Under the Board of Hospitalization all of this has been changed and today, you, whether from the Army, Navy, Public Health Service, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers or the Department of the Interior are all members of one big professional family, each engaged in the same service, under the same regulations, for the care and treatment of the World War Veteran.

The Hospitals engaged in this service number at present 107, distributed as follows:

77 Hospitals controlled and operated by the Public Health Service, 6 Hospitals controlled and operated by the War Department, 14 Hospitals controlled and operated by the Navy Department, 9 Hospitals controlled and operated by the Soldiers Homes, 1 Hospitals controlled and operated by the Interior Department.

These institutions are located in all sections of the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific and constitute one of the greatest hospitalization propositions within the history of any country.

The personnel engaged represents an Army of almost as many more persons. In other words, Uncle Sam, within himself, is today keeping in operation a hospitalization program incomparable with anything with which former experiences are familiar.

With this representation of the subject and its magnitude, I wish to remind you that each one of you personally and individually is a part of this great machine; and upon you rests the responsibility of the carrying out of such policies as are adopted by the Central Administration.

In order that there might be perfect coordination and cooperation in all of these hospitals and that all institutions serving the World War Veteran might be operated upon a standardized basis, the Board of Hospitalization recently adopted the following regulation as to personnel:

Doctors, 1 to every 20 patients Nurses, 1 to every 10 patients Occupational Therapists, 1 to every 50 patients Social Workers, 1 to every 50 patients Vocational and Prevocational 14 to every hospital of 200 patients trainers and assistants Other hospital employees. 130

Making a total of 182 employees to every 200 patients, or almost one attendant and assistant to each patient.

This arrangement provides that all patients will have equal care and attention of such a similar type as to guarantee to all classes of patients the best of professional, nurse and domiciliary attention that can be given, no matter in what Department they are being treated.

All of the Departments constituting the Board of Hospitalization are now meeting in joint sessions, wherein they take up in detail all of the matters pertaining to the welfare of the Veteran Hospitalization subject. Out of this consideration there is developing a much better understanding, a more complete system of operation, better conduct and much better end-results.

One of the objects of this conference is that you the better understand by personal contact with each other and with the different phases of the work, what the business of caring for these veterans in its entirety means. We know of course that you each have your special problems, you each have certain affairs within yourselves that keep your attention very much engaged in the things with which you come personally in contact, but we thought it would give you a better impression of the magnitude and importance of the subject if we were to have you here where those who are responsible for the direction of the affairs of Hospitalization could meet you individually.

We want you to know that we are greatly interested in you and the service you are rendering. We wish you to feel assured that your interests are our interests. We wish to impress upon you that the conduct of the affairs under your administration means the reputation and the historical record of the Government’s treatment of the World War veteran.