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GULF COLORADO AND SANTA FE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
In June 1891, a charter for the G. C. & S. F. Hospital Association, succeeding on the Gulf Lines the Santa Fe Railway Employes" Association, a Kansas Corporation, was taken out by J. W. Terry, then and now general solicitor for the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company; F. J. Womack, now General Manager of the Moster Lumber Company, representing the executive department of the rail road; James McDonough, now the Master Mechanic at Shopton, Ia., but at that time an engineer, representing the mechanical department and F. A. Taylor, conductor, representing the transportation department. These gentlemen, with C. O. Wheeler, who was at that time general manager of the road, constituted the board of directors for the first year.
The object of the incorporation as set forth in the charter are for "The support of a benevolent and charitable undertaking, in this, to provide medical and surgical treatment and care for the employees of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway who may be injured or disabled by accident or sickness while in the employ of said company and in line of duty to such extent only, and under such rules and directions as may be prescribed from time to time by the trustees and to furnish such other and additional privileges and benefits to said employees as may, from time to time, be directed by the board of trustees of this association."
Previous to this time there had been the Texas Railway Employes' Mutual Benefit Association, which was an association of employees making voluntary contributions, no deductions from their pay checks and only those who contributed shared in the benefits. After a few years this association was dissolved, later joining with the Santa Fe Employes" Association, by the Texas laws made necessary the formation of a separately incorporated institution in Texas.
Drs. A. C. Scott and R. R. White, Chief Surgeons for the previous association, where appointed Chief Surgeons for the new association and they are still capable of filling that position, with the assistance of the following: Drs. C. M. Rayburn and D. L. Holtz, house surgeons: Drs. O. F. Gober and R. L. Kimmins local surgeons, Dr. J. M. Woodson, Oculist, Dr. J. J. Terrill, pathologist. Dr. M. W. Sherwood, cystoscopic. Dr. C. Potter, anesthetist.
Ten acres of land were purchased by the hospital committee of the city of Temple, Texas, the committee consisting of J. E. Moore, F. Schwarte and H. L. Sherrill deeded these ten acres to the Santa Fe Railway Employes Association for hospitals purposes only, the deed providing that in the event the land was not used for hspital purposes, it should revert to them.
Under date of May 13, 1895, the Santa Fe Railway' Association conveyed this property to the G. C. & S. F. Hospital Association.
Under date of August 1, 1891, an agreement was executed by and between the Santa Fe Railway Employes' Association, the A.T.& S.F. Hospital Association, the G. C. & S. F. Hospital Association and the Southern California Hospital Association, providing for a division of the surplus funds then in the hands of the Santa Fe railway Employees' Association. The proportion due the G. C. & S. F. Hospital Association and paid over to them on or about October 31, 1898, amounts to $7,678.91.
In 1891 the first hospital building, a small frame structure with a capacity for twenty patients, was started, which building was completed in 1892. This small building was soon found to be inadequate to supply the needs of the association, and in 1895 a frame addition, with a capacity for twenty-five patients was built. Still later another addition was built, and the investment represented about $40,000. In 1907 the association, having a surplus of about $75,000. On hand, decided to erect a new building for hospital purposes. This building was planned to be built in three sections, an administrative building and two wings.
The administrative building has a capacity for fifty to sixty patients, and was completed in December 1908. It cost about $90,000., the Santa Fe advancing the funds necessary for its completion. This building consists of three stories and a basement. The first floor is occupied by reception rooms, parlor, office, drug room and three patients' wards.
A portion of page 24 Meade's Manual transcribed in altered form for the web by Russell Crump
Sheet #22 - THE GULF COLORADO & SANTA FE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION.
On the second floor is located laboratories where microscopical examinations are made and where X-ray pictures are taken. Aside from the Laboratory and linen rooms, the remainder of this floor is given over to wards for patients. On the top floor is located the operating room, which is provided with a large skylight, affording an abundance of light for day-time operations, and with numerous high-power electric lights arranged in cluster form with plate glass reflector, swung above the operating table, which supply ample light facilities for performing the most technical and tedious operations after dark. The floors of the operating department are of tile, and the walls are wainscoted with novus glass. Adjoining the operating room on the south is a room where the surgeons prepare for the operations. In this room is kept a surgical record book, recording all cases operated upon, giving in detail the nature of the operations performed, the conditions found and the results obtained.
Adjoining the operating room are the instrument, sterilizing and dressing rooms, the sterilizing room is furnished with the most modern equipment for the sterilization of water, instruments, surgical dressings and so forth. The sterilizes are kept under constant steam pressure and are always in readiness for immediate use. The surgical dressing room, which adjoins the sterilizing room on the west, is supplied with all necessary instruments, surgical appliances, dressings and so forth for use in attending minor injury cases.
The basement contains the kitchen and dining rooms for such patients as are not confined to their beds. Separate dining rooms are maintained for the white, negro and Mexican patients, hospital attendants and the medical staff. The white dining-room has a seating capacity for twenty-eight patients; the negro and Mexican dining room accommodate about twenty patients each. These tables afford sufficient accommodation at present, in as much as the greater number of patients are confined to their beds and have their meals served individually. These rooms are large enough, however, to allow of additional table space when required.
The entire building is of fireproof construction throughout. All halls and corridors have tile floors. This building contains reception rooms, drug room, dining room, operating room, kitchen storeroom, boiler room and laundry of sufficient capacity for the operation of the entire building when both wings shall have been completed.
The north wing was completed in 1915 and this has a capacity for about one hundred and twenty five patients. The construction of this building is in harmony with the main building, it being fireproof and provided with all modern conveniences, marbleloid floors being installed throughout. This section is connected with the main building by a closed-in passageway, which permits passage at any time from one building to the other without exposure to the weather.
The hospital is equipped with an x-ray laboratory, and, in addition to the medical and surgical staff, employs a pathologist, cystoscopist, a trained anesthetist and an eye, ear, nose and throat specialist, thus giving the members of the association the benefit of good advice and treatment at the hands of a full corps of specialists.
As it is now constructed the hospital at temple has a capacity sufficient to care for all of the members of the association who require hospital attention. When the demand for more room makes it necessary, the south wing will be constructed.
The hospital buildings are located on a beautiful site consisting of ten acres of ground and are surrounded by spacious lawns covered with grass, trees and shrubbery, which evidence the care and supervision of the Santa Fe's artistic horticulturist. The buildings sit well back from the street, and the colonial balcony of the administrative building, supported by its immense columns, presents a most attractive appearance to one approaching form the front. A driveway enters the premises through the large gate controlling the approach to the hospital, crosses the lawn, passes under the steps of the main building, where the entrance to the basement is located, and, making a circle, passes out at the place of entrance. This driveway enables the ambulance driver to unload his patients under shelter at the basement door, which is near the elevator landing. The patients are then placed on the elevator and carried to the room or ward that has been arranged for their care.
The immediate supervision of the hospital is in charge of the Catholic Sisterhood, who furnish a superior, a druggist, an operating room attendant and eight nurses.
In addition to the sisters there are fifteen employees at the hospital, including orderlies, kitchen help, yard help, an ambulance driver and an engineer. These employees are, of course, additional to the regular medical staff.
The association also maintains a city office in Temple, located on the fifty floor of the city National Bank Building, where the local and resident surgeons of the association have regular hours each day for the convenience of employees who do not find it necessary to go to the hospital. If, in Temple, an employee prefers to remain in his own home during illness, he is furnished all necessary attention, medicine dressings and so forth by the hospital association.
In addition to the facilities at Temple, the association has contracts with local hospitals at various points on the line to care for such cases as can be better treated at the point of origin than by removal to Temple.
The association also has in its employ about two hundred physicians, one for every fifteen or twenty miles of line, who are always subject to summons by members of the association.
The building committee now has under way the completion of plans to the construction of a hospital car to be provided with all the necessary equipment, including operating room, sterilizers, etc. for the handling of seriously sick or injured employees while en route to the hospital. This car will be stationed at cleburne near the main shops. A trained nurse will be in attendance and when the car is not otherwise engaged, its facilities will be made use of in caring for shop employees who may become sick or injured while on duty.
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Sheet #23 - THE GULF COLORADO & SANTA FE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION.
The by-laws of the association provide that the trustees shall be the general manager and the solicitor for the railway company, representing the company, an employee representing the mechanical department, an employee representing the transportation department and the chief surgeon who shall represent both the men and the company. Under the first provision, the present trustees are V. G. Pettibone and judge J. W. Terry for the Santa Fe, Frank Campbell, a conductor with headquarters in Temple, representing the transportation department, and O. Sauermann of the Cleburne Shops, representing the mechanical department. Messr. Campbell and Sauermann compose the finance committee, supervise the expenditures and report the record thereof to the board of trustees.
The board of trustees hold their annual meeting on the first Tuesday in August of each year. Special meetings are called during the year at such times as may be deemed necessary by the president or a majority of the board. At such meetings the board receives the report of the chief surgeon and considers such claims, complaints, petitions, requests and so forth as are presented to it for consideration, and passes upon all matters pertaining to the management of the association.
Every employee of the Gulf Lines is a member of this association. The company collects the dues by deducting the amount from the paychecks of the employees. The deductions are made on the bases of one percent of the amount earned, with a minimum of forty cents and a maximum of $1.25 per month.
For the fiscal year which ended on June 30th, 1892, the gross operating expenses were $19,946.67 while the following statement shows the receipts and expenditures of the hospital association for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1915.-
RECEIPTS.
Receipts-
From Members' Dues - $67,946.73
Interest on bank Balances
And time deposits - 2,276.43
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Total $70,223.16
Expenses - $58,591.96
Receipts over expenditures- 11,631.20
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Total $70,223.16
For the fiscal year to June 30, 1915, - 11,664 medical cases and 2,788 surgical cases were treated by the association, making a total of 14,452 cases treated during the year, or an average of just a little above two cases for each contributing member of the association.
Of the cases treated, those classified as laborers head the list, with a total of 4,441. Shopmen come next, with 2,380, while trainmen with 1,308 come third. The remainder of the patients come from the general office force, engineers, firemen, wipers, stationmen, bridge and building and water service men and various other departments.
The earliest printed report of the G. C. & S. F. Hospital Association which we are able to locate at this time, (the earlier ones having been destroyed by fire) is for the year which ended on June 30, 1902. The report indicates that 7,227 cases were treated during that yaer. The report for the year June 30, 1915, which is the last report made up, indicates that 14,323 cases were treated or an increase of about 100 per cent in cases treated during 1915 over those treated during 1902.
We don not know to just what extent the number of employees has been increased since 1902, but we assume that the increase has not been at all in proportion to the increase in cases treated by the hospital association. It is aevident therefore that the employees are availing themselves of the association benefits to a much greater extent that during 1902. This is no doubt, due to the increase comforts and facilities provided at Temple for their care and to amore general knownedge of the oppurtunities and advantages offered by a proper application of the principles of medical and surgical science, as well as to the development of a higher appreciation on the part of the employees of the character of service rendered by the association.
In 1902 the average cost per case handled was $3.88. In 1915 the cost per case handled was $4.05 an increase of 17 cents per case. This increase in cost is partly due to the higher cost of living above that of 1902 and partly to the maintenance of greatly improved buildings and equipment, as well as to the betterment and extension of the service into special fields of scientific investigation and research. The increase cost of maintaining the present system is, we think, much more than compensated for by the increased comforts and facilities of the service.
No complaints have been filed with the chief surgeon or with the board of trustees for a long time, and it would appear that all members of the association are satisfied with the benefits received in return for the dues paid.
All of the employees on the Santa Fe System contribute to the support of hospital organizations, which are incorporated under the laws of different states for the purpose of providing medical and surgical treatment and care for those who may be injured or disabled by accident or sickness while in the employ of the railroad. This co-operation between the employee and employer, added to the liberal assistance given by the railroad to provide for this service, contributes to the especial benefit of each employee, no matter whether he carries a shovel or sues a pen, helps to raise the standard of efficiency in calling for the best effort in his daily toil, and augments the bond of relationship.
The hospital association have been growing steadily in importance every since the first organization on the Santa Fe was effected in 1884.
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