Speaking about coordination and cooperation, he mentioned the fact that the Public Health Service is represented in the Veterans’ Bureau by Dr. Guthrie, Dr. Lloyd and Dr. Long, the Navy by Commander Garrison and Commander Boone, and the Army by Colonel Brooke and Colonel Hutton. In this way the Bureau benefits by the advice of these men, and friction between the Departments is avoided.
Another thing he took up was the situation in Arizona. Attempts have recently been made to get the Bureau to put hospitals in two towns, Phoenix and Tucson, both of which he stated were so hot that everybody would have to get out in the summer. There are 431 vacant beds at Prescott, within 400 miles, and in a few months 422 more will be available. Transportation has been offered these men to these hospitals but many have refused to go. He believed that the Veterans’ Bureau could do more than this, but wanted an expression of opinion on the subject.
MR. BURKE: asked for further discussions on the questions raised by Colonel Patterson.
DR. KLAUTZ: stated that he would like to ask Col. Patterson whether the question of furloughs has been taken up in connection with disciplinary regulations.
COLONEL PATTERSON: informed him that length or frequency of furloughs had not been determined, but permission to be absent will be obtained from District Managers under policies issued by the Central Office from time to time. He asked for an expression of opinion on this subject.
DR. KLAUTZ: stated in regard to the situation in Arizona that probably all the hospitals available there were situated in an altitude of 5000 ft.
COL. PATTERSON: informed him that Camp Kearny is lower than this. He stated that the policy of the Veterans’ Bureau in regard to tuberculosis has the backing of the National Tuberculosis Association, and that the men asking for hospitalization had been offered transportation to Kearny or Prescott.
DR. KLAUTZ: offered the suggestion that somewhere in the mountains North of Tucson there might be places which were not too high and would be good all the year round.
COL. PATTERSON: reported that there are already at Prescott 131 vacant beds and within four months will be 432 additional. Why should we go to additional expense when we have these other hospitals?
DR. LONG: took up the subject of the speeding up of patients in hospitals, which is necessary for two reasons—first, in the interest of the man himself, and, second, in the interest of economy. The average man was about 25 years of age when he entered the service, and it should be taken into consideration that his character had not been formed, and that keeping him in a hospital tends to destroy still further his initiative, so the sooner a man gets out of the hospital the better it will be for him. As for economy, it costs about $240 a month to keep a man in a hospital. He stated that dispensaries are now being established in the district and sub-offices, where treatment can be obtained, thus a man should be discharged as soon as he has reached the maximum improvement. He cited the case of Palo Alto, where arrangements had been made with Dr. Wheate that when a man had reached the maximum hospital improvement such further treatment as was needed should be obtained in the out-patient office. In about six weeks the total number of patients was reduced from 540 to 417.