The board of administrators of Charity hospital voted Tuesday night to abolish the hospital's independent training unit and assign all beds to the medical schools of Tulane and Louisiana State universities for teaching and training interns and resident physicians.
Board members described the action as a significant step in improving Charity's already-high reputation for professional patient care and professional training of doctors.
The issue of the independent unit has been under study for 14 years and has been given intensive scrutiny by the board for the past four years.
Previously, Tulane and LSU have each been assigned 40 percent of the hospital beds for teaching privileges. The remaining 20 per cent has been assigned to an independent unit, manned by independent practicing physicians in tlie New Orleans area. DIFFICULTY CITED
Dr. A. N. Sam Houston, chairman of the medical committee oi the board of administrators, said the hospital has had increasing difficulty getting services on the individual unit accredited by the Joint Committee on Accreditation for Resident Training.
"This has made it difficult tc obtain interns and residents iox the staff in those services,'* he said,
"Neither the medical profession at large, through the Orleans Parish Medical Society, nor the board has been able to come up with a satisfactory answer to this problem.
"We went into the matter with ail open mind, and believe now that we have exhausted all possible means of working toward a solution except the action taken tonight."
Dr. Houston said the medical committee, in consultation with outside sources, considered hiring chiefs of various services to maintain the independent unit, but this was not considered financially feasible. Nor was there any assurance the hospital could furnish enough educational facilities for accreditation under such an arrangement, he added.
Proposals by individual groups to take over the services of the independent unit were not considered feasible, either, he said, DR. KERNE AGREES
"It is the intention of the board to have full accreditation for Charity residents and interns in all specialties, and to provide the best possible training obtainable for the intern-resident staff," Dr, Houston continued.
"With this in view, there was no solution other than to have LSU and Tulane medical schools accept equal responsibilities for the professional care of the indigent sick and for the professional training of the intern-resi-dent staff,"
Dr. Leo J. Kerne, director oi the hospital, said he agreed with the necessity for change and was in full accord with the board's decision.
As for the doctors now serving in the independent unit, Dr. Hous* ton said each school would be asked to include in its teaching staff those men "who have diligently and actively served" in the past few years. Other members of the independent staff will remain in inactive service as consultants to the board of administrators, he said.
SPEECH, HEARIHG
The decision to abolish the in-impendent unit was taken at the board's regular monthly meeting it the hospital.
In other business, the board ap proved a request from Dr. Irving M. Blatt and Dr. William W. Frye of LSU for the use of audiometal equipment belonging to the hospital. The equipment is to be use in the establishment of a speed and hearing research program and will make the school eligible for a training and research gran from the National Institute o Neurological Diseases and Blind ness.
The board also approved spend ing $85,876.88 for various equip ment and services, and consented to the replacements of three ambulances and two trucks.
Attending his first meeting was Sam N. Arcuri of Laplace, whe was recently appointed to the board to replace Warren Roussel also of Laplace,
PAINT SHOP RIDS
L. E. Thomas Jr., chairman oi the house committee said a let iter had been received from E |Guy Martin, state purchasing of jficer, advising that the board was | within its rights to reject milk j and dairy products bids and make open market purchases until new bids can be obtained.
Thomas also announced thai jplans and specifications for the new paint shop have been place on the market and bids areto be opened Wednesday at 2:3C p, m. The shop is expected to cosi about 527,000..
The board accepted the direc« tor's monthly report from Dr I Kerne. He said 5709 patients were admitted during September; 1119 babies were born; 1117 operations were performed, and 40,349 visits were mads to the clinic for a daily average of 1931.
Also during September, 23,661 persons applied for examination in the admitting room, 6724 of whom were treated. There were 863 admissions to the recovery room, a daily average of 29. PHOTO: SAM J. ARCURI,
a petroleum products distributor from Laplace, has been appointed to the board of administrators of Charity hospital in New Orleans. He succeeds Warren Roussel, a Laplace restaurateur. Arcuri attended the first meeting as a member of the board Tuesday night.
