History: 1930s - Birth and the Formative Years

The 1930's are best remembered as the years of the Great Depression. As the decade progressed, the world witnessed the rise of fascism in Europe and Asia, a movement that would later usher in an even more troubled era.

Despite the concerns of the times, Windham area residents enthusiastically supported the new hospital building program. 3,700 people pledged financial support that exceeded $450,000, making construction of the new facility possible. The fund raising campaign extended over two months, ending on December 31, 1930.

A gift from the Vanderman family, a twelve and one half acre parcel of land, was the site on which the new hospital was located. The strip of land, approximately 80 feet in width and 250 feet in length, bordered Mansfield Avenue on its east side.

Construction of the new building started in 1931. The architectural firm of Crowe, Lewis and Wick of New York was responsible for its design and the H. Wales Lines Company of Meriden was hired as general contractor.

On January 21,1931 a new Board of Incorporators met, with seventy-seven members present. They elected a 35 member Board of Trustees who were to serve one, two and three year terms.

E. Frank Bugbee was elected President and William B. Sweeney, Secretary. These individuals laid plans for the developing hospital and kept watchful eyes on the construction project.

At the April 12, 1932 dedication ceremony, marking the laying of the cornerstone, Governor Wilbur L. Cross was the guest of honor and speakers at the event included Frank E. Guild, M.D., President of the Medical Staff; E. Frank Bugbee, President of the Board of Trustees; George E Taylor, Chairman of the Building Committee and William B. Sweeney, Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Mr. Sweeney, later to assume responsibilities as the first superintendent, was presented the keys to the new hospital. He remarked that he would "throw these away" as a sign that the hospital's doors wotfid always be open to all.

Sometime later, three hospital employees, Alice Pickett, Ruth Carey and Helen Kegler, presented

Mr. Sweeney with a miniature fir tree. This was planted at the front entrance in soil that was taken from each of the seventeen towns that comprised the hospital's service area. When the tree was planted, the keys to the hospital were buried in this soil, symbolizing the bond that was now deeply established between the hospital and the communities it served.

The formal dedication of Windham Community Memorial Hospital took place in the main lobby on April 5, 1933. Receptions and hospital tours continued for a period of four days. It was estimated that approximately 27,000 people visited and toured the hospital during this time. The building was ready for occupancy on Wednesday, April 26, 1933. It contained 69 adult beds, six cribs for pediatric patients and 15 bassinets on the maternity floor.

The transition of patient care from St. Joseph Hospital to Windham Community Memorial Hospital was well coordinated between the two facilities. St. Joseph's stopped admitting patients on Sunday, April 23, 1933. On that same day Windham began accepting maternity patients and at 6:00 p.m. opened its Accident Room. On Tuesday, April 25th the first birth occurred at the new hospital. Windham's first baby, Edna Gile, arrived at 10:13 a.m. The next day, the eight patients remaining at St. Joseph Hospital were transferred by ambulance to Windham.

After opening, Windham Community Memorial Hospital attracted considerable attention throughout the state. Many people came to view the patient rooms, dietary department and special service areas. As visitors approached the original front entrance and climbed the granite steps flanked by limestone columns, they entered the main lobby of the new hospital. Medical Records and the office of the Director of Nurses were on the left. The area to the right included space for the Board Room, the Director of Nurses' living quarters and Administrative offices.

Click here for an Artist's rendition of (the original) Windham Hospital.

The foresight and enthusiasm of community planners created a health institution that was remarkable for its time. Gaining national recognition, Windham Community Memorial Hospital was featured in an article appearing in the November, 1933 issue of Modern Hospital, a journal well-known in the health care field. Impressed by what they saw, the new hospital was described by the authors as follows:

The entrance to the grounds is adorned by an attractive gateway through which the visitor drives through the 80 foot right-of-way owned by the hospital.

The administration and main entrance is the north wing to the rear, allowing the south front to be unin terrupted by traffic. Thus, the main portion off the building faces toward the south, providing each room with a southern exposure, patient beds being so placed that a view of the hills across the Willimantic River is alwlays in sight.

With the hospital thus placed clearly in relation to the site, it is possible to give some attention to its general appearance. It is colonial in design, constructed of variegated red brick with limestone trimmings. The main building, 148 feet in length, is three stories in addition to the ground story and basement. The colonial ceiling of the exterior has been deftly carried out in the interior furnishings. The entrance lobby and reception room are distinctly early American, thoroughly in keeping with New England tradition.

The lengthy article was complimentary of the interior design and amenities, citing the following as some of the many "modern innovations" of the new hospital:

every precaution is taken to eliminate noise, while the use of sunlight and fresh air is maximized. Large solariums open from the first and second floors, and a roof garden, with a pergola shelter opens from the third floor to provide sunshine while you are convalescing;
solariums are furnished with inviting lounge chairs and other homelike touches are found at the end of each corridor;
safeguards are taken to make the building and its contents as fireproof as possible;
patient rooms contain the latest refinements in hospital comfort and luxury. Call buttons are at each bed and the latest gatch bed is supplied;
roller curtains ensure privacy to multi-bed units;
a nurses station in each story is centrally located;
heating and ventilating equipment in the operating room, delivery room and nursery provide a controlled volume of filtered in heated air;
the main kitchen is equipped for central tray service and all cooking is done on large gas ranges;
well-equipped serving rooms are found on each floor;
the dining room for the staff has the appearance of an attractive tea room with tables and chairs and other pieces of furniture which are exact reproductions of antiques to be found in the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford;
space is provided for x-ray, laboratocy and therapy services; and
a four cot accident room, is located on the ground floor.
The article closed with the comment: "It is such ideas, in fact, that are establishing new hospital standards in the hills of Connecticut .

Click here to view the original building.

William B. Sweeney was the hospital's first Superintendent. As yet, there were no special courses in health care administration to prepare a person for the responsibility of managing a hospital. Nevertheless, even in the early part of the twentieth century the position was viewed as a difficult one. An editorial appearing in Hospital World, defined the job requirements of the "modern day Superintendent" as follows: "He requires the strength of Samson, the meekness (at times) of Moses and the patience of Job. He ought to be a good beggar, a good business man, a physician, a bit of a lawyer, and have enough piety to admit him to the pulpit."

Mr. Sweeney, like his peers of the time, was a man who had a keen interest in community activities and health affairs. He had been Secretary of the St. Joseph Hospital Board of Trustees and was deeply involved in the development campaign and Building Committee for Windham Community Memorial Hospital.

After accepting the position of Superintendent, Mr. Sweeney became active in state, regional and national affairs of the American Hospital Association and its affiliates. He was admitted to the American College of Hospital Administrators (ACHA) as a result of his pioneering efforts and effective management of Windham Hospital during its birth and formative years.

The Board of Trustees of Windham Hospital consisted of 45 members. They met monthly and listened to reports, especially aware of those that dealt with finance, the building and grounds. The Board depended upon Mr. Sweeney for his insight and recommendations.

Windham Hospital, from the beginning, faced what all voluntary, non-profit hospitals face - the problem of the medically indigent. The depression only compounded the problem. Mr. Sweeney advised the Board of the difficulties posed by the "new poor" - those who wanted to pay their bills, but were impoverished by the prevailing economic situation.

Despite early financial difficulties, the hospital was well utilized as substantiated by 1933 statistics; 1,206 patients were admitted. Lengths of hospital stay varied, but averaged 11 days per admission. There were 13,706 days of care received by patients, yielding an average daily census of 38. The Accident Room treated 305 patients; 140 births were recorded; 590 surgical operations were performed; 695 x-ray examinations were completed and 3,454 laboratory. procedures were done. The average cost per patient day was $5.57. Expenses for the year totaled $76,404, while operating income was $42,747 ($15,133 income was received from other sources).

Patient revenue was supplemented by an $8,500 state grant, a $4,000 town grant and the institution of "budget campaigns." The budget campaign, forerunner of what is now known as the Annual Appeal, sought gifts of cash and securities to offset hospital operating losses, thereby providing free care to the indigent. Budget campaigns continued until 1952.

By 1934, the financial picture had brightened somewhat. Operating expenses remained at $76,404, while income had risen to $73,044.

In 1936-1937, the fourth year of the hospital's operation, pressure for more beds was already apparent. Mr. Sweeney noted that "without any acute emergency or epidemic conditions, we face occasio,al 100% occupancy,on the medical and surgical units, although, the year occupancy has averaged 65%."

From the beginning, Windhain Hospital received well-deserved official commendation, indicating that it had met and often exceeded standards in general hospital care. In 1933, the American College of Physicians and Surgeons (forerunners of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) granted the hospital full accreditation. During the same year, Windham was admitted, without reservation, to the American Hospital Association. Recognition for excellence and quality of care was present from the beginning and has continued through the years.

A hospital in the 1930's was a far less complicated institution than what we have come to know almost 60 years later. Prior to the pioneering work done by the Cleveland Hospital Council in 1932, there was no standard chart of accounts for hospitals. Yearly budgets either did not exist or were produced in an afternoon. In 1935, C. Rufus Rorem and Basil MacLean drafted what eventually became the approved Manual of Hospital Accounting and Statistics for the American Hospital Association. Time would pass before the Manual would become standard practice in all hospitals.

Mr. Sweeney was a very. capable administrator and accomplished a great deal during the early years of the hospital. Assisting Mr. Sweeney was a small staff that included: Olive Jacobs Hersant, Secretary; Helen Kegler, Admitting Clerk; Ruth Carey, Accountant; and Alice Pickett, Historian, a position now known as Medical Records clerk.

The five people in Administration were able to perform duties that would later become distinct functions or departments - Finance, Billing, Accounting, Information Desk, Switchboard, Admitting, Medical Records, Volunteer Service, Fund Raising and Public Relations. They handled all inquiries, all incoming calls, took care of flowers, conversed with visitors, recorded necessary patient information, escorted patients to the floors, did the billing, handled credit and cashier duties, answered accident room calls, and responded to the needs of funeral directors. In other words, the tasks they performed included all hospital activities with the exception of Nursing, Dietary, Maintenance and Technical Service.

Helen Kegler is a memorable individual who gave many years of service to the hospital. She worked on the fund raising campaign of 1930-1933, remaining actively involved in the building program of the original Windham Hospital. Through this experience she came to know the community well. It was only natural that Mr. Sweeney asked her to become the Admitting Clerk in 1933. In addition to this responsibility; she supervised the Junior Auxiliary and assisted with future budget campaigns. She assumed increasing amounts of responsibility throughout the years and achieved the position of Administrative Assistant before she retired in the early 1970's. She stands out in this author's mind as a person of extreme dedication who gave many years of outstanding performance to the hospital.

Imagine if you will a switchboard from an old 1930's movie. This was the type of service available at the new hospital. Run by the administrative staff, it closed after 9:30 p.m. Late night and early morning calls were answered by the nurses on the patient wards.

As mentioned previously, Alice Picket (later Mrs. Robert Rafferty) was the hospital Historian or transcriber, clerk and filer of medical records. She often went to the patient's bedside to take medical histories, much in the manner that an intern would these days. Following a prescribed outline she recorded pertinent information in Gregg shorthand (80 words a minute) and later typed or hand wrote the information in the medical record. Technology would later bring us electronic dictating equipment.

Mrs. Rafferty would regularly go into the operating room to take dictation from Edward Ottenheimer, M.D. He would dictate operative reports immediately after each surgical case. Other physicians went to her office and dictated case summaries and progress notes. All patient information was handled with strictest confidence.

The medical staff of the new hospital included the seventeen physicians who had previously practiced at St. Joseph Hospital. This small group of doctors attended the needs of the sick and assured the quality of patient care. As a non-departmentalized single medical staff, they elected officers, held monthly meetings, reviewed patient care, held educational sessions and made recommendations for service and equipment at their monthly meetings.

The early presidents of the medical staff were Frank E. Guild, M.D. (1933-1934), Clarence E. Simonds, M.D. (1934-1935) and J. Arthur Girouard, M.D. (1935-1940). The unfortunate deaths of both Dr. Guild and Dr. Simonds reduced the number of practicing physicians. Remaining medical staff members at that time included Ralph Gilman, M.D., Charles Girard, M.D., J. Arthur Girouard, M.D., William Hendy, M.D., Charles Jenkins, M.D., Arthur Marsh, M.D., Edward J. Ottenheimer, M.D., Brae Rafferty, M.D., Michael Riordan, M.D., Richard Shea, M.D., Fred Smith, M.D., Nathan Spector, M.D., Sidney Vernon, M.D. and Frederick Wilcox, M.D. Others were soon recruited to the area. In 1935-1936 we note the appoinunents of Edwin Basden, M.D., George Roch, M.D. and Reuben Rothblatt, M.D. to the staff' They were followed by Drs. Carter, Higgins, Lackar and McNeil, however the last three did not remain long in the Windham area.

Click here to view photo of 1933 Medical Staff.

The dental staff received privileges to practice at the hospital effective July 1, 1938. Robert Rafferty, D.M.D. was appointed to the active staff as a dental surgeon and courtesy privileges were extended to William Chase, D.D.S., Harry Fox, D.D.S. and Edward Schreiber, D.D.S.

The medical staff appointed a Library Committee in 1934 to oversee continuing education. By 1935, the medical library consisted of journals and approximately 35 volumes. Some were the gift of Mrs. Simonds, widow of Dr. Simonds, while other books were purchased by the medical staff.

Encouraged and assisted by the State Department of Health, a tumor clinic in 1936, and the Crippled Children's Clinic in 1938, were early service additions to the hospital. Both were heavily used; the Crippled Children's Clinic was the busiest in the state.

The surgical suite of the new hospital contained two modern operating rooms with sterilizing equipment, doctors' washrooms, and a nurses' workroom. The operating rooms had windows and, as one surgeon put it, "I could rest my eyes by looking out into the hills." In 1960 the original operating room was renovated to contain the Critical Care Unit and was used for thirty years until completion of the Shea Tower.

Dr. Ottenheimer was a well-known local surgeon who gained prominence for leadership within medical organizations. He is perhaps best remembered for his exceptionally high professional standards, the comfort and encouragement he gave others, and his unceasing support of Windham Hospital.

In 1933, family physicians administered anesthesia. Included among those who served in this capacity were Michael Riordan, M.D., Richard E. Shea, M.D. and Fred Smith, M.D.

Dr. Kinney, a radiologist, provided service to Windham, as well as at least five other hospitals in southeast Connecticut and Rhode Island. In the first annual report Dr. Kinney remarked, "The department is, without doubt, the most complete and efficiently laid out of any in Eastern Connecticut. The equipment is such that practically all x-ray exams and treatments can be given using up-to-date techniques. There has been one new piece of equipment added during the year, and this is a device for giving actual pelvic measurements of expectant mothers."

In the first year, 562 x-rays were completed. Technical work was done by Dora Barrett, assisted by Jean Davenport and Louella Tompkins, all part-time employees. The department consisted of one diagnostic room, an adjacent film reading area and a small dark room. Use of radium was provided by arrangements with the Collis P. Huntington Hospital of Boston.

The Laboratory, a 10 x 14 foot room, contained necessary testing equipment. The hospital employed a parttime technician who was supervised by Walter Kulp, Ph.D., a bacteriologist at the Connecticut State College (now the University of Connecticut). During the first year, the laboratory performed 3,454 tests. Requests for service increased and by 1937 the laboratory provided 24-hour service. The next year, it acquired a high speed centrifuge to improve diagnosis of more complex cases.

Known originally as the "Accident Room," the Emergency Room was a 566 square foot area with four stretchers established to serve the "traveling public"; however, local accidents and emergencies were the most frequent cases seen. The Accident Room contained no waiting area; patients and families waited on a bench in the corridor. Aside from providing emergency service, Windham Hospital maintained the only ambulance in the area. During the second year of operation, emergency room statistics recorded 281 patients seen and 110 patients, almost 40%, admitted to the hospital. Expenses totaled $9,090, but only $7,174 was received as revenue.

There were far more medical admissions than surgical cases in the early years of the hospital. Most of the physicians were general practitioners, or family doctors, who treated diseases common to the times, as well as providing medical attention to obstetric and pediatric patients.

Before 1933, most births occurred at home, with a few deliveries taking place at small local "hospitals", such as the Clark Hospital or the Mason Hospital. With the opening of Windham Community Memorial Hospital, modern facilities and care were now available.

The primary objective of the obstetrical service was and is to promote maternal and infant health. To make care more accessible, a flat maternity rate, $60.00, was established and included all hospital expenses, all registered nurse attendance and the fee of the patient's family physician. The first annual report presented in 1934 noted that 140 births had occurred at the hospital. It also proudly reported that "there were no maternal deaths". Public acceptance of the hospital as the preferred setting for childbirth increased steadily as shown by statistics from the first 6 years.

Margaret Camp, R.N., obstetrical supervisor, worked with the physicians in organizing the service. Upon her marriage in 1936, she left and was replaced by Martha Lowell, R.N. who remained with the hospital until her retirement in the late 1970's.

Dr. Ottenheimer encouraged Dr. Spector, a family physician, to seek special training in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Spector received this advanced education in Vienna and, upon his return to the Willimantic area in 1940, restricted his practice to this specialized area, becoming Windham's first Obstetrician and Gynecologist.

Efforts at providing the best in obstetrical care did not go unnoticed. In 1939, the State Department of Health accorded the service fullest recognition following a hospital inspection.

To some extent pediatrics was separated from the adult patients. A small unit was located on the third floor in a six-bed room within a medical/surgical floor. There were no pediatricians in the Windham area. Children were cared for by the family doctor, a general practitioner.

Adult patients, as well as sick children, were attended by the nursing staff throughout the wards of the hospital. Patients in these early years suffered from infectious diseases, chronic medical problems, injuries or required limited surgery. Medical and surgical patients were mixed on the same floor and often in the same room.

Hospital nursing care in 1933 was delivered by registered nurses, trained over the years by the St. Joseph Hospital nursing program. All nurses were required to be single and, as a result, resignations occurred regularly. Rules concerning dress and demeanor were rigid. Hours were long and the work was strenuous. Nurses worked a 12 hour day, had one day off each week and one three week vacation each year. The hospital provided room and board for the nurses it employed. From 1933 to 1942 space for this purpose was rented in a house located on the corner of Valley and Tingley Streets. At first only the upper floors were used, as residence was required for only 14 nurses. By 1939, as recruitment of nurses from outside the immediate area became a priority, the entire house was rented to provide pleasant facilities for additional graduate nurses.

As early as 1934, one of the first recommendations of Superintendent Sweeney was "the necessity of providing, at the earliest date, consistent with our finances, a nurses home on the hospital site." This was felt to be important to assure security of personnel, staff coverage, and recruitment of new nursing staff members.

Discussions concerning a nurses' residence on the hospital campus continued for years after the opening of the hospital, but funds were not available for this project. The problem was finally resolved when Mrs. Mason, wife of Louis Mason, M.D., left a large bequest (eventually to become $220,000) for the building and maintenance of a nurses' home.

Physical Therapy was first available at Windham Hospital on November 1, 1937. George Roch, M.D. provided medical supervision of the new service. Dorothy Flynn, R.N., later to become Mrs. Joseph Tubridy, was the first physical therapist employed by the hospital. Mrs. Tubridy trained to be a nurse and, in the last three months of her program, specialized in physical therapy. Dr. Roch invited her to Windham to help him open the new Physical Therapy department. In the early years, most of the equipment was donated. Space was provided in a large room (13 x 25 feet), located in the basement of the building's north side.

From the June, 1938 report, we read that "100 patients used the service, utilizing five modalities for 1,824 procedures." Activity in physical therapy more than doubled the following year; 291 patients received 3,585 treatments. The schedule was Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for outpatients and Tuesday and Thursday for inpatients. Under the guidance of Dr. Reynolds, the Crippled Children's Clinic met on the third Thursday of each month.

The Dietary Department, managed by Chief Dietician Dorothy Moxon, was important in the provision of good patient care. During the first year 93,006 meals were served; among those were 2,570 special diets. In 1933, raw food costs were $.40 per day per patient, increasing to $.45 the following year and remaining there until 1942. Mrs. Moxon was the hospital's chief dietician for 34 years. She remained in her position from the opening of the hospital until her retirement in 1967.

The Auxiliary to Windham Hospital was organized shortly after the opening of the new facility. Sixty women representing seven neighboring towns met at the Elk's Home in Willimantic on May 8, 1933. Attorney E. Frank Bugbee, President of the Hospital Board, opened the meeting. Mrs. John Reilly explained the duties of a hospital auxiliary as she had experienced them in connection with St. Joseph's Hospital. Enthusiasm prevailed among those attending the first meeting.

On June 16, 1933 a constitution and bylaws were adopted. The purpose of the newly formed organization was to "promote increasing interest in the welfare of Windbam Community Memorial Hospital; to make hospital supplies and to add to the comfort and entertainment of the patients therein; and to sponsor the organization of the Junior Auxiliary composed of girl students of the high school; and to govern such an organization in its activity."

To expand the work of the Auxiliary, each town in the hospital's service area was invited to furnish a working committee unit to the Auxiliary and be represented on its Board. The chairman of each unit became responsible for coordinating Auxiliary activity in their community. Units were formed in Andover, Ashford, Canterbury, Chaplin, Colchester, Columbia, Coventry, Eastford, Franklin, Hampton, Hebron, Lebanon, Mansfield, Scotland, Sprague, Willington, Windham and Wi11imantic.

The Junior Auxiliary, or "Candy Stripers," was organized in October, 1933 under the Chairmanship of Mrs. Joseph B. Riordan and had the dual purpose of serving the hospital while training future Auxiliary members. Membership grew rapidly and by 1938 it had peaked at 175 high school girls. Due to high enrollment, membership was restricted for many years to Junior and Senior high school girls.

From the start, the Auxiliary has actively supported the hospital by volunteering time and raising money for needed equipment. The first annual fund raising effort, known as Donation Days, began in October, 1933. The majority of items donated were in the form of foods, such as home grown vegetables, fruits and jellies, canned goods and groceries. Other contributions included books, magazines and flowers. Donation Days continued until the early years of World War II.

Parties, dances, trips and other events have been sponsored by Auxiliary members through the years. The Easter Monday Ball was held for the first time in 1934, along with other early popular activities including the annual card party and food sale. Unfortunately, most of these events were discontinued by 1943 due to gas shortages and other problems related to the war.

As a first gift, the Auxiliary gave $500 for the purchase of a Nasrgraf anesthetizing machine, followed by an oxygen tent, microscope and hydrotherapy unit. Aside from raising money, the Auxiliary provided other services in the early years. The hospital relied on their Cutting and Sewing Committee for bandages and baby clothes. Early volunteer activity on the patient wards was carried out by the Volunteer Committee.

Click here to view 1930s photo of Junior Volunteers.

In a report to the Board, Superintendent William Sweeney said, "To all our Auxiliary agencies i have appeared and personally expressed my hearty thanks and I reiterate without their support the burdens would increase manifold."

Due to a lack of funds, landscaping and other improvement to the grounds had been put on hold after the opening of the hospital. The effects of the Depression were being felt throughout the local communities, resulting in slow payment of pledges. With the help of the WPA, paving, walkways, drainage improvements and landscaping were finally finished by 1937 without cost except for the materials used.

The 1939 annual report called for a routine maintenance program, "to include roadway and walkway repairs and installation of a secondary water supply, made apparent by the 1938 hurricane."

Considering the extent of damage throughout the area, the hospital suffered very little from the hurricane of September, 1938. Some slate on the penthouse was blown off, all the large copper ventilators on the main building were torn away (but salvaged later) and some movable equipment on the sundecks was destroyed. The roof of the car shelter west of the main building was ripped off and some expense was involved in replacement. In all, approximately $500 damage was sustained.

However, the staff faced many trying experiences following the storm. There was no city water for ten days. On the fourth day, the hospital's mechanical department, using a booster pump, piped water from a connection down the hill. The hospital was without light and power. Due to danger of fire downtown, the gas supply was shut off, which cut off the hospital's gas-powered lighting plant. There was no elevator; patients had to be carried up and down stairs. Without power the staff was forced to resort to manual labor in washing linen and handling food trays. About 40 cases were seen in the Accident Room during the hurricane. Many others were treated in the days that followed, as clean up work progressed.

The hospital was indebted during this period to the Phillips Radio Company for the temporary use of pyrofax gas units in the kitchen, to the Minot Fryer Plumbing Company for the loan of pressure tanks and water pumps and to the telephone company, fire department and many visitors who so ably helped the hospital staff carry on during this emergency.

Response following the hurricane was an example of the interdependence between hospital and community. In the 1939 Annual Report, President Richard Dodge said: "Increasingly the people of the community are finding the hospital ever ready to render prompt and efficient service; increasingly the hospital is becoming a community enterprise which illustrates thc success of cooperative effort. Thc superintendent, the hospital staff, the professional staff, the Women's Auxiliary, the Junior Auxiliary, and hundreds of individuals are each and all serving with but one common thought - the welfare of the people who depend on the hospital for help in time of need."