Medical Society Head Sees 'Real Political Year' Ahead

              4-A Wednesday. Dec. 8, 1971 THE SHREVEPORT TIMES
Funds Needed for Center
Medical Society Head Sees
'Real Political Year' Ahead
By Margaret Martin
Times Medical Writer
Dr. William M. Allums, inter-nist
and cardiologist, who was
installed as president of the
Shreveport Medical Society last
night, predicted that 1972 will be
"a real political year" as the
group involves itself in getting
more money for improvements
at Confederate Memorial Medi-cal
Center.
In an i n t e r v i e w yesterday
a f t e r n o o n , Allums said
Confederate "needs a lot of
funds for improvement and the
medical society will do all it can
to make this available," by
going before the legislature.
"Confederate needs major
changes — such as air condi-tioning
— to keep up.
"It is behind the times," he
added.
Allums pointed out that most
of L o u i s i a n a ' s doctors are
trained at Charity Hospital in
New Orleans and Confederate"
and Confederate doesn't even
have an intensive care unit.
Every other hospital in the city
has such a, unit."
And he added, "When doctors
leave Confederate they don't
know how to use the intensive
care unit because the hospital
doesn't have one."
He predicted that the local
society will become involved
with politics on the national
scene also b e c a u s e of the
presidential election and the
looming national health insur-ance
issue.
For Improved Communications
AUums also said that he'd like
to improve communications be-tween
the local doctors and the
faculty of Louisiana State Uni-v
e r s i t y Medical School at
Shreveport, "for the benefit of
all."
Communication he said "is
the only way we can understand
each other and arrive at solu-tions
to our problems. . ."
Allums says he has no special
project, but is interested in
community health.
He said that a committee
formed by the outgoing presi-dent,
Dr. W. H. Carroll, will
continue studying community
health needs.
And he said the society is still
looking at the Cooper Road
Clinic project, which was start-ed
by Dr. Allen Herbert, a
pediatric resident at Confeder-ate
l a s t year who is now
studying on a fellowship at
Harvard College. The clinic was
started with the idea of "taking
medicine to the people," and
similar to others across the
nation.
Allums said "we have encour-aged
those in charge of the
clinic, but we have not endorsed
or undertaken the project."
He termed community health
"a real problem".
Carroll formed the committee
to study the health needs bf the
poor at the beginning of his
term last year.
At that time he said every
person "should have access to
an adequate level of quality
medical services and no person
should be made destitute by
catastrophic illness."
He told his colleagues at the
1971 banquet that the needs of
the poor vary and i n c l u d e
transportation to the physician's
office or to Confederate; baby
sitting for patients visiting the
doctor; drugs for those who
cannot afford them, and home
nursing services and care of the
aged.
Still Under Study
Carroll said yesterday that
the committee is still studying
the matter, but has met "some
obstacles because of internal
problems.
" C e r t a i n people have not
cooperated to get things done,"
he added, but did nst go into
detail.
He said that one item under
discussion is to get a night clinic
going at Confederate, but "we
have not been able to do this
because of construction."
And he emphasized that "the
project to assess community
needs was not a o n e -y e a r
project when it started."
He said that the Medical
Society began observing the
Cooper Road Clinic when it
started "but I don't know its
observations."
Taking over as president-elect
was Dr. Donald F. Overdyke
Jr., an orthopedic surgeon.
First vice president is Dr.
Donald R. Martin, while Dr.
Margaret Akin became second
vice president.
Other officers are Dr. Jack S.
Coussons, secretary; Dr. Si-meon
H. Wall, treasurer; Dr.
Clarence H. Webb, historian,
and board members, Drs. Bry-son
D. Jones, Edwin C. Simon-ton,
Jack W. Pou. Steve G.
Kirkikis, Robert P. Bays, Peter
B, Boggs and Andrew J. Mullen.
Delegates are Dr. Paul R.
Winder. 1972, and Drs. Dera'd
G. Kellett, Robert S. Hendrick,
John W. Berry and William C.
Kalmbach Jr.
A native of Ringgold, Allums
received the bachelor's degree
from Centenary College and the
medical degree, from Tulane
Medical School.
He is a DipTomate of the
American Board of Internal
Medicine and a Fellow of the
American College of Physicians.
He interned and took his
residency at Old Shreveport
Charity HosDital, and served at
the U.S. Naval H o s p i t a l ,
Charleston, S.C., from 1946 to
1948.
Dr. and Mrs. Allums, the
former Barbara Johnston of
Shreveport. have four children,
Bill, John, Betsy and Bob.
Overdyke is a former member
of the Caddo School Board.
He was educated at Tulane
"edical School, graduating in
1942.
He is a member of numerous
organizations, including the
American Association of Physi-cians
and Surgeons and the
American Medical Political Ac-tion
Committee.
He is married to the former
Annie Lloyd Clawson and they
have two sons and a daughter.
DONALD F. OVERDYKF, JR. DR. WILLIAM ALLUMS