The Charity hospital board of administrators Tuesday night authorized an agreement with Loyola university to establish a new dental treatment program at the hospital.
Loyola, in co-operation with US Public Health Service, will staff and administer the program. The hospital will provide, space for the facilities and not more than $2000 per year for supplies. The board authorized John W. Bowen, vice-chairman of the board, to sign an agreement with the Very Rev. Andrew C, Smith, president of Loyola, formalizing the program.
The dental treatment program, which will begin in April, will provide great service to the indigent sick needing treatment of teeth as well as dental prosthesis, said Dr. Don L. Peterson, dental representative on the board. NEW RESIDENTS SOUGHT The board also discussed the problem of recruiting sufficient resident doctors for the pediatric service.
Dr. Richard Fowler, head of the Louisiana State university pediatric service, advised the board's medical committee that the service is assured of only one resident this summer due to in-, ability to recruit new residents. "Currently there are six residents and the service has been maintained only through the help of the Tulane pediatric service,!
which has taken over some of the admitting room and nursery responsibilities, and through the volunteer help' of the medical school staff who have taken over the complete management of ;the white pediatric wards, replacing one resident," stated the report of the medical committee.
Dr. Fowler has suggested alleviating the problem by recruiting foreign trainees. However, it is the policy of the Louisiana State board of medical examiners that foreign gradutate students of medicine are not eligible for training permits unless they have applied for U.S. citizenship.
EXAMINER POLICY RAPPED Dr. A. N. Houston, chairman of I the medical committee, hit the board of examiner's policy as being "out of line." "It is our conviction that an institution such1 as Charity hos-
pital . . . should be able to appoint foreign individuals who have graduated from approved schools to complete residency training," stated a letter to the board by Dr. Leo J. Kerne, director of Charity; Dr. M. E. Lapham, dean, Tulane school of medicine, and Dr W w frye, dean, LSU school of medicine.
The board approved a motion authorizing the medical commit-: tee to meet with the board of medical examiners to work out a program allowing qualified foreign trainees in the hospital.
In other personnel matters, Dr. Kerne reported to the board that 809 graduate nurses are now employed at the hospital. This is an increase of several dozen over last year, he noted. The board accepted the report of the finance committee stating that the low bid of the Ross Corp. for $238,384 has been accepted for the central chilled water system at the hospital. Only $220,000 was allocated for the project.
OTHER CONSTRUCTION
"Mr. Homer H. Russell has agreed to allow the hospital to use funds from the current year's budget for the additional cost of this contract, provided that we are unsuccessful in obtaining the additional funds from the state bond and building cornmission," stated the finance committee report,
In other construction projects the house committee reported that the low bid of Landis Construction Inc. for $44,300 had beer
accepted for remodeling and air-conditioning the blood donor's
station and sixth floor doctor's library,
Donald C. Oster, secretary-treasurer of Charity, reported that the job was modified to tie in with the chilled water system. The bid was lowered $4034 after these changes, he stated.
In other action the board acknowledged receipt of an unrestricted gift from the estate of George Riviere, former New Orleans banking official. The gift to the hospital totaled $90,083.52 in cash.
