A member of the Charity Hospital Board of Administrators charged Tuesday night that the hospital policy toward employe accruement of annual leave !s causing a serious personnel shortage in some areas.
George Van Kuren said he
had a report of such a shortage in the work force on the eighth floor of the hospital.
A. P. Richard II, the administrative assistant to hospital director Dr. Leo J. Kerne, told the board that often employes are not allowed to take vacations at a given time.
Because of this, he asserted, they are allowed to accrue an-tion time over 45 days is "lop-
ped off."
The work shortage, said Van Kuren, is caused when several employes decide to take their 45 days in overlapping periods. He said this is the situation in at least one area of the hospital.
FOOD SERVICE BIDS
In other action, the board agreed that the drug detail men who haunt the hospital are "a necessary nuisance." The drug salesmen perform an invaluable service in that they often give away substantial amounts of new drugs manufactured by their firms, the Board said.
Acting chairman of the medical committee, Dr. Gilbert C. Tomskev, noted that many drug detail men are permanently assigned by their companies to Charity,
Board vice-chairman John W. Bowen, back at his post after an illness, said courtesy extended to detail men from the drug firms would not include non-medical salesmen.
The proper committee has not yet decided on which of two bidders will receive the food service contract at the hospital. After an evaluation of the two bids, members will be polled— 'probably this week—the board jwas told. The two bids were I narrowed down from several submitted, it was reported.
CIVIL DEFENSE SURVEY
The hospital will rent the food service facilities for both Negro and white divisions. A board attorney cautioned that the contract approval would have to be made by the full board. The board then agreed to being polled on the matter.
Bowen told the board he would like to see the food service operating by or shortly after Labor Day.
The board voted to aprove a Civil Defense survey proposed by letter. Brig. Gen. Francis A. Woolfley (U.S. Army Ret.) queried the board about the advisability of such a survey. Woolfley is state director of civil defense.
It was noted that the last such survey aroused the ire of the board when survey results said 50,000 persons could be sheltered in Charity during an emergency.
In other action, the board approved a report by the personnel committee for merit raises for nurses and medical technicians who are eligible after six months of service.
2 MORE AMBULANCES
A house committee report approving a request by Sister Margaret Rose for a rotary type aerial for a color television set on the ninth floor was accepted by the board.
The board approved, in the -same report, the termination of a contract with Gamble and Associates, consulting engineers, effective Sept. 1.
A request to purchase two additional ambulances was approved.
Absent because of vacation were Dr. A. N. Houston, chairman of the medical committee, Irvin J. G. Janssen, chairman of the finance committee, and Weldon Talley, secretary-treasurer.
