May 2, 1949
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Members present were: Dr. Harry E. Thompson, Dr. Edward M. Hayden, Dr. William B. Steen, Dr. Earl Brown, Dr. Harold W. Kohl, Dr. W.R. Hewitt
The meeting was called to order at 7:10 P.M.
Reading of the minutes of previous meetings was dispensed with, to save time.
Dr. Steen proposed the matter of inviting the medical officers from Davis-Monthan Airbase to the Society picnic, as suggested by Dr. Littlefield. It was decided that this matter should be turned over to the Entertainment Committee.
The subject of the new Osteopathic Hospital was discussed, with particular reference to the procedure for members of the P.C.M.S. when called upon to attend patients already in the hospital. One case was cited, when a local surgeon was called in to do an emergency appendectomy, and found a lack of facilities for surgery. It was decided that the Secretary, Dr. Steen, should draft a letter setting forth the principles and recommendations of the Society in this connection. Dr. Kohl suggested that the Secretary might call the Secretary of the Maricopa County Society, for briefing on their procedure in a similar situation recently. It was also suggested that the Secretary find out the stand of the Nurses' Registry and the Red Cross Blood Bank in regard to the Osteopathic Hospital.
A copy of the action of the meeting of the Governing Board of the Pima County General Hospital on April 26th, with special reference to the community psychiatric problem regarding patients committed to the State Hospital directly from the county jail, was read by the Secretary, the point being that the hospital facilities for such cases are available and are not being utilized. Dr. Kohl made a motion that the President of the County Medical Society appoint a committee, including one or two Psychiatrists, to confer with the Board of Supervisors and with the County Attorney on this problem, and formulate a Resolution to be presented before the Society at a letter meeting. Dr. Hewitt seconded this motion, and it was passed.
The Secretary read a proposed Resolution of the Pima County Medical Society in regard to compulsory health insurance, which was discussed and amended.
The applications of Doctors Henry G. Atha, Hiram Dee Cochran, Joseph Gertner, and Myron E. Veseth were examined, and will be placed before the regular meeting for election to membership.
Dr. Hayden stated that Mr. Donald Law, of Arizona Blue Shield, had had a proposition from the Strategic Air Forces to set up Davis-Monthan Airbase, along with certain stations in California and Texas, as an experiment under the Blue Shield plan to take care of the dependents of Army men, because, at the present time, the Army medical facilities are unable to take care of wives and children of enlisted men. It was proposed that this experiment be in the form of a blanket policy in both Blue Cross and Blue Shield, giving complete medical and surgical coverage, as well as hospitalization, but they are willing to settle for this present policy with all of the waiting periods and limitations we now have, except to increase the income limitation to $5,000.00 for combined income. The reason for this being that the enlisted men cannot afford both Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and the officers will have to pay a much higher ratio than the enlisted men for the policies, which the Airforces will collect and pay in toto as billed. There are now 4800 men at the Field, of which 772 are officers, but only the married ones would be included, and the policies would take care of only the dependents.
