Board of Directors Meeting, February 5, 1953 4
the water bond issue by having it pay off as they pay for the water. I think they have pretty concise ideas on what they want to do, and I am in favor of what Dr. Hastings says, although I have lost confidence in our Supervisors.
Dr. Hill--Do we as a Society have available a ready file on the number of beds needed, preliminary sketches, etc.?
Dr. Harry Thompson--Yes.
Dr. Hill--What is the conclusion?
Dr. Harry Thompson--The first one we worked up was based on Public Health principles, which are done low, and according to that we needed 500 beds in Tucson as of two years ago. If you go into detail, Public Health figures are dilly, as they mean any bed to put a patient in. But if you take a projected census from two years ago to date, you need 625. Now you should have 700 beds to take care of Tucson today, and if you figure five years from now, you will need 1,000 beds. The Board of Supervisors gave us $300.00 for this purpose, and we had to do it according to this plan because we are after public funds.
Dr. Hill--If this committee goes before this group and starts discussing the problem it wants a very concise form; not a garbled picture of public health, but a picture boiled down.
Dr. Harry Thompson--We are loaded.
Dr. Manning--We do not have a modern drawing. We do have the Public Health survey figures, but I think it is possible to sit down with a group of men you know and tell them why the figures you have will not fit. They may ask us o obtain $5,000.00 and get a report.
Dr. Hastings--We even talked with the Board of Supervisors through the Government Board about a County-Community Hospital Board, and though we had their sanction for some such plan. That can all be presented to this Committee. Perhaps with that sort of an idea, the Planning Committee can go ahead and make some concrete recommendations, 1. Do we give our approval for the spending of additional government funds in this? And 2. Any recommendations that come from our Society clear with the Board of Supervisors before going to any other Committee.
Dr. Beaton--Is this Tax Committee really the guiding spirit in all this? Have we done all we can?
Dr. Hill--I have talked with Goyette in times past. It has always irritated me that they are always after business. One of my patients the other day went down to make inquiries at the Chamber of Commerce and to offer his help. I put my foot down and told him that if he went down there to work he should work on one project which to us is the biggest business in Tucson. They have never had a Health Industry Committee--they never give us any consideration at all. To answer your question, I would propose that we, as the Pima County Medical Society, write a letter, not to the Committee, but to the Chamber of Commerce, stating that we feel that we represent the largest industry in Tucson taking care of the health of this community, and might even point out that this whole community was built upon health, and we feel it would be appropriate if the Chamber of Commerce would appoint a committee to study health needs, evaluate progress made, and give due consideration to the health industry in Tucson. No doctors at all, but men who can see the light of day on what health means in this community.
Dr. Harry Thompson--I think that is a good idea, but they will come right back and say that only about ten or fifteen percent of the doctors are members of the Chamber of Commerce. We have this chance now, and let us use it quickly. Let us consider this and then consider yours, but we do not want to tie it up with some committee which may not meet until a year from now.
Dr. Beaton--Is there anything else we can do to circumvent the possibility that bond issues will be provided for other purposes, and we will be out in the cold another five years?
