A report on the state of the Duval Medical Center. Included are handwritten notes

Lowenthal, Joseph J., MD

English

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University of North Florida UNF Digital Commons Documents from the Duval Medical Center, University Hospital Collection Duval Medical Center, University Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida Collection 9-8-1969 Report: Report on Joseph J. Lowenthal Letterhead , 1969-09-08 Joseph J. Lowenthal MD Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/dmcuc  Part of the Business Commons, and the Health and Medical Administration Commons Recommended Citation Lowenthal, Joseph J. MD, "Report: Report on Joseph J. Lowenthal Letterhead , 1969-09-08" (1969). Documents from the Duval Medical Center, University Hospital Collection. 33. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/dmcuc/33 This Archival Material is brought to you for free and open access by the Duval Medical Center, University Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida Collection at UNF Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Documents from the Duval Medical Center, University Hospital Collection by an authorized administrator of UNF Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Digital Projects. © 9-8-1969 All Rights Reserved ,, JOSEPH J. LOWENTHAL, M. D. SUITE 44B, MARSHALL TAYLOR DOCTORS BUILDING B36 MIAMI ROAD JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 32207 TELEPHONE 359-0535 September 8, 1969 It is a fact that there have never been sufficient funds to run the Duval Medical Cent.er ip & ceaprable fashion to any cOlllll1UDity hospital in the Jacksonville area. A new 500 bed hospital is to be completed within the next few years which is to offer services on a par with, or superior to those of other hospitals in this area so that private patients might be attracted to come here for treatment am also where the patient's phy­sicians may wish their patients to come for treatment. If there have not been sufficient funds to run a 2 50 bed hospital inadequately, how will there be fums to run a 500 bed hospital in a necessairly more extrava­gant fashion required by giving better and more elegant service? Even at the present time more f'Un:is are needed annually because: 1) Wages have increased. 2) The cost of supplies used in the hospital have increased. J) More services are performed. 4) More sophisticated techniques require more dollars. 5) The Duval Medical Center has assumed a greater educational role.which necessitates a greater salary expendature for :f'ull-time staff. House staff salaries have also increased. If the Olval Medical Center is to supply care for private patient's on a competitive :basis with other coDIIIWlity hospitals, it must supply better nursing am better ancillary services than it does at the present time. We cannot expect Medicare or other Goverm.ent subsidized patients to help defray the expenses i:rdigent which the county is now responsible for. Nor can we expect the private patients to defray the differential in costs of Medicare patients and also to pay for iDiigent patient care which at the present time certainly is sub-starxiard. -•(2) Ir the Duval Medical Center becomes a teaching hospital, the Univer­sity of Fl.orida Medical School is certainly not going to contribute funds to it.for patient care, educational pirposes, etc. This wi1l mean then that there will be increased costs because of more :tull time staff, more expensive equipnent and techniques and more tests. We wi1l also lose some � support, at least temporarily, of many townmen who feel that our fu.11-time men at the Duval Medical Center are getting paid handsome salaries for their work, then they, the full-time men should do all of it. Many local physicians now feel that the benefit of a university affiliated teaching hospital here will offer nothing of value to them and perhaps might only offer compitition since the full-time staff wi1l also tiwt private pat­ients to some degree. Since the city county governuent bas also declared that no increase in operating funds for the Duval Medical Center will be available in the forseeable future--in fact, dollarwise the local government's contribution was decreased this year--and since other communities have already found that the charity hospital is now a social anachronism as well as a finan-flRij N ltR cial JIii ,nta., the medical staff under Dr. Taylor's leadership felt that even before ground was broken for the new Duval Medical Center, a survey should be undertaken to determine how the new institution could best be financed. Inseparably tied in with this was what the probable function and position of the new Duval Medical Center should be in: 1) Care of the imigent patient. 2) As a teaching institution in itself. in relationship to JHEP, and in its relationship to the University of Fl.orlda. 3) Its relationship to other community hospitals in its immediate .lnvirons and the city as a whole. 4) The relationship to urban re-developnent. Since it was evident that no plans bad been made for financing the c!1'8 that was to be given, an overall survey by a competent hoJpital con­sultant bad to be the essential starting point. Coupled with this, would be the involvement of colllllUnity leaders in the l)J.val Medical Center's needs, functions, benefits, etc. To accomplish this, an outstanding ad hoc committee organized. of leading comrmmity-mirded and influential citizens which was to help suppleaent and if necessary �ii, implement the consultants findings/���� �dJJJ..�, For reasons which may have seemed plausable at the time the ad hoc comm­.; ittee became a part of the hospital authority. Since this has occurred, in ...a1Fover six months period of time.Jexcept for several interviews with consul­tants who are interested. in doing the work, nothing has been accomplished., but it is very evident that by the lack of interest and impetus, the hospital authority has not seen fit to p�,j�th any survey, nor�,ilave any of its members shown any initiative to •: tn one. It is apparent that there are those present in our midst who prefer the calm of yesterday when the only concern was of a day to day existence for the hospital and perhaps tor the occasional putting together of a few bricks into a structure which one could not easiq call progress. It is because of the attitude of the hospital authority that the ad hoc committee conceived. in thoughts of progress and delivered with the enthusiasm of a revival has now disipated in number and energy to where now it is a foN lorn memory. Its destruction has been so subtle as to suggest there were ultel'­ior motives aimed at its demise. The ultimate authority for running the Dllval Medical Center, its success or failure to serve the needs of the community reside only in :Jt � authol'­ity. The medical staff has expressed its fears and its wishes to hiwe some of the problems or the immediate future must be met. We know what mst be done to protect not only the health of the piblic, but also a twenty .million dollar investment of the public. The public 111Ust have a right to know if positive action is constantly tllli :AeJ.� (J) • • ·-i -J>ここ丘誌牽 制 鞠 輔 描 申 出 生 計ト 　 　 ○ 　 　 　 ○ 　 　 　}　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　-; 室 皇 室 g m  v 圭 d 毒 圭 子声 冨 害 毒 n 毒 声 量 r .a 峯 を 蔦 亭 主 ` . 号 言 i 三 富 省 き 皐窪 害 毒 を ta - j f t y w h 毒 筆詫 彊 築 ､ 曇 葦毛 Q 畢 i 管 主 言 争 宗 喜 墓 " ( 去 声霊 五 誌 襲 短 詩 聖 霊 奉 声1享 で O u u n t r y , き ざ 七 喜詩 誌 挙 手 h史 書 萱 亭 r 書 き 喜 声 量 丁 w h 各 会 レ 牟喜 -言 霊 璽 塁 ㌍ ㌢ 斧正 h a 手 書 喜 子抄 q u . 寄 手 喜千x 　 圏毒 筆 卑 語日 毎 F 書 手 . 1霊 亀 輩 護 へ 声 喜.曲既Q虹a叫y ha軸高年ul叫鉛的菅田図四唖的f｡`s軸w甲信姐h副担祖c疎c4叫鏡藍陣痛,一読詳器蒜葦完や剛ha-喧嘩輝的池.葦葦薄雲誌圏随時踊也 血早時再硬も触撮叫O城. /姐I1同船華甲u一読ノ陣虹硬un噂重刷ul碑th圏腫I,l'--..,琵星帆硬晒紘qu直航姐thtryやy..艶

Report: Report on Joseph J. Lowenthal Letterhead , 1969-09-08

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Report: Report on Joseph J. Lowenthal Letterhead , 1969-09-08

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