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The Pediatric Clinic, which was formerly under the jurisdiction of Washington University Clinics, was moved to Children’s Hospital, to work toward care of the whole child by child-centered personnel and to eliminate duplication of medical and social histories and laboratory work on patients’ admission from clinic.
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A Toddlers Division was opened on third floor, new building, for the first time for patients ages 18 months to 3 years. It was formerly on the Infants Division.
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Free Drug Fund of St. Louis Children’s Hospital Clinics established by the Auxiliary from profits of Gift Coffee Shops.
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Adoption of a 40-hour week for employees following a survey of personnel policies.
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Mr. James W. Singe Jr. was elected seventh President, succeeding Mr. Roy D. Kercheval.
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Poison Control Center established in our Emergency Room for the safety of children.
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Psychiatric Clinic opened on the first floor.
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Children’s Hospital pioneered diagnosis of congenital heart diseases and after the acquisition of a heart-lung machine in 1958 it became one of the most active hospitals in the country in the field of pediatric open-heart surgery.
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A nurse utilization survey was done under sponsorship of the U.S. Public Health Service. Children’s Hospital was one of five local hospitals to accept this help toward better used of a scarce pool of nurses.
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Miss Alta Buzzell retired after 38 years of loyal service as secretary to Administrator, Board of Trustees and Auxiliary, and assumed a new part-time position as Parent Relations Officer, an intermediary between parents, patients and hospital staff, observing special patient needs and helping to solve unusual problems.
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A Free Drug Fund was established by gifts of the Auxiliary and the Service Bureau. Free drugs are furnished to out-patients whose parents are unable to purchase drugs.
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A Sonovision (automatic projector) has been donated by the Auxiliary to be placed in the Clinic Waiting Room lobby. It is to deal with accident prevention, showing a series of slides, pictures and titles for viewing by parents and children waiting for treatment.
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A papers system survey was made by Price Waterhouse for simplification of paper work.
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Building program completed, with addition of a new wing and renovation of the old building - with a bed capacity of 196 and partial central air conditioning.
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First operation on a child was performed with aid of the Gibbon Heart Lung Pump.
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Plans were made for a post-operative recovery room for Heart Lung Pump patients.
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The Bob Hope Golf Benefit was held, netting about $7,000. It was sponsored by the Auxiliary.
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Children’s Hospital Alumni Association was formed, with the first meeting scheduled for June 1959.
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The Auxiliary voted to provide $1,000 per year toward tuition for nurses who wish to pursue courses toward their degree in nursing.
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A new and better pension plan was adopted through Bankers Life Insurance Co.
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A color and sound motion picture was made for Children’s Hospital, financed through the Tribute Fund, entitled, “The Place to Get Well,” with the first showing in February 1959. It was filmed in our hospital and is the story of children’s experiences in the hospital. It will be used for orientation of patients, parents and personnel, to calm fears of hospitalization.
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A lounge on the first floor for convenience of the visiting doctors was furnished by the Auxiliary.
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An employees’ committee was set up where representatives of the employees can bring their problems and suggestions for discussion with administrative personnel.
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All Star Golf Benefit with Bob Hope, Phil Harris, Randolph Scott and James Arness was held at Westwood Country Club, netting $7,394.24 for the hospital.
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THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HOSPITAL WAS PUBLICIZED IN THE GLOBE DEMOCRAT NEWSPAPER.
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The hospital broadened its teaching program by accepting interns from Lutheran’s and St. Luke’s Hospitals for a one- to two-month training period.
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Three building projects were completed: quarters for research, renovation of the lecture hall and construction of a more adequate store room.
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A program was established with Jewish Hospital on rotating their interns through Children’s Hospital.
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A parent-physician public relations survey was done to determine how nearly we are meeting the needs of children and parents.
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The Hope Foundation of St. Louis Children’s Hospital was established in honor of Bob Hope, the well known and much loved comedian. Mr. Hope has been very generous to and interested in Children’s Hospital. Mr. Hope started the fund with a gift of $10,000 at a kick-off dinner. The fund is to be used for building, research, education and free care.
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Medical Center architectural plan initiated.
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An application was made by the Medical School and approved for a Clinical Research Center in Children’s Hospital to serve as an extension of the Adult Unit in Barnes Hospital. The application included cost of renovating our premature unit and south section of the Metabolism Unit into one unit for research, plus the financing of salaries and a guarantee of payment on a per diem basis, plus some extras, on 85 percent occupancy, by the National Institutes of health. This was later changed to actual occupancy.
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Jewish Hospital closed its pediatric unit and began rotating its interns through Children’s Hospital for pediatric training.
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A clinical instruction program for student nurses was initiated with five instructors, to teach students, work with them on divisions and counsel them when needed.
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A refresher course was conducted for nurses who had been out of the profession for some time. Five started the course; two completed it and came on staff, one full time and one part time.
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A Medical Center Board was set up with representation from the Medical School, Barnes, Barnard and Children’s. Each hospital is to have two trustee representatives, except Barnard, and to share the cost, with Barnard sharing one half of an institution’s cost because of the way Barnard’s funds are legally bound. The organization was named the Washington University Medical School and Associated Hospitals.
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A contract was signed by the Missouri Crippled Children’s Program with Children’s Hospital as a treatment center for this agency. Such a center has existed here for the Illinois Crippled Children’s Program for some years. The State programs pay on per diem basis for the care of those children whose care they approve, including in-patient and out-patient care.
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An outdoor play area was constructed on a second floor roof extending out on the front of the building. The area was equipped by the Auxiliary.
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A six-bed intensive care unit was constructed using a part of a large ward on the school age division. The intensive care unit’s function is to care for critically ill children needing close professional supervision. A higher ratio of nurses to patients is used in this area, with additional cost of such care billed to the parents.
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An Administrators Committee of the Medical Center was instituted to consider personnel policies, salaries, and fringe benefits.
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Student nurse affiliation with Missouri Baptist Hospital begun. Our affiliation program in addition includes Barnes, Jewish, Lutheran and St. Luke’s Hospitals.
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Washington University granted Children’s Hospital a 99-year lease at $10 per year on ground between our hospital and the nurses’ home. A building is to be erected, to be 90’ by 110’ and attached to the nurses’ residence and our present building. The ground floor will be open to enable fire equipment to get into buildings back of the new wing.
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Clinical research center opens.
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A successful public capital fund drive for $2 million was started. This money was needed to construct a new wing. The plan to convert the present fifth and sixth floors to research and to expand out-patient facilities on the ground floor. A fund raising firm was retained to assist with the campaign. The goal was based upon the total cost, less funds currently available from our Hope Foundation, bequests for building purposes, our depreciation and building accounts. This construction will quadruple our present research space. The National Institutes of Health have allotted $959,394 to help construct the research areas.
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The National Foundation Birth Defects Center was opened in St. Louis Children’s Hospital to care for children with neurological birth defects. This will include newborn children with good improvement potential. A grant from the National Foundation will provide salaries and equipment for the area plus a small amount for care.
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An evening assistant administrator position was added to the budget, since activities in the evening hours are almost as great as during the day, with less personnel coverage to facilitate emergency care, etc.
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At the request of the Board of Public Service, a community unit plan was begun for the Medical Center, as a part of the area between Forest Park Avenue and Forest Park on the south, and Kingshighway and Taylor Avenue, east and west. Such a plan was a requirement to rezone the area to hospital usage from multiple dwellings and to approve future building. Parking, fire protection and logical planning of future units is to be included in the plan. Architects were retained by the Medical Center to develop such a plan.
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Dr. Alexis F. Hartmann Sr., Physician-in-Chief of the Hospital, retired in July and died during October. Dr. Hartmann had served in this position since 1936. Dr. David Goldring was appointed Acting Physician-in-Chief pending appointment of a permanent chief.
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The Alexis F. Hartmann Sr. Educational Facilities Fund was established in honor of Dr. Hartmann before his death.
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The Trustees voted to add four empty floors to the new wing to allow for future expansion.
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Jewish Hospital announced plans to close its pediatric psychiatric unit in 1964. Children’s Hospital is interested in care of these children and in adding psychiatric care to our functions for teaching and research purposes. Because of the very costly care required by these patients, the Board felt that until a donor could be secured to cover this cost, Children’s Hospital could not attempt such care. The cost had been one contributing factor in Jewish Hospital’s decision to close its unit, as it has been in many other institutions across the country.
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A Newborn Division was established in the Medical Center as it relates to the newborn in the St. Louis Maternity Hospital. Pediatricians on Children’s Hospital’s staff were given acting appointments instead of appointments as consultants, which they had held in the past. Children’s Hospital House Staff will continue to care for the newborn in the MaternityHospital.
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Dr. Carl Moyer, Surgeon-in-Chief of the Medical Center, perfected a new treatment for burns using a weak solution of sliver nitrate to decrease infections that destroy tissue and muscle.
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A contract was signed with Forest Park Community College to provide patients and facilities for their student nurses; the college is to provide faculty. This is our first experience in two year nurse training. Until recently minimum training time was three years. This year we employed a two-year graduate from outside St. Louis who proved to be an excellent pediatric nurse.
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A new 10-story structure, later named the Spoehrer Tower, was erected. It added 70,000 square feet of laboratory and research space as well as room for out-patient clinics and examining rooms. It also provided additional classrooms, something badly needed at Children’s, which has long been a teaching hospital for doctors and nurses.
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In February the first kidney transplant at St. Louis Children’s Hospital was done on a teen-age girl. She was cared for on the Clinical Research Unit. Her care in the first few months cost approximately $14,000. She rejected the first transplant and a second was done, with both kidneys being from cadavers. Thus far the most successful transplants elsewhere have been when the kidney of an identical twin was used; the second most successful from the mother; and least successful, the cadaver kidney.
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Dr. William Danforth was elected President of Washington University Medical School and Associated Hospitals, after having been appointed Vice-Chancellor in Charge of Medical Affairs by Washington University.
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Central Institute for the Deaf was elected a member institution of Washington University Medical School and Associated Hospitals.