The People's Hospital
Text Source: Syracuse and Its Environs, by
Franklin H. Chase, Lewis Historical Pub. Co., Chicago, IL, 1924, pg.
495.
The
People's Hospital was located at 504 Delaware Street, with Mabel D.
Green superintendent.
Onondaga
County Medical Society, 1906-1956, The
Onondaga County Medical Society?, Syracuse? 1956, pg. 62.
The Peoples' Hospital is located at
Delaware and Sabine Streets, Syracuse, New York, and was founded in
June of 1913, principally under the leadership of the late Dr. T. L.
Deavor. The administrative obligation of running the hospital was
soon to devolve upon younger men, including Dr. Fred W. Smith, Dr.
George Hemmer, and Dr. N. W. VanLengen. As physicians then young
in the profession, we encountered all of the obvious obstacles and
difficulties of running an institution, which was not a part of the
curriculum in medical schools of our day. Fortunately, however,
the administrative problem was nowhere near the burden then that it is
now, and we can be thankful that we gained our experience in the days
of less red tape and statutory burden.
Through the persistence of our staff and the devotion of our nurses and
auxiliary, we were able to construct a substantial three-story,
fire-proof addition in 1925. This addition made it possible for
the institution to streamline many of its normal hospital activities,
as well as the house a new modern kitchen and laundry facilities.
These gains were hard won for hospitals did not have the income from
either public funds or private sources which they do today, and no
recollection of this hard-won progress can be complete without
recognition of the talent and unselfish effort of the late Mabel Green,
who, during these years of development, was our superintendent.
In 1930 Irene Smith, a diminutive and devoted perfectionist succeeded
Mabel Green and since that time, with the very able assistance of Helen
Redmond, Miss Smith has demonstrated ability and skill as our
superintendent.
During the 20's and early 30's, the hospital sponsored a complete
training school for nurses under the supervision of the superintendent
and our staff of physicians. By the mid 30's, this burden had
imposed itself too greatly on our personnel, and it was necessary to
discontinue the training school and to devote itself subsequently to
graduate nurses' aid. For an institution of our limited size,
this procedure has proved very successful.
Our limited size restricted us further in that we had to discontinue
the care of obstetrical cases because we could not afford the space for
floor isolation of this type case. Other than this, however, the
hospital engages in all general surgery and treatment.
We are fortunate that our nurses have suitable quarters across the
street from the hospital in our nurses' home, and in this respect we
are very grateful for the progressive and devoted women's auxiliary,
who are directly responsible for having made many of the extras in our
institution and in our nurses' home possible. We can never repay
them nor fully acknowledge to them our real appreciation for their
effort and loyalty through the years.
Although we are small in physical size and in staff, we are proud to be
associated with the Peoples' Hospital for we know that its
accomplishments, care, and manner of performance have been very
effective and acknowledged by many grateful patients.
Text Source: A
Short History of Hospitals in Syracuse, SUNY Upstate Medical
University: Health Services Library: Historical
Collections: http://www.upstate.edu/library/history/hospitals.shtml
People's Hospital was founded in 1913 by Tennyson L. Deavor, M.D., in a
wood frame building at the corner of Delaware and Sabine Streets.
Although always small, in the 1920s and 1930s it was successful enough
to offer a training program for nurses.
Submitted 14 March 2006 by Pamela
Priest
Updated 16 March 2006 by Pamela Priest