The State. Text of Governor Byrnes' Talk to General Assembly

The State. Text of Governor Byrnes' Talk to General Assembly

Continued from the article of Governor Byrnes talk to the General Assembly, Byrnes states "the State hospital is Problem Number 1 for this legislation session." Byrnes presents the facts about patient to staff ratios( one doctor for every 445 patients, one nurse for 290 patients, and one attendant for 18 patients.) These employees work between 60 to 72 hours a week. "The hospital is rated as the most overcrowded mental hospital in the United States with the exception of a hospital for Negroes in Alabama." Byrnes then goes on to list "emergency problems demanding immediate action" in order of their "urgency". A new kitchen is third in line as an emergency problem, "Next in urgency is the need for improved kitchen facilities at the Columbia Division. The Kitchen was constructed in 1915 to care for 1,800 people. It now provides for approximately 3,000. The equipment is entirely inadequate. There are no facilities for serving warm food to the various ward dining rooms."

The State South Carolina Newspaper

Box 1, Series S190008 SDMH Scrapbooks-2 South Carolina Department of Archives and History

1952-01-09

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Date Digital: 2014-03-15

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