When one thinks of a hospital the first thing that comes to mind is illness and the type of care one receives while confined to a hospital bed. The employees of St. Joseph’s Infirmary are not only concerned with the care received by their patients but they are also vitally concerned about their community. The employees of St. Joseph’s Infirmary have for the past three years been concerned enough about the community to increase their contribution to the United Appeal by over 33%. In recognition of their past efforts for the United Appeal, St. Joseph’s Infirmary was selected as a pilot firm to lead the community into the United Appeal fund drive for 1969. Once again, the employees of St. Joseph’s Infirmary increased their contributions to the fund by over 33%. In recognition of the outstanding performance rendered by the employees of St. Joseph’s Infirmary an achievement plaque will be presented to St. Joseph’s on Friday, February 14, 1969, at the annual United Appeal Awards Luncheon. The spirit shown by the employees during the United Appeal Fund Drive once again points up their concern for Cytogenetics For Future Generations.

The Department of Cytogenetics of St. Joseph’s Infirmary was opened in 1964. Since this time cytogenetics has been used as a diagnostic aid in studying conditions, such as congenital anomalies (including abnormal sexual and somatic development), mental retardation, infertility and spontaneous abortion. Cytogenetics is becoming more and more an integral part of the daily practice of medicine.

Clinical cytogeneitcs is the study of visible chromosome aberrations which are associated with clinical human abnormalities. The test itself is the selective culture and mitotic arrest of white blood cells in metaphase to obtain human chromosomes for analysis. Slides containing genetic material are analyzed photographically and microscopically, and each case is evaluated according to the Denver Classification System, which uses eight groups including the sex chromosomes.

Some of the more common abnormal syndromes include: Down’s syndrome (or mongolism), Turner’s syndrome, Klinefelter’s syndrome, Patau’s syndrome (Trisomy-D), Edward’s syndrome (Trisomey-E), and Cri-du-chat syndrome.

Cytogenetic testing can be of significant value to the practicing physician because it may contra-indicate expensive and useless therapy and establish a framework for family counseling and further patient management.

Cytogenetics has reached the level of wide applicability after 10 years of development. This laboratory averages one analysis every 10 days and achieves successful cultures in 75% of these cases. Under the direction of Dr. John T. Godwin, qualified cytotechnologists at St. Joseph’s Infirmary participate in an intensive cytogenetic program.

It is evident that cytogenetic testing will become more important and widely used as more is learned about chromosomes, genes and inherited defects.

Continuing Education And Training

The Division of Continuing Education and Training at St. Joseph’s Infirmary, with the support and encouragement of the hospital administration, is following a new and progressive plan to offer education to all hospital personnel.

Formerly called In-service Education, the department belonged to the Department of Nursing and concentrated upon teaching nursing personnel. With its change of name in 1967 the responsibilities were broadened to include training for all departments. At that time the department was also assigned to the administration of the hospital and was given Aquinas Hall, one of the original buildings of the infirmary complex, where it has classrooms and offices.

The Division of Continuing Education and Training has a staff of four at present: a director, two instructors, and a secretary. Additional instructors are obtained from the hospital staff, Atlanta Area Tech, Georgia State College, and Emory University.

Programs offered include courses to train nursing assistants, operating room technicians, and ward clerks. Classes are scheduled at present in food service for dietary personnel, principles of management for first-line supervisors, pharmacology for medical assistants, and a coronary care course for nurses. The department also arranges for members of the various hospital departments to attend pertinent seminars, workshops, and conventions throughout the United States.

Teaching aids are provided by other departments in the hospital–the Medical Education Department and the School of Nursing—although the Division of Continuing Education and Training owns much of its own equipment for example, a teaching mannequin, hospital beds and equipment, a tape recorder, a 16 mm film projector, slide projector, and filmstrip projector. Plans are being made to purchase special monitoring and tutoring devices to be used by nurses who work in the hospital’s new coronary care unit. Also a sound filmstrip library has been started.

Laundry

We at Saint Joseph’s Infirmary are very proud of our Laundry Department. It consists of a 2 washer extractors, just recently installed with capacities of 450 pounds and 135 pounds respectively, 1 unloading washer with a capacity of 350 pounds, 16-roll Super Sylon Flatwork Ironer, 1 Multilane folder, also just recently installed, 4 tumblers, 1 Notrux extractor, and 12 apparel presses.

Coronary Care Unit

St. Joseph’s Infirmary has announced the opening of its Coronary Care Unit on February 14, 1969 for the treatment of patients suffering from heart attacks. This unit will consist of six rooms arranged around a central nurse’s area to carry on its usual function. The normal heart beat depends on its electrical stimuli and conduction and many of the deaths resulting from heart attacks are due to faulty electrical rhythms developing during the first few days. The unit will provide extensive electrical monitoring systems to detect such abnormal rhythms in their early stages, and specially qualified nursing personnel to work with the physician in the detection and correction of these early rhythm disturbances before more serious problems can occur.

The unit will be staffed by a specially trained group of nurses with the unusually high ratio of one nurse to two patients, and in addition there will be clerical personnel. The nurses are particularly trained in cardiology and the use of the electronic equipment. Emphasis also will be placed on the older, but invaluable techniques of good general patient care.

To construct and equip this unit, the hospital has spent some $180,000.00 or $30,000.00 per bed. It is anticipated that some four hundred patients per year will be admitted to this unit. The great majority of these four hundred patients would recover satisfactorily in the usual hospital room; however, it is estimated that approximately 10% or 40 each year will survive only because of the specialized methods of treatment available in the Coronary Care Unit.

A steering committee chaired by Dr. Grant Wilmer and consisting of physicians and nursing personnel, has been established to plan and direct the activities in this unit on a continuing basis.

Refresher Course For Lab Technologists

The laboratory branch of Georgia Department of Public health, assisted by federal grants, organized an 18-week refresher course in medical technology, September, 1968. Invitations for enrollment went to medical technologist who had been inactive for a number of years, and to those interested in reviewing and qualifying for active participation in the clinical laboratory. Applicants were required to be an ASCP registered medical technologists, or eligible for registration.

The response was excellent, and 15 medical technologists participated in a schedule of intensive study which covered most areas of clinical laboratory medicine. To assist in bringing these medical technologists up to date with developments in clinical laboratory procedures, many Atlanta medical experts and professors participated in the course, and an 8-week period of classes consisting of lectures, demonstrations, and field trips was completed.

The refresher program is now in its second phase. Students have been placed in six Atlanta hospital laboratories for 10 weeks of on-the-job training in laboratory procedures. St. Joseph’s Infirmary accepted four of these students. They are now working with the medical technology staff and spend specified time in different departments of the clinical laboratory. This enables this group of technologists to become proficient in the older procedures, as well as learn new techniques and procedures. It is evident that the rapid progress in medicine requires constant learning of new techniques in order to provide the best in medical care.

New Equipment Aids Transcriptionists

Speed and efficiency best describe the achievements of the three medical/surgical transcriptionists at Saint Joseph’s Infirmary. A major portion of these attributes are due to years of experience along with the determination to “get the work done.” In addition however, Saint Joseph’s Infirmary recently purchased two magnetic Tape “Selectric” Typewriters (MT/ST) form IBM Corporation. This equipment allows one to type at rough draft speed without having to slow down to make corrections. The magnetic tape can be played out automatically at 130 words per minute.

Medical reports presently being transcribed include admission notes, histories and physicals, discharge summaries and operative reports. Plans for the near future include the transcription of consultation reports.

Pharmacy

The pharmacy has added the unit dose system of medication where ever possible. The unit system aids the nurse in setting up her medicines and also aids the patient in getting refunds on unused medicines.

The unit dose system also aids in reducing the medicinal errors through pharmacy to the patient.

Admitting Office

The purpose of an admitting office is not only to admit patients but to perform services to the doctor and patient by assuring them that we are here to help them in every way possible. This is accomplished many times by answering any questions that the patient may have in regard to his hospitalization and by trying to simplify any problems that may arise.

Pre-admission forms are sent to elective admissions two to three weeks before admission along with a letter explaining our hospital policies. These forms are a questionnaire of vital information needed by the hospital in order to type a chart before the patient arrives. We have found that this system greatly facilitates admission procedure for both patient and hospital.

A large magnetic board is used for room assignments and quick reference in locating any patient in the hospital. Small magnetic card holders with the patient’s name, doctor and hospital number are used and it is possible to tell at a glance where any patient is and what beds are available for incoming patients.

Dietary

The dietary department of St. Joseph’s Infirmary is operated by Morrison Food Services, Inc. of Mobile, Alabama. An average of 39,009 meals per month were served to the patients and cafeteria customers during the past year. Approximately 57% of these meals were served to patients and the remaining 43% were served to employees and visitors eating in the cafeteria.

The patients on regular diets are given a selective menu from which they may choose their food which follows as closely as possible the same pattern and food items as the regulars. These special diet menus are written by the two full-time therapeutic dietitians who are on the staff. In addition to the therapeutic dietitians on the staff the department is headed by an accredited member of the American Dietetic Association. A good selection of food items is offered to the customers in the cafeteria. This selection, too is based on the selective menu offered to patients on regular diets.

While we feel the quality of our food and service is comparable to or excels other hospitals in the area we are constantly attempting to upgrade it. The selective menus are in the process of being revised at present and a complete new food service system comprised of new food carts and china service is to be installed in the near future.

Administrative Residency

The graduate programs generally consist of one full academic year beyond the Baccalaureate level. This year is spent in one of 23 universities in the United States which have such programs. Following this academic year the students serve an administrative residency, nine months in length, in an approved hospital.

Mr. Beaufort B. Longest is serving an administrative residency here at St. Joseph’s. Mr. Longest will complete his residency in June of 1969 after which he will be awarded a masters degree in hospital administration at Georgia State College.