Every community in the United States with a Jewish population of 30, 000 or more — except Washington — maintains its own Jewish hospital, the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds reported today. In addition, several communities with smaller Jewish populations have their own Jewish hospitals.
Last year an estimated 500, 000 patients received care in 60 Jewish hospitals in this country, the report established. About half of the patients were Jews, although this figure varied with each community and hospital.
The Jewish hospitals, the report emphasized, continue to seek improved techniques in combating illness of all kinds. “They are improving their in-patient and out-patient departments, expanding home care programs, stimulating medical research and joining with other community agencies to help build integrated programs where needed, ” the CJFWF stated. It pointed out that care of the Jewish aged and hospital care continued an uninterrupted five-year upward trend last year.
According to the CJFWF, there has been a cumulative increase of 31 percent since 1949 in the number of beds available for the aged and the chronically ill aged; and a cumulative rise in the same period of 28 percent in the actual number of aged resident served. The increase in days care reported by hospitals under Jewish auspices, increased by 21 percent since 1949. The number of days care was 4,470,000 in 1949 and increased to 5,400,000 in 1954.
The CJFWF also reports greater receipts in Jewish agencies from fees for service and from public funds. Payments for service increased by 10 percent over 1953, while receipts from public funds showed a 7 percent rise. Fees for service in family agencies amounted to only 2.8 percent of the total receipts. Nevertheless, this figure represents a 33 percent, rise over 1953. Most agencies maintained their 1953 levels of service or even expanded them in some areas despite a dip in community fund raising results.
70 JEWISH INSTITUTIONS REPORTED CARING FOR 9, 400 AGED
Bed space for the aged showed a four percent increase in 1954, thereby continuing the overall upward trend begun in 1949. There is also mounting pressure for care of the chronically ill aged and mildly disturbed older persons. Filling vacant beds almost as fast as new facilities are completed, the number of aged estimated to be receiving care in some 70 Jewish institutions, reached a peak of 9,400 at the end of 1954, an increase of 3.4 percent over the same date of 1953, the CJFWF stated.
The number of patients treated in Jewish hospitals last year showed a rise of 7 percent. The number of days of medical care increased in the same period by five percent. One-fourth of the patients received free hospital care, a rise of four percent. These totals too were part of the overall increase begun in 1949.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
