CME NEEDS ITS OWN HOSPITAL IN LOS ANGELES
While addressing the Loma Linda College of Medical Evangelists’ clinical weaknesses, CME President Newton G. Evens, MD, challenged the Constituency to provide greatly improved and enlarged outpatient clinic facilities in Los Angeles. And finally, he stated that CME must have a hospital of its own in connection with and in close proximity to that clinic.
Providing balance and encouragement, Thomas J. Evans, MD, superintendent of the Loma Linda Sanitarium, reported an encouraging trend in patient admissions, which had provided significant financial benefits. “God has blessed us with a regular patronage which has been the best in the history of the institution during the summer months. This has supplied a greater financial income for our work. Previous to this time our patronage was so low and our expenses were so great that we suffered severe financial loss each summer, but at no time during this summer has our patronage [at both the sanitarium and hospital] been below 52, and it has averaged 69…. Our average this year has been something like 20 better than the year previous, for the same period of time.”
This Dr. Evans reported that the hospital had been run economically during the year and had been able to hold its own financially. He indicated that the institution had confronted many difficulties before the hospital had been completed. In addition to its improving financial status, he reported good will with the patients and that a number had benefited from evening worship services with the hospital family.
After hearing the medical superintendent’s address, John Burden, the institution’s co-founder and business manager reported statistics for the new hospital’s first 15 months. From December, 1914 to March 1915 it had served 304 patients—184 medical, 89 surgical, and 31 obstetrical. For the first 13 months of operation, ending January 1, 1915 the institution showed gains of $3,049. For the year ending June 30, 1914, the Sanitarium had served 1,025 guests, which gave it an average weekly patronage of 57.
Even though the grounds and garden were not money-making departments, they did help in a general way by furnishing fresh fruits and vegetables for guests, in addition to furnishing work to students. For the year ending June 30, 1914 the garden showed a loss of $400 and the grounds showed a loss of $2,154. Burden believed the money was well spent. “The attractiveness of ‘Hill Beautiful’ is a drawing card in bringing people here, and prolonging the stay of many a guest.”
Burden then justified the purchase of land, which had greatly increased the institution’s indebtedness. “The object in securing so large an acreage at Loma Linda was threefold. First: to keep the college and sanitarium free from objectionable outside influences. Second: to furnish healthful out door exercise and employment for students and patients. And third: to furnish fresh supplies for the sanitarium. Already we are seeing the wisdom of securing the land, and are reaping the results in all three lines. The bountiful supply of fresh fruits—oranges, lemons, grapefruit, apricots, peaches, and plums, and the rich supply of dairy products—fresh milk, cream and butter, add greatly to the reputation of the Loma Linda dietary.”
Burden lauded the bakery, store, and printing office not only for the great convenience to the institution and neighborhood, but also in aiding the institution in purchasing supplies at the lowest wholesale rates. Their profit of $3,724 for the previous six months had come again mostly from the sale of bakery goods. Burden projected a little gain for the next year if the patronage of the Sanitarium should keep up to the average of the past six months.
Although insignificant losses in operations had increased liabilities, the Committee on Plans still recommended that improvements be limited to the actual necessities to keep the business running until fuller counsel could be obtained from the full Constituency at a later meeting.
But I. H. Evans expressed alarm at the increased liabilities and moved that a committee be appointed to investigate the financial report and report to the Constituency the reasons why the liabilities increased during the year. The report showed that a growth in assets, including real estate, dairy stock, furnishings, and supplies had caused the increase. However, Evans challenged the Constituency to reduce CME’s indebtedness. His observations demonstrate that honest and sincere people had different views on how best to operate the institution. His plan, from a denominational perspective, would impose a major mid-course correction.
To be continued...