[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 4 (Friday, January 13, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E13-E14]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF TUOLUMNE GENERAL HOSPITAL
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HON. JEFF DENHAM
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, January 13, 2012
Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge that the last
patient cared for by Tuolumne General Hospital (TGH), also known as the
Tuolumne General Medical Facility, was transferred out on November 23,
2011. With the transfer of that patient, a proud 162-year history of
service to the residents of Tuolumne County was brought to an end.
The beginning of Tuolumne General Hospital dates back to about 1849.
Plans for a public hospital began on November 7, 1849, when the
citizens of Sonora saw a need to establish a hospital for the sick and
the destitute of the county. The first facility in Tuolumne County
consisted of a canvas tent erected on the hill near the present
courthouse in 1849. In November of that year, a wooden structure with a
canvas roof was constructed to serve as a hospital at a cost of $542.
Patients occupied berths along the walls and were nursed by a male
steward who received $4 per day for his services.
A hospital was established near the Roman Catholic Church in June,
1851. Two months later, another hospital was established on Washington
Street. No permanent arrangements had been made by the City or County
for the care of indigent patients, until a law was enacted that
authorized the County Board of Supervisors to levy a special tax to
raise funds for the care of indigent persons.
In 1854, with funds raised by the special tax, the County Board of
Supervisors called for bids to provide hospital and medical services
for indigent patients. The contract was awarded to Drs. William T.
Browne and Thomas Kendall on their low bid of $25 per week, per
patient. The bid price included furnishing the hospital facility, food,
bedding, medicine, and their professional services.
In 1856, the Board of Supervisors again called for bids to provide
hospital and medical services. At that time, the state began to make
funds available to counties for indigent care with the specification
that any physicians employed were required to have medical degrees. As
a result, the call for bids specified that the contracting physician
had to be a ``graduate of a legally incorporated medical college.'' The
new two-year contract was awarded to Dr. Francis Canton, a well-
educated French physician, and his associate, Dr. Georfe Manning, a
fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The contract price
was only $9 per week per patient, but it specified that the County
would be responsible for the burial expense of unfortunate patients. In
addition, the contracting doctors were allowed to take in private
patients.
In 1861, the County Supervisors decided to purchase their own
hospital. A building was secured on the northwest corner of Lyons and
Shepherd Streets, now part of the China Town parking lot. After a
decade of use, the building was no longer suitable. In 1873, the County
purchased the old Lewis C. Gunn residence located on the west side of
South Washington Street. The building was remodeled and enlarged
substantially and made suitable for patients according to the standards
of that period. The most noted physician-in-charge was Dr. William
Eikelroth. Dr. Eikelroth installed a hand pump on the only well near
the hospital at his own expense (about $19) and then had to sue the
County to get reimbursed. By the mid-1870's, water was made available
to most parts of the hospital and facilities were installed where
patients could take either hot or cold baths and wash their clothing
and bedding.
In 1897, a new county hospital was constructed at the south end of
Sonora where the present TGH is located. Necessitated by Tuolumne
County's second gold rush during the mid-1890's, most of the hospital's
early facilities were geared for male occupants only. Females were
generally cared for in private homes, although a facility for their
care was operated on the north side of South Washington Street during a
period when the county hospital was located in the old Gunn Building.
Over the next 80 years the hospital continued to grow and in 1984, a
major modernization project was completed which included the expansion
of the Emergency Room, Radiology Department, Pharmacy, Intensive Care
Unit, Recovery Room, and several support services. The next year, TGH
started Health Promotion Programs and in 1987 the Adult Day Health Care
Center opened, the Primary Care Clinics opened, and they began a
Prenatal Program to serve the over 100 women per year that would not be
seen by the OB/Gyn physicians. Additionally, the TGH Foundation was
formed.
During the 1990's, several additional changes took place: the first
Satellite Adult Day Health Care Center in California was opened; Dr.
Eric Runte was recruited as the first full-time physician director of
the Primary Care Clinic; the hospital became affiliated with Visiting
Home Nurses & Hospice of the Sierra; and the facility opened a Rehab
Center in
[[Page E14]]
Groveland and began year-round low-cost mammography. In 1997, they
signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UC Davis Health System to
form a partnership.
On Tuesday, April 10, 2007, Tuolumne County's Board of Supervisors
voted to close Tuolumne General Hospital's acute care services, hand
off its clinics to a private operator, and phase out its psychiatric
and long-term care units over the following three years. At midnight on
June 30, 2007, Tuolumne General Hospital ceased all acute services. The
name of the hospital changed to Tuolumne General Medical Facility. On
March 4, 2008, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the
Board of Supervisors and Avalon Healthcare to transfer the 42 Long Term
Care residents to Avalon Healthcare, once they completed an addition to
their existing facility.
On January 2, 2009, the Acute Psychiatric Unit was closed. A new
Memorandum of Understanding was developed with Avalon Healthcare to
build a 90-bed addition to their existing building. In June 2010,
Avalon celebrated the ground breaking of their new addition.
In December, Avalon was contracted to oversee and manage Tuolumne
General's Dietary Department. All Tuolumne General dietary staff was
hired by Avalon, and the residents from the Long Term Care Unit were
transferred upon completion of the addition at Avalon. With that,
Tuolumne General Medical Facility closed its doors ending a 162-year
history of providing excellent healthcare in Tuolumne County.
Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring the contributions of Tuolumne
General Hospital to the community of Tuolumne County.
____________________