Looking Back: Supervisors pass resolution closing county hospitals to paying patients
Click here to read the full front page of the April 4, 1936, Paso Robles Times.
Excerpt from the Saturday, April 4, 1936, Paso Robles Times:
Only persons who are financially unable to afford hospitalization elsewhere, or who have met with an accident which necessitates immediate medical attention, will be admitted as patients at either of San Luis Obispo’s county hospitals, it was announced on Thursday.
During a special session Wednesday afternoon, the county board of supervisors passed a resolution which definitely closes both the Atascadero Hospital and the San Luis Obispo General Hospital to pay patients.
According to the resolution adopted by the board, the only persons who may be admitted to San Luis Obispo county hospitals are:
- Indigent sick or dependent poor persons; partially dependent citizens in case of emergency; narcotic addict or habitual inebriate temporarily in custody; physically handicapped persons under the age of 18 whose parents or guardians are not financially able to secure proper care or treatment;
- Tubercular patients in words who, when able to pay for treatment are required to pay; persons quarantined in the county hospitals; prisoners confined to city or county jail requiring medical or surgical treatment;
- County employees injured in the course of employment; persons in need of immediate hospitalization because of accident caused by a sudden public emergency, calamity or disaster.
Reorganization of the county hospital staffs will be completed as soon as possible, according to Norton, the chairman of the board.
Read previous Looking Back articles
- Looking Back: The day no one mentioned the city’s 57th birthday
- Looking Back: Paso Roblans in January 1919 as the Spanish Flu was winding down
- Looking Back: January 1914 storm wipes out local bridges, creates ‘a sorry wreck’
- Looking Back: Paso Robles officers share their LA riot stories
- Looking Back: How to Make Influenza Masks
This “Looking Back” view at Paso Robles history comes from one of the hundreds of local newspapers in the Paso Robles Area Historical Society collection. Several local newspapers, dating from the 1800s, have reported on local, national and world events, providing priceless historical views of our community that are not available from any other source. The Historical Society is seeking community support for the multi-phased Newspaper Preservation Project to help fund the transfer of these aged and fragile pages to microfilm and digital images.
Photography of the old newspapers is by Gigi Greene. News for this column is selected with the assistance of the society’s Vice President Nancy Tweedie and Research Director Jan Cannon.
The Paso Robles Historical Society is located in the Paso Robles History Museum at 800 12th Street in Downtown City Park. Visit the Paso Robles Historical Society website for more information about exhibits, research, becoming a member, volunteering, or donating.
The Paso Robles Daily News is pleased to support this important project. Watch this space for future “Looking Back” articles.
The museum has been closed due to COVID-19, but the society is planning a grand opening around the middle of April. In the meantime, those interested in historical research can make an appointment by visiting the website’s Research page or by calling (805) 238-4996
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