More space was needed at the Carpenter Hospital, and M. J. Walsh & Sons, the original building contractor, was awarded the contract to build the addition in 1922.
In 1923, the Board of Health accepted the offer from Professor Waugh of the Massachusetts Agricultural College to supervise landscaping and beautification of the grounds. During that year, the nurses’ schedule was arranged to limit work hours to 8 hours a day.
The hospital had a list of cases it would accept for admission. One of the cases it would no longer accept was Erysipelas, a bacterial skin infection affecting the upper layers of the skin.
In 1925, Holyoke had four hospitals servicing its residents: Holyoke City Hospital, Providence Hospital, Holyoke Tuberculosis Hospital, and the Carpenter Hospital for contagious diseases. It was noted that 30 years prior, there were no hospitals or trained nurses. The 1925 death rate was 11.38 per 1,000 people, the lowest in 20 years. A major factor was the absence of an epidemic in 1925.
In 1926, the Department of Health began conversations regarding the high cost of treating a diminishing number of patients at both the 58-bed Holyoke Tuberculosis Sanitorium and the 20-bed Carpenter Hospital. The point was raised as to whether the city would be better served by transferring patients to larger county sanatoriums.
Further issues were discovered in 1928 when it was brought to attention that both facilities were lax in their recordkeeping. The hospitals were also behind in billing for services rendered. The Board of Health sought additional funds to operate the two facilities through the end of its fiscal year or risk closure.
By 1930, there was consideration of a report from Dr. Horwood of M. I. T. to convert the Carpenter Hospital for year-round care of undernourished children and those afflicted with tuberculosis.
The problem was that Holyoke City Hospital would need to expand and add wards to accommodate cases requiring patient isolation. The problems in doing so were the expense of expansion, neighborhood protests over the contagious diseases hospital’s nearby presence, and the revision of hospital regulations. Also, current funding for the Carpenter Hospital would be insufficient to cover the supervision and feeding of children, resulting in additional costs for the city.
The Board of Health recommended against proceeding with Dr. Horwood’s advice, as the changes were not currently feasible.
Momentum was mounting for the Carpenter Hospital’s closing, and more will be brought to light in the following chapter.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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