Los Banos Rotary Club History
Dr. Wolohan Is Rotary Speaker

Dr. Jerry Wolohan, Livingston physician and president of the Merced County Medical Society gave the local Rotary Club members some surprising and enlightening facts Tuesday noon concerning conditions at the Merced General Hospital and the apparent unwillingness of the county board of supervisors to follow the suggestions of the 1950 county grand jury in establishing a lay advisory committee to administer hospital affairs.

Stating that the Medical Society had finally resorted to publicity regarding hospital conditions as the only way of informing and awakening the public as to what is happening at the hospital, Dr. Wolohan stated that the supervisors by their past actions or lack of action have clearly indicated an unwillingness to correct present inefficiencies and that determined factual publicity by interested individuals is the only way by which undesirable conditions may be changed.

He pointed out that in discussing a proposed set of by-laws for the new hospital the supervisors had promised to hold a public hearing on the matter before making any definite decision, then reversed themselves and adopted a set of rules proposed by Manager Anthony without hearing of any kind. The hearing had been sought by the Merced County Chamber of commerce, County Farm Bureau, P.T.A. and other groups.

Dr. Wolohan charged that no actual cost accounting records have been maintained at the hospital for many years, that certain favored friends of certain supervisors who were known to be financially able to pay for their own medical care were admitted to and cared for at the hospital without pay; that the $5.00 a day established for full pay patients did not match the $25 to $26 a day which the hospital manager has publicly stated was the actual per-day cost for each patient.

The difference in figures, Dr. Wolohan pointed out, is the amount that the taxpayer has to fork up for each so-called "full pay" patient.

The doctor also cited instances when actual needy persons, desperately in need of hospital care, had been turned away from the hospital because of lack of facilities when actually there were some thirty beds available in the institution at the time.

He condemned the further proposed expansion of the hospital, declaring that if the practice of accepting full pay patients was discontinued it would make available more than enough facilities to accommodate all present and future persons who are actually in need.

Dr. Wolohan also pointed out that of the 56 counties in the state, Merced county has the unenviable record of having the third highest tax rate; and that last year rate for the county hospital was greater than even for the elementary school.

He described a plan presented by the Medical Society wherein they would furnish, without cost, a highly specialized clinical service to the hospital without charge; provided hat the supervisors would approve by-laws and regulations which would insure that the institution be kept free of political favoritism and maintain adequate cost accounting records.

The doctor indicated that the legislature investigation of hospital conditions which has been asked for will very probably be conducted—by an interim committee of state legislators.

Note—The day following Dr. Wolohan's talk in Los Banos supervisorial chairman Harry Schmidt, at Merced, branded the critics of the county hospital administration as "a bunch of disgruntled bad losers from the charter movement-a small group whose views were overwhelmingly repudiated last year by the same voters who elected Ernie Griffin and Joe Toscano to new terms of office."

Board members point out that "no proof has been offered to back up any of the charges made by Dr. Wolohan or others, although we have heard endless promises in the past that such proof is forthcoming."

Supervisor J. L. Toscano said in Merced Wednesday: "I think all of us have tried our utmost to give the hospital a good administration. No doubt we have made mistakes, but no one is infallible except apparently this one small bunch. I don't object to criticism but I do object to the questioning of our motives."

June 22, 1951

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