Board of Regents meeting minutes, 1953-1954

Page 29

10 July 3, 1953 Dr. A. Ray Olpin President University of Utah Campus Dear President Olpin - Recent developments at the Salt Lake County General Hospital affect the successful teaching program of the College of Medicine to such a degree that it is our considered opinion that. our position and program are jeopardized. Accordingly, I am writing to acquaint you of the fact and to suggest that we may need the support of you and the Board of Regents to stabilize our position. The main problem turns about a lack of administrative clarity in our position at the hospital. As you are aware, about a year ago we obtained the services of a highly competent and well trained hospital administrator, Mr. George Stone. Hospital administrators, as other administrators, must have ability, authority and responsibility. With the change of political administration at the County Hospital, Mr. Stone continued with his abilities and his responsibilities but his authority has been seriously deleted and assumed by an assistant superintendent who is untrained and gen- erally uncooperative. As a result, Mr. Stone has resigned and under the present situation we do not feel that we can honestly en- list the services ot‘ a new administrator. Therefore, we feel that there must be a clarification of the administrative situation at the Salt Lake County General Hospital. In the past it has been customary for the County Commissioner to consult with us regarding the position of Chief Nurse, Chief Pharmacist, Medical Social Worker and other such borderline posi- tions which seriously affect the program of the Medical School. Recently, there have been changes which have been made almost entirely on a political basis. We do not feel that these changes in all instances have been salutary. Another area of concern has to do with changes of personnel occasioned by political affiliation. We realize that as long as a hospital is under a political regime such changes are inevitable, But the changes coming at this time have accentuated to us the unrest and the apprehension which arise in first-rate people when political motives enter into appointments and discharges.