Charity Hospital School of Nursing - Caps and Capes Yearbook (New Orleans, LA)

Page 22 text:

History of Charity Hospital The first Charity Hospital was founded on November 16, 1735, by Jean Louis, a French sailor. It was located on the site which today cor¬ responds to the square bounded by Rampart, Basin, Peters, and Toulouse Streets and served the dual purpose of an asylum and hospital to the in¬ digent sick. Nothing is known today of the medical management. For over forty years this “Hospital des pauvres de la Gharite” served and administered to the sufferings of those intrepid travelers and adven¬ turous pioneers who sought the “Eldorado” of the new West. In 1779, the hospital was converted into ruins by a devastating hurri¬ cane which struck the city. It was not rebuilt until 1784, at which time it was reconstructed through the generous contribution of Don Almonaster y Roxas, a Spanish nobleman. It was called the “St. Charles Hospital.” On September 23, 1809, the hospital was again destroyed, this time by fire. The Jourdan Plantation on the sight of the present Industrial Canal served as temporary quarters. Conditions here were so horrible that it was said by Mr. Mather, Mayor of the city at that time, “No one, how¬ ever wretched and poor, will now consent to be committed to that hospital.” The bitter sufferings among the poor caused the Louisiana Legislature to take the matter in hand. In 1812, an act was passed by the State Legislature which may be con¬ sidered the first charter of the Charity Hospital. It placed the adminis¬ tration of the hospital in the hands of a Board of Administrators desig¬ nating who would compose the board and what their duties and responsi¬ bilities should be. This was the second legislative act mentioning the Charity Hospital, the first being passed on March 8, 1808. None of its provisions were carried out due to its destruction in 1809 by fire. In 1813, the Louisiana State Legislature appropriated the institution, and in 1814 a Charity Hospital accommodating 120 beds was built on the square bounded by Canal, Common, Dryades, and Baronne Streets. Be¬ cause of the rapid increase in population and the need for a larger institu¬ tion, the hospital was sold. In 1832, a new and larger one was built on the present site. It was a large, beautiful edifice, accommodating 140 patients, and served as a model of hospital architecture. The year 1833 was a red- letter one for it marked the advent of the Sisters of Charity into the hos¬ pital. Sixteen

Page 21 text:

Editorial Kindness When the years slip by and your memory runs back the path you have trod, you will be glad that you stopped to speak to every friend you met, and left them all with a warmer feeling in their hearts because you did so. You will be glad that you were happy when doing the small, every¬ day things of life; that you served the best you could in life’s lowly round. You will be glad that men have said all along your way, “I know that I can trust her. She is as true as steel.” You will be glad that there were some rainy days in your life. If there were no storms, the fountains would dry up; the sky would be filled with poisonous vapors; and, life would cease. You will be glad that you stopped long enough to read with care and with a prayer in your heart, some part of God’s message to those that suf¬ fered. You will be happy that you shut your ears against the evil things that men said about each other and tried the best you could to stay the arrows winged with poison. You will rejoice that you brought smiles to your friends and not sorrows. You will thrill that you have met with a hearty handshake the hard things which have come to you, never dodging them but turning them to the best possible account. Fifteen

Page 23 text:

In 1849, new additions were made to the hospital to relieve the over¬ crowded situation. By 1891, the hospital included a skin clinic, a dental clinic, and other long-requested outdoor clinics. On March 28, the long- hoped for Children’s Hospital was realized through the noble donation of Mrs. Richard Milliken. In 1894, the Charity Hospital School of Nursing was organized, and in 1901 the Hutchinson Memorial Home for Nurses was completed. In 1909, the Delgado Building, which now contains our beautiful operating rooms, was constructed. Several years later through the generous donations of the John Diberts, a much-needed Sisters’ Home was built, and, through the same benefac¬ tors, a Tubercular Division was added for the white patients. In 1927, the Lapeyre-Miltenberger Home for Convalescents arose on the spacious grounds of the hospital. This was the last of the buildings to be added to the Charity Hospital of 1832. The Main Building having served its purpose for over a century was no longer deemed safe for use under the present crowded situation, and its dilapidated condition was proven to be detrimental to the public wel¬ fare. The State of Louisiana with the assistance of the Federal Public Works Administration raised the sum of $12,588,166.00 for the construc¬ tion of a new and greater Charity Hospital, and on August 3, 1937, the first pile was driven—the beginning of a magnificent piece of work. On April 19, 1938, another eventful pile-driving took place which marked the beginning of our new Nurses’ Home which is being constructed on Clai¬ borne and Gravier Streets, opposite the Sisters’ Home. Eagerly, as the days go by, we watch these massive structures rise. Our hearts throb with pride to think that we are a part of’ this great under¬ taking. Onward always. Charity Hospital! Seventeen