PEORIA, ILL. CONSTITUTION, By-Laws and Rules. 1883. Cottage Hospital, PEORIA, ILL. INCOEPOEATED 1883. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Wm. Reynolds, Pres’t. Max Newman, Sec’ij. Dr. R. Boal, 0. J. Bailey, Charles Qualman, B. H. Morgan, Dr. J. L. Hamilton. Dr. H. Steele, “ T. M. McIlvaine, MEDICAL STAFF. Dr. 0. B. Will, “ R. Roskotten. Ur. John Stout. LADIES ADVISORY BOARD. Mrs. Jane Gutji, “ G. A. Wilson, “ Ph. Zell, Mrs. A. G. Tyng, “ R. C. Grier, “ Henry Ullman, Mrs. M. D. Spurck. Eliot Callender, Treasurer. Du. J. L. Hamilton, Agent. Mrs. Amanda Gregg, Matron. PREAMBLE. The Cottage Hospital is an institution founded by the Peoria Hospital Association, a body incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois, for the purpose of establishing in the city of Peoria a home for the sick and injured, in which the necessary medical and surgical aid, proper nurs- ing, and whatever else may be required to restore them to a state of independent health, may be secured by those who are obliged, from misfortune of whatever nature, to avail themselves of the offerings of charity. Necessarily the resources of such an Institution are limited. There- fore, while it is intended to be essentially a charitable one, it is proposed to also extend its advantages, for a suf- ficient pecuniary consideration, to those who from whatever cause wish to avail themselves of the opportunity which it affords to secure the benefits of intelligent and educated nursing, as well as medical attention; and special at- tention is directed to the fact that no efforts will be spared to constitute it a pleasant and comfortable place of abode for any one whose means and inclination may lead them to take advantage of such an opportunity of securing all the attention and comforts of a private house, (plus com- petent nursing), without any of its responsibilities and an- noyances. And, as the provisions of the charter expressly prohibit the use of income, from whatever source, for other than purely hospital purposes, it is hoped by such admis- sions to not only render the institution self-sustaining, but to aid the management in extending its reputation and its field of usefulness. That such an institution is in demand in this city has been fully demonstrated, and in oi’der to fully accomplish its design, those who have taken the initiative invite the hearty co-operation and material aid of all public spirited and philanthropic citizens. Cottage Hospital is intended to be not the rival of, but a co-laborer with, other institutions of a similar class, in the great work of furthering the best interests of humanity. No clashing of interests is desired —none is necessary. In order, therefore, to systematically and efficiently carry out the plans and fulfill the objects thus briefly outlined, the following Constitution, By-Laws and Rules of Government have been adopted for the guidance of those connected with the institution in their several capacities. CONSTITUTION OF- The Peoria Hospital Association. Article I. The name of this Hospital shall be The Cottage Hos- pital. Article II. The object and purpose of this Hospital shall be to pro- vide for the sick, and shall offer relief to the following classes of persons; 1. Those who are worthy objects of this charity and totally unable to pay for tlieir board and nursing may be admitted in two ways: a If, upon investigation of their claims by the Agent or a committee of the Hoard of Directors, they shall be found worthy of this charity, they shall be admitted free of all charge. b They may be admitted to occupy endowed beds upon the nomination of the society or person entitled to such nomination. 2. Those whose private means are too limited to pay the full charges. Such will be admitted upon paying a mode- rate sum, proportionate to their ability to pay. v 3. Those who are able to pay for board, nursing and medical attendance. Such will not be required to be resi- dents of this city. 4. Every reputable physician of this city shall have the privilege of sending to this Hospital for board and nursing any person so desiring, (excepting contagious and infectious diseases.) Such persons will be required to pay such sums as shall be designated by the Directors, and shall be gov- erned while in the hospital by all the rules of the institu- tion. Article III. The governing power of this Hospital shall be vested in a board of seven directors, elected by the stockholders. The executive officers of this Board shall be a President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Said Board shall have the power to fill any vacancy arising in the membership thereof, until the next meeting of the stockholders, and to provide and appoint all the necessary agents, officers and committees, and to do all other necessary acts to effect the purposes of this corporation. The Directors shall be elected for one, two and three years, and shall hold their office until their successors shall be elected. Article IV. The President of the Board of Directors shall make an annual report of the condition and affairs of the Hospital, to the stockholders, at the regular yearly meeting. BY-LAWS. Section 1. The annual meeting of the stockholders of this corporation, for the election of members of the Board of Directors, shall be held on the second Tuesday of Febru- ary of each year, at such time and place as shall be desig- nated by the Directors, which place and hour of meeting shall be advertised twice in a daily paper of Peoria, one week previous to the meeting. Sec. 2. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held quarterly. Other meetings may be held at the call of the President on his own motion, and must be called at the request of four Directors. Sec. 3. All bills and orders for money must be approved by the President, and he must submit quarterly to the Board of Directors a full account of the financial and gen- eral condition of the Hospital. Sec. 4. The Treasurer must submit each month to the President an exhibit of the receipts and expenditures and supply the vouchers, and he shall submit an annual report at the yearly meeting of the stockholders. The Treasurer shall give bonds in such amount as the Board of Directors may require. Sec. 5. The Board of Directors shall annually appoint a Board of Ladies to consist of at least five members, to whom, with the President, Agent and Medical Board, shall be committed the internal management of the Hospital, subject to approval of the Board of Directors. Sec. 6. The Medical Board of this Hospital shall con- sist of five members, which number may be increased on the recommendation of the Medical Board. All these are appointed annually by the Board of Directors at an election by ballot. The members of the Medical Board, or a representative of the same, shall have the privilege of attending any meeting of the Board of Directors, but not of voting. On complaint of a majority of the Medical Board, the Directors may remove any member of the same; or on their own motion, if in their judgment the good of the Hospital demands it. The Medical Board shall have charge of the admission of patients,.appointing of nurses, and of all the sanitary and medical regulations of this Hospital. They shall have full power to regulate their time of meet- ing, division of their labor, hours of attendance, appoint- ing of consulting physicians and surgeons, and shall report at least once a year, or oftener if called upon, to the Direc- tors in regard to all the work done in their departments. Sec. 7. The Board of Directors shall annually appoint an Agent of the Board, who shall be responsible to it. The services to be rendered by such Agent shall be as follows: a The general oversight of the internal arrangements of the Hospital, in connection with the Medical Board and the Matron. b To investigate and report upon charity cases applying for admission to the Hospital. Sec. 8. The Board of Directors shall have full power to make contracts with railroad or other corporations for the reception and care of their employes, but no contract so made shall be for a longer period than one year. Sec. 9. The Constitution and By-Laws may be added to or amended at any legally called meeting by a vote of two-thirds (%) of the entire stock. Notice shall be given by the Secretary or President, three days before the meet- ing, to each stockholder in writing that such and such alter- ations or additions will be proposed. R U LES. 1. The Matron shall have the direction of all employes of the Hospital; the responsibility attached to the due prep- aration and distribution of the diet, and care of bedding, linen and furniture; the cleaning of the rooms; the building of fires; the cleanliness of the floor, windows and woodwoi’k of the wards, which shall be done as often as necessary, and the care of the house in general, and of the Hospital grounds and out-houses. 2. In supplying the patients’ table she shall conform strictly to the diet table, and in no case depart from it, without being so directed by members of the medical staff, unless donations of food can be substituted for some article or articles of the regular diet. 3. Excepting the nurses, she shall engage and discharge all servants; fix the wages of the same, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, or in the interval of their meeting, to the Board’s representative. 4. She shall receive, at the office, all patients having a proper pennit, and none others, except urgent cases which may be received without a permit. She shall take charge of the patients, personal effects, preserving an inventory of the same, supply clean clothing and assign him or her to such bed as the proper medical attendant may designate. 5. She shall conduct all correspondence relative to the patients, under the direction of the medical attendant. 6. Breakfast must be one hour alter the first bell rings, viz.: in winter at 7 o’clock, and in summer at 6:30 o’clock; MATRON. dinner at 12 o’clock; tea at 5 o’clock in winter, and 5:30 o’clock in summer. Breakfast and dinner for the attend- ants must be one hour after the patients’; tea one-lialf hour after the patients’. 7. Fires and lights must be extinguished (except such as are necessary) every evening at 8 o’clock, from October 1st until March 1st, and at 9 o’clock from March 2d to Septem- ber 30th, inclusive, in each year. 8. She shall see that the house is closed at 10 o’clock p. m., and that all employes absent after that time, except by special permission, remain out until the house be opened the following morning; but that, in all cases, the bell be answered. 9. That Monday and Thursday be the regular visiting days; but that the Matron may, at her discretion, admit visitors on other days, unless otherwise ordered by the med- ical attendants. 10. That she make an inventory of the Hospital property of her department, and report the same to the Board of Directors, at such times as the Board may direct. 11. That she lay before the Board at each monthly meet- ing an account of all money received and disbursed for cur- rent expenses, and all donations. She shall report all such occurrences in her department as may be deemed of suf- ficient importance. 12. That no money be given by the Matron for special bills. 13. The Matron shall present herself at the office of the Hospital when summoned by its officers, at any meeting for the transaction of business relating to the Hospital. 14. She shall report to the attending physician, or the proper medical officer, any and all violations of the rules for the government of the Hospital, or for the care of the patients, at his next visit. 15. She shall receive no compensation for her services except such as may be authorized by the Board of Directors. 16. In all cases requiring the presence of any member of the medical staff, she shall, without delay, transmit to him information to that effect. 17. In case of death she shall send all necessary notifi- cation. 18. The Matron shall receive and furnish necessary in- formation to all who may apply at the Hospital for admission. NURSES. 1. They shall faithfully attend the patients under their charge, carry out to the letter the directions of the attend- ing physician or surgeon, in all that pertains to the profes- sional care of the patients. They shall see that the patients conform to the Hospital regulations, report to the medical attendant any irregularity or disobedience. In all that per- tains to their own personal cleanliness, the cleanliness of the patients, the bedding, the patients clothing, the wards, ward furniture and closets, they shall, in all cases, promptly obey the directions of the Matron. 2. Any nurse who shall be negligent of or generally in- attentive to his or her duties shall be discharged. 3. They shall remove from each ward the slops, make the beds of such patients as are unable to make their own, see that all patients under their care perform their ablutions, do this for them when necessary, preparatory to the bring- ing of the breakfast to the wards, and see that the patients are ready to go to the table when the breakfast bell rings. 4. Under the direction of the Matron they shall distrib- ute the ward meals, feed such patients as are unable to feed themselves, and return to the place designated by the Matron the ward dishes as soon as the patients have eaten. 5. Between the nurses’ breakfast hour and 10 o’clock a. m. they must attend to the dressing of wounds, the mop- ping of the wood floors, and to the putting of the wards in order for the visit of the attending medical officer, whom they are always to accompany to the wards at the morning visit, and at any other time they may be called upon. 6. They shall attend punctually to, and allow nothing to interfere with, the administration of the medicine according to the direction of the medical officers, and only by special permission will patients be allowed to have medicine in their possession. 7. Nurses must invariably pass through the front door in going from or returning to the Hospital. They shall not absent themselves from the Hospital or their duties without permission from the Matron, and in no case shall nurses be absent after 10 o’clock i\ m. without express permission from the Matron. 8. Upon the admission of a patient the nurses must attend to their bathing, and in no case must they allow a bed to be occupied without at first having bathed or washed the patient and supplying him or her with clean clothing. 9. They shall see that all the patients in their respective wards change their linen and bed clothing once in a week, and as much oftener as the Matron may direct. They shall deliver soiled linen and bed clothing, accompanied with an inventory thereof, promptly to the Matron to be washed. The wards must be well ventilated day and night, and every part thereof, even to the smallest piece of furniture, must be kept absolutely clean and in good condition. 10. The nurses are directed to be vigilant in guarding against the loss or theft of any article in their wards, or the spoiling or otherwise destroying of bed clothing, etc., for all of which they shall be held accountable. 11. They shall, as soon as the medicines are distributed by the physician or Matron, carefully and punctually admin- ister them and return the bottles when empty, well washed, to the office. 12. Whenever a patient dies in a ward, the nurse having care thereof shall immediately report the same to the Matron, and deliver the clothing of the deceased to her to be washed. 13. They shall suffer no persons occupying places in their wards to absent during the night, and in case of any persons so absenting themselves, or otherwise behaving disorderly, the nurse shall report the same to the Matron. 14. They shall extinguish unnecessary fires and.lights at 8 o’clock i*. m. from October 1st to March 1st, and at 9 o’clock p. m. from March 2d to September 80tli, inclusive, in each year. 15. They shall see that neither patients nor visitors bring food or liquors to the wards, as all such articles must be delivered to the Matron, who will give them or not, according to the direction of the attending physician or surgeon. 1(5. The attending physician only shall detail patients for any special duty. 17. In case of dismissal, the nurses shall receive one week’s notice. Any nurse who, unauthorized, shall leave the Hospital without giving one week’s notice, or in that time refuses to do his or her duties, shall forfeit two weeks pay. 18. Nurses shall not visit the kitchen without special permission. PATIENTS. 1. Patients must not leave the wards unless permitted to do so by the physician. 2. Must preserve good order and neatness in their wards. 3. No smoking, loud talking, spitting on the floors or stoves will be tolerated. 4. Must not keep hats or superfluous clothing in the wards. 5. Must occupy their own beds and must not lie on the outer covering, nor in or upon the beds with their clothing or boots on. 6. Must not leave the Hospital grounds without permis- sion from the medical attendant, or, in his absence, from the Matron. 7. Must not use vulgar or obscene language in the Hospital. 8. All orders of the medical officers and Matron must be obeyed. 9. Must make all complaints to the attending physician. 10. Any patient willfully violating these regulations will be discharged. VISITORS. 1. No visitor, relative or friend shall be allowed to visit or call upon a patient or patients except on Mondays and Thui’sdays, between the hours of 2 and 4 p. m., and the same shall not be allowed to give food, dainties, liquors, articles of clothing, medicine or presents to the patients without permission from the attending physician; in his absence, from the Matron. 2. Visitors shall not make long calls at any time, nor detain patients from attending to any of their duties.