NOT ALL THE BAD GUYS ARE IN JAIL
STEEPED IN CORRUPTION
FROM THE START
A Veterans
Administration Medical Center – Northport, NY
the land purchase & occupation:
Construction1926-1927
First occupants
1928
@@@
The
Observer
The Northport VA Medical Center
May 29, 2020
Teresa Reid is curator for
the Northport Historical
Society, author of the
book Northport, and a
columnist for The Observer.
Northport VA Medical Center
Shortly after WWI, it
became apparent to Congress that the returning veterans were not able to obtain
the proper medical and psychological treatment they needed and deserved. To
rectify this situation, President Harding established the US Veterans Bureau in
1921, which assigned Public Health Service hospitals to the new agency’s
control.
Under the supervision
of Brigadier General Frank T. Hines, a committee was formed to choose a site in
the New York area for a new modern and specialized health care facility. In
1925, the committee, after scouting hundreds of locations in the tri-state area
chose the small, picturesque village of Northport.
Residents, having
learned plan to purchase 522 acres of farmland in the Middleville area, rallied
together in protest. Public hearings were held where citizens voiced their
concerns about another such hospital, like the one in King’s Park and Islip,
coming to Suffolk County. The people in attendance thought land values would
decrease, businesses would suffer, and traffic would stress the small unpaved
roads. A resolution was drawn up and sent to the NY Representatives. Two weeks
later, a delegation from Northport led by Mr. R. B. Jones, went to Washington
DC and appeared before the Federal Board of Hospitalization. Among the list of
disputes: the land was too expensive. Why had the Federal Government paid $350
an acre, double the going rate?
The property once owned by Rinaldo Sammis (hence Rinaldo Road), was then owned by Mrs. Inez Todd Hodges. Just before the land purchase though, the land became the property of rich and powerful copper industrialist Ryan [1], who had made a fortune during the war. It seems that, for reasons unknown, Mrs. Hodges was in debt to Mr. Ryan for over $100,000. They struck a deal. He would sell the land for her to pay off her debt and anything over the debt amount, would be extended to her. Ryan sold the property to the government at the inflated price, perhaps because of powerful friends doing a favor, Mrs. Hodges never saw a dime, and Northport resident’s concerns fell on deaf ears.
Construction began in August
of 1926. The plan of the Medical Center is based on the standard set plan
developed by the Veterans Bureau in Washington DC for all such facilities in
the U.S. Between 1920 and 1946, the Bureau built 50 Veterans’ hospitals across
the country, constituting the most ambitious and most advanced health care
delivery system in the world at the time.
The original Medical
Center in Northport was built for $3,386,518. The 956-bed facility offered a
campus-like setting with beautiful landscaping, out-door recreational
facilities and paved roadways. The exterior design was approved at the highest
level of the VA in Washington but reflected the historical nature of Northport
Village. Thus, the style selected, Georgian Colonial home, is unique among the
VA system.
The first patients
were admitted on April 16, 1928 with Doctor George F. Brewster as the Medical
Officer in Charge and the Center soon became a source of pride for Northport.
Patients received the
most current treatments and therapies of the time, there were no bars on the
windows, there was a swimming pool, large porches, and community dining rooms.
All the cooking was done with electricity in the large kitchen. A large
recreation room seated 1,000 patients, contained a stage, scenery, and dressing
rooms. The Center was equipped with x-ray machines, a research lab, and an
operating room. Dental care was also offered. It became its own little
community, with farms, a fire department, general store, mechanic shop and its
own baseball team, the “Wildcats.”
Patients were kept
busy with occupational and agricultural therapeutic programs, such as
carpentry, textile making, painting and farming. They ate the fresh vegetables
they grew, including potatoes. They also had “chores” taking care of gardens or
working in the stables. Chickens, pigs and sheep were raised for research
purposes. Many of these programs lasted until the 1960s.
During WWII, many
activities were curtailed due to fuel shortages, however the hospital
maintained a “Victory Garden.” Many employees joined the armed services and as
a result military personnel were assigned to fill the vacancies. One of the
enlisted men assigned to the hospital was actor Sidney Poitier. After the war
the hospital’s ecumenical chapel was built as a gift from the readers of the
New York Journal American.
In the 1950s,
Northport’s hospital was one of the first psychiatric hospitals to treat
patients with newly discovered drugs and was pioneering programs like group
therapy and community out-placement, earning them an award for its
accomplishments. After the Korean and Vietnam Wars the increasing number of
veterans forced the Medical Center to expand, providing general medical and
surgical care. Many new buildings were constructed, and the farm-setting
community atmosphere changed dramatically, however, patient care was always
their number one goal.
In the decades that
followed, the Northport Veterans Medical Center has had to continually adapt to
change as it finds itself doing once again during the Covid-19 Pandemic. On
March 27th the VA released its Covid-19 response plan and announced its “Fourth
Mission”, a plan to help the U.S. combat the virus.
Reference(s):
[1]
- John
Dennis Ryan (October 10, 1864 – February 11, 1933) was an
American industrialist and copper mining magnate. He
served as
President of
the Anaconda Copper Mining Company and was a founder
of the Montana
Power Company.
LINK: https://teresareid.com/f/the-northport-va-medical-center
United
States Third Generation Veterans Hospitals, 1946-1958
Investigation into Veterans
Administration Practices, 1945 The condition of these Veterans Administration
facilities led to a public demand that returning veterans deserved only the
best, modern facilities, and not the old-fashioned hospitals of the past. In
early 1945, Albert Deutsch, a journalist with a particular interest in the care
of the mentally ill, published a series of articles in the New York City
newspaper PM that criticized the medical care provided by the Veterans
Administration. Deutsch conducted a survey of multiple VA facilities and
interviewed VA staff including General Hines, lower-level employees, doctors,
and members of veterans’ groups. Deutsch identified multiple problems within
the Veterans Administration, including a “medieval attitude towards medicine”
that discouraged young doctors from joining the VA, limited medical research, a
massive bureaucratic system that restricted the time doctors spent with
patients, and “undue kowtowing” to political pressures. 60 While Deutsch acknowledged that the
Veterans Administration likely did not suffer from the same corruption that had
triggered the scandal that led to the Hines appointment in 1923, he condemned
the administrator’s ability to provide the necessary medical care for the
veteran population. At one point, Deutsch suggested Hines must adhere to the
tenets of Christian Science, a faith reliant on prayer over medicine for
healing, as it could be the “only logical explanation for his otherwise
incomprehensible antagonism to medicine.” Hines responded he was Episcopalian.61 Deutsch identified multiple ways to fix
these problems. Suggestions included creating a VA medical corps independent
within the Veterans Administration, constructing new hospitals in urban areas
near medical schools, forging connections with medical schools to ensure the
Veterans Administration’s doctors were aware of the latest research and medical
innovations, allowing young doctors to intern at Veterans Administration
hospitals, convincing the American Medical Association to permit the VA’s
doctors to join, hiring African-American doctors and nurses, and “break[ing]
down the isolationist tradition in the VA system.”62 These charges and calls for an
investigation were echoed in other publications, including the Journal of the
American Medical Association, Cosmopolitan magazine, and the New York Times,
which claimed “more attention has been devoted to the construction of
monumental hospital buildings than to the standards of care within them.”63 The New York Times summarized the
complaints alleged “brutal treatment, unwarranted overcrowding, neglect,
improper care, poor food, bad sanitation, and inferior medical care.”64 The Veterans Administration responded
with denials, but acknowledged there may be isolated incidents that were the
result of issues with under staffing rather than a systemic problem.
References:
60
Alfred Deutsch, “Vets’ Setup Needs Revamping Now to Avert Scandal,” PM, January
7, 1945, 6.
61
Alfred Deutsch, “Program for Vets: Remove Hines,” PM, March 14, 1945, 8.
62
Deutsch, “Vets Setup,” 6; Alfred Deutsch, “Hospitals Should be Freed from
Medical Isolationism,” PM, March 15, 1945, 5; Alfred Deutsch, “’Paper Work
Doctors’ in Vet Hospitals Should be Freed to Relieve Shortage,” PM, March 16,
1945, 9.
63
Leo Egan, “Veteran Hospitals Widely Criticized,” New York Times, May 16, 1945.
64
Leo Egan, “Veterans Critical of their Hospitals,” New York Times, May 17, 1945.
reference: United States Third Generation Veterans Hospitals, 1946-1958 (penndot.gov)
AND, ON, AND ON, AND ON………...”AD INFINITUM”.
Considering
what has happened over the past twenty years, It appears absolutely nothing has
changed: not the direction of the Hospital; not the upkeep of the buildings
& grounds; not the treatment of employees; not the management of outside
contractors; not the treatment of medical students and interns; and above all,
not the treatment of Veterans.
1] May, 2016
Northport
VA Hospital Forced to Shut Down Operating Rooms
Kristina Rebelo
{!! Guess what? It did happen, again.
Luckily their portable A/C units, which had been rented (about $30,000 per
month). This was a much shorter outage due to their previous experiences.}
2] September/2016
Deaths, Fraud Allegations and an Inquiry into the Long
Island Veterans Hospital
3] April, 2018
Schumer: Northport VA needs $15M in
emergency repairs
By Sara-Megan
Walsh
“Standing in
front of Northport Veterans Medical Center’s shuttered homeless shelter on
Monday morning, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said the center requires $15
million in emergency repairs to its heating and air-conditioning systems. Or,
it faces the possibility of closing more buildings and its operating rooms
again this summer.
4] June, 2019
Head of Long
Island VA hospital quits after year on the job
“The VA hospital has been without a
full director since Scott Guermonprez left abruptly…”
The list of all things anti-Veteran and anti-employee
is enormous. Even a long time researcher would be overwhelmed by uncovering the
scabs at the Northport VAMC over the 100 years of its existence.
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