Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1954 [PAGE 751]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

748

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[July 25

APPROPRIATION FOR MOVING OF UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTER AND IMPROVEMENT OF FACILITIES (15) The Director of Health Services has been making a thorough study of program and facilities of this division in Urbana-Champaign. It is desirable to make the services of the division more beneficial to both the student body and staff. To that end the Director recommends that the headquarters for the Health Services be moved from the present location in Davenport House on Wright Street to the McKinley Hospital. T h e present Health Services location is poorly suited to its purpose. At the same time, McKinley Hospital is expensive to operate in view of its low daily census average. By combining the two facilities we can assure greater efficiency and considerable economy. The large volume of service performed daily by the Health Center will guarantee a fuller utilization of the hospital building. The advantages of such a move may be summarized as follows: 1. Better physical facilities in which to work. 2. A larger and more efficient clinic for ambulatory care. 3. Referral of patients (injured or very ill) to the Hospital for admission without leaving the building. Also, X-rays, treatments, casts, etc., can be provided more readily. 4. Improvement of services in X-ray and medical therapy. 5. A better performance of mass physical examinations. 6. A reduction in the purchase of expensive equipment badly needed both at the Hospital and Health Center; the combined facility will eliminate much duplication. 7. Avoidance of duplication in personnel. There are some disadvantages, the chief one being the reduction of bed capacity by forty-four beds on the first floor of the Hospital. However, this would leave seventy beds upstairs together with ten beds for student orderlies on the third floor. In case of epidemics at least thirty to forty beds could be added for emergency expansion. During the height of the "flu" epidemic last winter our census was only n o . W e could, therefore, weather another such emergency with the beds that would be available. The cost of moving and making adjustments is estimated at $10,877. In addition the sum of $1,777 is needed for additional technical equipment, and $1,815 for office equipment, including replacements. I concur and recommend a special appropriation of $14,469 to cover moving and equipment.

With the concurrence of the other Trustees, the President of the Board referred these recommendations to the Committee on Student Welfare and Activities for consideration and report back to the Board.

APPROPRIATION AND CONTRACTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITION TO HORTICULTURE FIELD LABORATORY FOR DEPARTMENT OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY •(16) The Department of Food Technology is in critical need of additional laboratory space for class and research work. Bids have been received on a 36' x 120' one-story prefabricated steel building as an addition to the Horticulture Field Laboratory. T h e bids indicate that the addition can be constructed for $39,000. This project has been reviewed and approved by the University Building Program Committee and by the Committee on Nonrecurring Expenditures. The total estimated cost is within the maximum set by this committee. The Director of the Physical Plant and the Comptroller recommend award of the following contracts to the lowest bidders in each case: Harshbarger Building and Supply Company, Urbana — general construction $20 401 24 Square Deal Electric Company, Urbana — electrical work 4 943 00 Paul H . McWilliams, Champaign — plumbing and heating 4 151 00 I concur and recommend that an appropriation of $39,000 be made for the construction of this addition and that the Comptroller and the Secretary of the Board be authorized to execute the contracts.