CELEBRATING 100 Years: 50 Years of Caring Together – A Golden Anniversary – A Beginning
The theme of the historic 50th Anniversary Meeting of WHA held at the Pfister hotel in Milwaukee on October 15-17, 1969 was “Health Care Systems in the ‘70s:
Quo Vadis?” WHA met with the Wisconsin Hospital Association Auxiliaries, Wisconsin Association of Directors of Volunteer Services and the Wisconsin Society of Hospital Engineers.
See a photo wrap-up of the 50th Anniversary Meeting here.
A few facts about the Association and health care at the time of WHA’s Golden Anniversary:
- The purpose of WHA was to provide the highest quality health care for all Wisconsin citizens.
- WHA’s office was at 110 East Main Street in Madison, and plans were in the works to build a headquarters building on Madison’s west side at 5721 Odana Road.
- There were eight staff.
- WHA was a voluntary organization of 179 hospitals and related institutions in Wisconsin working to improve hospital services and health care delivery for Wisconsin citizens.
- WHA recognized the hospital administrator (CEO) as the hospital’s voting representative at all WHA business meetings.
- WHA activities and interests were directed by the Board of Trustees, officers, the eight hospital districts, the various WHA committees, and staff.
- WHA functioned as a state constituent of the American Hospital Association.
- WHA was represented on both the Governor’s Health Planning and Policy Task Force and the Health Policy and Program Council.
In 1970:
- 755,000 Wisconsin citizens spent some time in one of almost 36,000 beds in 195 hospitals throughout the state.
- Another 2,268,000 state residents were treated in emergency departments.
- 75,000 babies entered the world in 142 maternity departments.
- 56,600 hospital workers – almost three employees per patient – provided the 24-hour care.
- Hospital payrolls totaled $355 million for the 195 hospitals in the state, an increase of $35 million over 1969, and $215 million more than in 1962, less than a decade before.
See
“50 Years – A Beginning” – The brochure celebrating the first 50 years of WHA.
This story originally appeared in the July 02, 2020 edition of WHA Newsletter