Barlow Respiratory Hospital Seeks Patients Spanning the Century for Reunion
Barlow Respiratory Hospital welcomed former patients back to the hospital for a former patient reunion on Saturday, May 21, 2005. A former tuberculosis hospital, Barlow reconnected with former patients who received care at the hospital throughout its long history serving the community and already has several former patients slated to attend, spanning the century.
(PRWEB) May 21, 2005 -- Today, it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to
literally live at a hospital recuperating from an illness - for years. But for
many people around Southern California, this was the case. Their home was Barlow
Respiratory Hospital, still in operation and nestled in a park-like setting
between Elysian Park and Dodger Stadium.
This is a little known piece of
history because, for many patients, their tuberculosis diagnosis carried a
stigma. Now with an effective cure for this once dreaded disease, Barlow
Respiratory Hospital (www.barlow2000.org) welcomed former patients spanning the
century back to the hospital for a former patient reunion on May 21. Barlow
reconnected with former patients who received care at the hospital throughout
its long history serving the community.
For the first 60 years of its
operation, the hospital treated tuberculosis patients with fresh air, rest, and
sunshine. But with the development of an effective treatment for tuberculosis,
the sanatorium was no longer needed. The not-for-profit hospital then shifted
its focus towards the long-term acute care needs of current respiratory and
other related diseases, including serving as one of the premier institutions
nationwide for weaning patients from ventilators.
By comparison, Glassel
Park resident Max Krieger’s six months at Barlow in 1956 was brief, but his
memories of the hospital are vivid. After surviving the concentration camp of
Nazi Germany and then managing to escape across the border into West Germany, he
emigrated to the United States and looked forward to beginning a happier chapter
in his life. Soon he was married, and shortly thereafter he became a
father.
But hardship struck again. Holding down two jobs to support his
growing family, he became run down, providing an opportunity for the
tuberculosis to become active. His doctor felt he would get the best care at
Barlow.
“I feel the hospital was just great for me,” says the
71-year-old. “I did a lot of reading and there was a nurse who wanted to get me
into knitting.”
Locating former patients from Barlow’s distant past for
the reunion was not been easy because of the historical stigma surrounding
tuberculosis. A killer disease, tuberculosis spread through the air, so an
outbreak would often spark fear, and, in turn, promote secrecy and shame as
families tried to hide the fact that one of their loved ones had the
disease.
But in recent years many former patients have stopped by the
hospital with warm memories of the time they spent at Barlow. One of the
inspirations for the event was the recent visit to the Barlow main campus by
former patient Helen Lawrence. The Los Angeles resident, now age 97, was a
tuberculosis patient from 1928 to 1933 and met her husband while they were both
rehabilitating.
“Going to Barlow was the luckiest thing that ever
happened to me,” recalls Lawrence of those five years at Barlow secluded from
society, during which she discovered her love for reading, made lifelong friends
and met and fell in love with her husband.
“Once patients left, it was as
if they had never been to Barlow,” Helen Lawrence noted. “But I made a promise
to myself never to forget Barlow.”
Since the call for former patients
went out earlier this year, Barlow has already had the opportunity to renew some
old friendships.
“It is very inspiring to hear from and become
reacquainted with the many people whose lives were touched by Barlow,” says
Barlow Chief Executive Officer Margaret Crane. “Reconnecting with our past helps
to remind us of our long tradition of helping our community breathe
easier.”
Lucy Kapic recovered at Barlow for six years in the 1940s. When
she was admitted to Barlow in 1945, she never dreamed she would spend the next
six years of her life in the sanatorium – three of those years in the infirmary
on complete bed rest.
“I had to learn to walk again,” recalls the now
84-year-old Alhambra resident.
In time, Kapic became known as something
of a fixture around the hospital. Her long illness took a toll on her marriage,
but “I never gave up,” she says. “It was a tough time. I think it was my faith
really. I did a lot of praying.”
Although few in the U.S. ever consider
the potential threat of tuberculosis, an estimated 3 million people die annually
from the disease. According to the World Health Organization, the registered
number of new cases of TB worldwide roughly correlates with economic conditions:
the highest incidences are seen in those countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin
America with the lowest gross national products.
n Los Angeles, there
were nearly 1,000 new cases of TB reported in 2004. Los Angeles has the highest
incidence of TB in the state, according to the Los Angeles County Department of
Health Services Tuberculosis Control Division.
Barlow Respiratory
Hospital’s modern day focus serves the critically ill population, helping
patients recover from medical complications and enjoy a greater quality of
life.
If you know of a former patient that stayed at Barlow at any time
during its more than 100 years serving the Southern California community, please
let us know so we can invite them to a future reunion. Contact Rachael Payne via
e-mail at e-mail protected from spam bots or call 323.908.1406.
The only
one of its kind on the West Coast, Barlow Respiratory Hospital is known in the
medical community for successfully weaning ventilator-dependent patients when
the general health system can do no more. Celebrating more than 100 years of
service in Southern California, the specialty respiratory hospital works in
concert with nearly 100 regional hospitals to provide care for the critically
ill.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb242511.htm