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A Century of Progress (continued) Phase II, Missouri State Chest Hospital, 1971-1985 Coinciding with the decline in tuberculosis came an increase in other lung diseases, brought on by a larger population and a greater acceptance of and increase in smoking. The Missouri Sanatorium, with its emphasis on care of lung patients, was the logical place for establishing a facility for the treatment of chest diseases. In 1971, the Missouri General Assembly expanded the mission of the institution to include all types of cardiac and pulmonary problems, including emphysema, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, COPD and others. The name was changed to Missouri State Chest Hospital. Again, modern medicine shortened the length of stay needed to care for these diseases. Readmissions were reduced through the implementation of a respiratory rehabilitation program which taught patients to care for themselves at home. Patients learned to recognize problems before they developed into a crisis. The hospital was able to send patients home who would have been destined to remain in the hospital for the rest of their lives because of ventilator dependence. A significant number of patients were weaned from the ventilator, even though they had been deemed unweanable by other institutions; many had been on ventilators for a long time. In cases where weaning was not practical, families were trained in the care of their loved ones in order to go home for short periods of time or be discharged altogether. These factors, and new regulations put into effect by medicare, Medicaid and private insurances, brought about a decline in census similar to the decline experienced by other hospitals throughout the nation. In order to make use of its space, the hospital opened an outpatient clinic and an inpatient hospice program. With the continued decline in census, it was apparent the hospital was ready for a new direction. |
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