The State Care of the Tuberculous in Colorado through the Use of Existing Facilities

¹ Director, Division of Tuberculosis Hospitalization, Colorado State Department of Public Welfare.

Colorado has been successful in treating state cases of tuberculosis in private sanatoria or wards of general hospitals, including isolation wards, set aside for this purpose, instead of maintaining state facilities. The type of care is under close supervision with frequent conferences between the state Division of Tuberculosis Hospitalization and the staffs of the institutions. The costs of care are somewhat less than might be expected if the state maintained its own facilities. Cases are transferred for surgery to a central institution which is connected with the Colorado School of Medicine.

The advantages and disadvantages of the program are enumerated. The advantages seem to considerably outweigh the disadvantages. The results compare favorably with those obtained from the use of state sanatoria.