Seattle Hospital Offers Care for Loggers, Miners, Mill Workers
Before state-sponsored healthcare, Dr. G.A. Weed established a private hospital in Seattle specifically to treat the frequent injuries of loggers and mill workers.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
To meet the pressing wants of many persons on Puget Sound needing medical and surgical aid, for comfortable rooms and good care at moderate prices, I have fitted up a Hospital where every convenience and comfort will be provided in connection with experienced and skillful medical and surgical attendance. We aim to make this a permanent institution and to give special attention to cases of fracture and injuries of all kinds, constantly occurring in the saw mills, coal mines, and logging camps surrounding us. Seattle being centrally located with regard to these interests, and more accessible than any other point, we mean with the aid of these new advantages, giving personal and thorough attention to its entire management, to build an institution indispensable to the sick and disabled who have no homes, and worthy of their confidence and that of the public.
“To build an institution indispensable to the sick and disabled who have no homes.”
In 1876, Dr. Weed recognized that Seattle’s burgeoning industrial economy had a human cost, offering a refuge for workers who arrived without families or support systems. Today, this mirrors the ongoing struggle to provide accessible, employer-independent healthcare for a transient and precariously employed workforce in the city.
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