Hospital Auxiliaries - two collections are open for research

By on January 6, 2014 - 9:36am

Weill Cornell Hospital Auxiliaries

Two archival collections documenting Hospital Auxiliaries at New York Hospital (now NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center) and at the former Lying-In Hospital of the City of New York (which merged with New York Hospital in 1932 to form the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department) have been processed and are open to researchers.

Ladies' Auxiliary to the Society of the Lying-In Hospital Records, 1897-1985
The Ladies' Auxiliary to the Society of the Lying-In Hospital was formally established in 1897 to undertake work in connection with the outpatient department of the Society of the Lying-In Hospital of the City of New York. The Lying-In Hospital was "established to afford an asylum to pregnant women destitute of the means of support, and unable to procure proper medical assistance and nursing during the period of their confinement in childbed." Under the direction of the Board of Governors of the Lying-In Hospital, the Ladies' Auxiliary's work focused on raising money to provide care for low-income or destitute women discharged from the Hospital. In its annual report to the Lying-In Hospital in 1916, the Ladies' Auxiliary detailed that it had 150 members and its agents made 21,555 visits, distributed 20,123 garments, and aided 3,475 families with food or assistance in household duties. In 1916, the organization filed its first Babies' Class report. At these classes mothers were taught how to wash, feed, and clothe their babies by a trained "agent" (an early term for a social worker). Many of the mothers who participated in the Babies' Class were new immigrants to New York City, many of whom resided in tenements in Manhattan and the Bronx. The efforts of the Ladies' Auxiliary led to the establishment of the Lying-In Hospital's Social Service Department in 1932. When the Lying-In Hospital merged into New York Hospital (now NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center) forming its Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, the Ladies' Auxiliary continued its fund raising work to support the Hospital, especially in the care of mothers and babies. To further its support of medical social service relief, the Babies' Alumni Fund was established in 1934. Beyond fundraising efforts and operating the Social Service Department associated with the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department (New York Hospital also had a separate Social Service Department that served the main hospital), the organization also provided sewing classes for mothers, supplied volunteers for the Hospital, and created a circulating library for inpatients and outpatients, among other projects. In 1977, the Ladies' Auxiliary merged with the Auxiliary of the Society of the New York Hospital, becoming the organization's Lying-In Committee.

The collection is arranged in two series -
Series I: Ladies' Auxiliary to the Society of the Lying-In Hospital administrative files, 1897-1965
Series II: The Auxiliary, New York Weill Cornell Medical Center collection of Ladies' Auxiliary to the Society of the Lying-In Hospital records, 1897-1985

Included in the collection are annual reports, minutes, committee reports, Babies' Alumni reports, Treasurer's reports, subscription lists, membership lists, histories, financial records, bylaws, and a scrapbook compiled by the Ladies' Auxiliary.

Auxiliary of the Society of the New York Hospital Records, 1920-2012
The origins of the Auxiliary of the Society of the New York Hospital began in 1912 with the establishment of the Social Service Committee, an organization whose mission was to aid the work of the Social Service Department of the New York Hospital. The Social Service Committee helped to provide public assistance to those in need and provided money and advice to aid the work of Social Service Department nurses. The Committee raised funds to hire new Social Service Department staff whose work included convalescent care such as follow-up visits from nurses. Funds raised also helped to establish a playground near the Hospital for children from the Hospital's clinics, provided the means to send children on Fresh Air Outings (the Fresh Air Fund), and helped fund tuberculosis clinics and children's clinics. The Committee's work also included helping women find work when their husbands, or the primary wage-earner of their households, were unable to work due to illness. One of the Committee's early goals was to establish "day and night" nurseries for children whose mothers were hospitalized. The Committee also dispensed milk, food, and clothing to the needy. The Social Service Committee expanded its reach when it partnered with the United Hospital Fund in 1936 to work together on the Hospital's annual fund drive. As social services became more available throughout New York City, the activities of the Committee became less focused on traditional social work. During this period it established the Patients' Library, the Volunteer Service, the Hospital Gift Shop, and the Thrift Shop. In 1958, members of the Social Service Committee voted to restructure the organization and changed their name to the Auxiliary of the Society of the New York Hospital. In 1977, the Auxiliary merged with the Ladies' Auxiliary to the Society of the Lying-In Hospital. In 2000, the Auxiliary changed its name to The Auxiliary, New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. By 2003, the organization had completed over 1,000 projects during its 91 years of service, many of them fund raising projects supporting the Hospital and Medical Center and its related community.

The collection is arranged in four series -
Series I: Social Service Committee records, 1920-1957
Series II: Auxiliary of the Society of the New York Hospital records, 1958-1978
Series III: Auxiliary of the Society of the New York Hospital records, 1980-1995
Series IV: The Auxiliary, New York Weill Cornell Medical Center records, 1970-2012

Included in the collection are correspondence, annual reports, bylaws, committee files, financial records, programs, agendas, minutes, histories, audiovisual materials, and photographs. Subjects covered include fund raising, medical social work in New York City, maternal health services, and child health services.

For information about these collections, any of the other archival collections at the Medical Center Archives, our digital collections, or to schedule an appointment for research, please email us at email-archives@med.cornell.edu or phone us at 212.746.6072. We look forward to assisting you in your research.

Blog Category: Recently Processed Collections

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