During Dr. A.E. Crane’s tenure as Surgeon-in-Chief from 1912-1916, a number of improvements were made at the Shreveport Charity Hospital. New beds and linens were purchased, a new operating room and a new delivery room were added, the kitchen and dining room were improved, and a new elevator was installed.

Private contributions from Mrs. Adah Vinson DeLay, Shreveport philanthropist, built and furnished a baby ward, which included the first baby incubator in the city. Mrs. DeLay, daughter of Shreveport mayor Richard Tucker Vinson and widow of Times editor Cyril Scott DeLay, was also responsible for placing hundreds of orphaned and abandoned children in loving homes.

In 1907 the American Red Cross began issuing Christmas Seals to raise money to fight tuberculosis. Funds from the 1913 Christmas Seal campaign were instrumental in the founding of the Pines Sanatorium on what is now Greenwood Road in Shreveport. A group of concerned citizens, led by Mrs. Meyer Benson, established a very primitive facility (actually a tent), for the treatment of tuberculosis patients. Mrs. Benson’s continued efforts led to the growth of the Pines with the construction of several buildings. In 1948, control of the Sanatorium was transferred to the Shreveport Charity Hospital with Dr. W.W. McCook as surgeon-in-charge. The Pines Sanatorium continued to treat tuberculosis patients until its closure in 1972.

The start of World War I in June 1914 signaled difficult times for the provision of medical services at Shreveport Charity Hospital. Operating expenses doubled, salaries tripled and the hospital visiting staff was greatly reduced. Although many men were called to military service, this photo from 1915 indicates that the hospital was able to employ at least five interns.