Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-29
Plan Proposed in Senator McMillan's
Bill.
TO UTILIZE One INSTITUTION
To Authorize Sale of Columbia
Hospital Site.
ADVANTAGES IN VIEW

As soon as Congress meets Senator Nc
Milan chairman of the Senate committee
on the District of Columbia, will introduce
"a bill directing the trustees of the Column
bia Hospital to dispose of their property on
Pennsylvania avenue and 18th street north
west, to turn the proceeds into the treas
ury and to purchase a new site for a mu-
nicipal hospital, for which the bill will ap-
propriate S20O.OO0
The Columbia Hospital property. esti-
mated as worth $3.50 foot, will bring S22a.
So and this will be divided between the
United States and the District of Columbia
The appropriation which will be provided
for the new municipal hospital not only
will provide for the purchase of ground
but will allow 900 to begin the construc-
ton of hospital buildings, a contract for
which, not to exceed s2OO,0Oo, will be au-
thorized.
Under Commissioners Control.
If this legislation Is adopted 1t will place
the care of the INDECENT sick in the Dis
trict of Columbia on an entirely new basis
from that which now exists and will give
a fine municipal hospital, entirely under
the control of the Commissioners, and it
will be called upon to do the work for the
District now performed by the Columbia
>,
1898 Congress appropriated S22,U1O for the
Columbia and $54OOO for Freedmen'S Hos
pital in addition to the expense incurred
in the conduct of the poor house hospital.
Last year Columbia Hospital treated
ninety-one and Freedmen's 974 patients
that were sent there by the Commission
ers.
The new municipal hospital will he pro-
vided with special facilities for the treat
ment of maternity cases, so there will be
no difficulty in having all the care given
these for such treatment which is now
provided at the Columbia Hospital.
Proposed New Plan.
This change in the manner of caring for
the indgert sick of the District is in &C
cCrdance with recommends tons made by
Drs. Hurd and Chaplin, who rendered a 5pe-
cial report to the joint congressional con-
mittee on charities in the District of Co
lumbia. This new plan for medical treat
menr of the INDECENT sick will not Interfere
in any way with the annual appropriations
made by Congress for Garfield and Prov
idence hospitals
Those Hospitals would, under the new ar
rangement, continue to care for many
emergency cases, the municipal hospital
caring for chronic cases that might require
extended treatment.
The Location.
The question of the location of this new
municipal hospital is one that Wouid De
determined, under the terms of the Dill 10
be introduced in the Senate, by The trustees
of the Columbia Hospital. with the APP
proval of the Commissioners.
1t would not necessarily be located in the
city. A site might be selected on the line
of one of the rapid transit roads and mile
or more in the country, where the hospital
buildings could be surrounded by ample
grounds Emergency cases treated in the
city when they develop into chronic cases
could be transferred to the municipal hos
pital, and in that way the city institutions
could be relieved from many cases that too
greatly tax their capacities.