Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-10
REPORT ON CHARITY
Boards Recommendations to
Commissioners.
NEED FOR new HOSPITAL
Building on Tract Owned by the
District Is Urged.
DOWNTOWN EMERGENCY" INN
School for Feeb1e-Minded Colored
Children and Their Permanent
Segregation Is Advocated.
DOWNTOWN emergency" INN

| Immediate need for new hospital
building OH tie thirty-tive-acre tract
owned by the District on Georgia avenue.
An urgent demand for unification of
public hospital service.
Urgent need for better facilities for
the treatment OF the acutely insane.
A request for satisfactory method
| for dealing with feeble-minded colored
children. and recommendation to build
Observation-Disclosures school for them.
Recommendation for q central char
liable building downtown. to act as
Clearing house for all hospital patients
needing quick treatment.
These are the features Of the report OF
the board of charities submitted to the
Commissioners today. Among the re
quests and Recommendations are many old
and familiar ones. showing disposition
on the part OF the board to keep on
| a-hammering until the thing they ask for
is obtained. --.-------
High up in the needs of the public char
ity work, as expressed by the report. Is
the need for a school for colored feeble.
minded children. for whom a ffty-thou.
! sand-dollar school is asked. A bill has
once passed the Senate with this appro-
priation, but was held up IN the House.
Care and Segregation Asked. .
1.-The necessity of providing proper care
for feeb!e-minded children Is recognised
everywhere, and no satisfactory system
Of care except permanent segregation
from the rest Of the community has been
found. Not only does their condition de-
mand humane care. but the future well
fare OF society requires their permanent
segregation. If allowed to remain at
large. they tend to multiply their kind
and thus add to the burden OF misery and
pauperism. The public wards OF our ma
ternity hospitals furnish numerous ex-
amples Of the menace to the community
of allowing feeble-minded girls to be at
large. It seems unnecessary to repeat the
arguments in favor Of the establishment
Of the proposed school. Its need is uni
versally recognized in the community and
we urge upon Congress the immediate
enactment Of the necessary legislation"
Need for a central building, where all
sorts Of helpless, hurt. sick. inebriated
and destitute persons could be sent tenn
porarily is outlined. The building, as de-
scribed by the boards outlines of what it
would need, would have temporary provi-
sion for the care Of intoxicated persons
and ''for the emergency treatment OF the
sick and injured. It should afford tenn
porary shelter for homeless men and
womt n; for lost children, etc. In short,
everybody in distress could be furnished
temporary care without the necessity of
being in the hands Of the police. All per-
sons picked up on the street and not
charged with crime should be sent to such
a building. unless they can be sent i'm
mediately to their own homes. Such a
building or group of buildings. should be
located in the heart Of the downtown
accessible to the cases likely to need its
care. 1t would not be the purpose of
such building to afford permanent care
to any class Of persons. The various
cases :shquiA he investigated. as promptly
as possible and distributed according to
their needs. some being sent to their
homes, whether In the city or in other
communities; and others being sent to in
situations for more permanent care, when
such is required Such a building might
ception building and should serve as a
| clearing house NOR persons in distressfi'
Jail and Reform Schools.
In the estimates submitted to the Com
missioners q plan Is included for bring
ing the Jail under the management OF the
| local government, consolidating the Jail
and the Washington Asylum under one
administration. The board also asks that
the Reform School for Girls and the Ma
tional Training School for Boys Should
| be placed under the direction of the Dis
| trict government
Because the care of the INDECENT sick
is growing to be greater and greater with
each year, the board believes that a
unification Of public hospital service is
necessary, and states that the need for
l.unification in hospital service Is greater
than in any other branch OF public charity
| work.
Immediate need for a new hospital is
pointed out. and the request is made that,
an appropriation should be obtained for
additional buildings on the thirty-fve-
acre site on which the tuberculosis hoSpa-
tai is located.
The report says briefly that this hospi-
| tai would be for the use Of patients for
| whom no proper care Is now taken. Ihat
There is pressing need for such hospltai
| for ccnvaleScents Is pointed out. Ere
ruently." Saws the ve"ort. the heath and
| future earning capacity Of the patient are
| permanently impaired by improper care
| during convalescence. This involves not
| only suffering and privation for the tam
| Nv hut a future burden Of additional de-
pendents to be cared for by the public" y
Treatment for the Insane.
Better facilities for the treatment of
the acutely insane are asked for. The
report says:
eat present the only facilities provided
for this class Of patients are at the WASH
| ington Asylum in the old building former
! " used as an almshouse building. These
accommodations IRE very inadequate and
IT Is exceedingly Objectionable to have
such patients in an institution so init
mately associated with prisoners from
the Jail and workhouse. Proper buildings
for the care of this class OF patients
| should be provided In the District hos
pital site on Georgia avenue at the earli-
est possible day. The need OF proper IA.
cilities for the care OF these acute mental
cases has been keenly felt by members
~ the medical profession ana social
workers for many years. and the ex-
.,erience of the past two years at the
| Washington Asylum Hospital, since the
nsychopathic ward was opened there. has
emphasized the importance and demon