The Washington herald., 1918-02-25
WANT $4,000
FOR DEFICIT
OF HOSPITAL
Emergency Directors Plan
Appeal to People Of Wash
ington for Funds.

To raise $4,000. which will enable
the Emergency Hospital to continue
its present work, the directors last
evening announced that they will
appeal to the Washington public
for such a fund by means of an
Emergency Hospital Maintenance
Fund Campaign. The campaign will
be conducted from March IL to IS,
inclusive.
Headquarters for the campaign
have been opened at 1922 F street.
where the preliminary work now is
being carried on under the direction
I of William Eric Fowler. general
chairman of the campaign. and Cliff
ford L. johnson. who will be cam
paign chairman.
Teams Organized.
Teams are being organized, to be
composed of leading business and
professional men of Washington.
The campaign will be launched
formally at a luncheon to workers
at the campaign headquarters at 1
o'clock, March IL.
The direction OF the campaign will
be under the executive committee.
composed of Mr.. Fowler. chairman
Mr.. johnson, campaign manager,
and Woodbury. Blair. who is presi-
dent OF the institutions board of
directors: Mrs. Thomas T. Can. Mrs.
Richard Whitney. Charles Colfax
Long. Charles Henry Butler and DR..
Harry NJ. Kaufman.
Reasons for the necessity of rails
ing this fund at this time are out
lined in a letter addressed by Wood
bury Blair, president of the board.
to the directors and the Ladies'
Auxiliary. This letter points out
that the hospital, while maintain
ing the high efficiency in every
branch of service rendered to the
citizens of Washington. is also en-
gagged in a great patriotic work and
is rendering inestimable service to
the country. 1t is a matter of fire.
quent occurrence to treat soldiers
and sailors in the emergency oper-
ating room. and when seriously in
jured to take care of them until
they can be removed to the naval
or military hospitals"
AT a meeting of the board of di-
rectOEs and ladies auxiliary, held on
Jan. II. 1918, the needs OF the insti-
tuition were carefully outlined. Owing
to the unprecedented increase in the
price of labor, coal, and commodities
of all kinds, including particularly
drugs and medicines and surgical in
struments, every hospital in the coun-
| try-even those which are richly en-
dowed-is showing an alarming deficit.
We are not encouraged to believe that
We can obtain aid from the govern
ment at the present time, and must
rely on our own efforts to meet the
present crisis.
We have increased our prices
slightly to those patients who can
afford to pay: our expenses have been
reduced to the lowest point possible
without impairing the efficiency of our
service, but there is still large de-
ficit; and to meet this, we must ap-
peal to the public. who will doubtless
respond literally when they are in
formed of the work our institution is
doing.
THE Emergency Hospital represents
the man at work, not for himself,
but working gratuiously for his fel-
lowman and his country. Our ambu-
lance responds to calls every hour
OF the day and night; and pa
tients also are brought to the hospital
daily in police ambulances. private
conveyances and otherwise. First
aid is rendered in the emergency op-
Grating room by competent surgeons
and nurses to the rich and poor alike,
and patients requiring further treat
ment are never refused admission to
the hospital on account of their in
ability to pay.
"In addition to emergency and ac-
cident cases, and patients occupying
private rooms and beds in the wards.
more than 1900 INDECENT patients have
been treated in the diSpensary during
the past year. and throughout our
high standard of efficiency has been
maintained to date
owing to the exigencies of war the
United States government is contin-
ually drawing not only on our medi-
cal staff and nurses, but also on all
classes of employees. and a demoraliz-
ing effect on the discipline, organiza-
tion and efficiency of the institution
has been averted only by payment of
largely increased wages which the in
stitution can i'll afford. though the de-
mand on the part of the employees is
not unreasonable"
Further referring to the patriotic
wartime services of the institution,
Mr.. Blair states: The hospital is CIV
ing the use of its large dispensary
waiting room and such instruments
and operating rooms as may be neces-
sary to the U. S. Medical Revision
Board without charge. Since the
declaration of war we have furnished
to the army and navy twenty-eight
well trained and experienced surgeons
from our medical staff and internes,
and other surgeons now training in
the hospital will go into service as
soon as their term at the hospital is
finished, and this system of specially
preparing surgeons for service will