Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-03
ROSP|TA[F0 WAR
WORKERS TO OPEN
COZ and 612 F Street CON-
Wandered for Influenza
Stricken.
E. A. SWEET is DETAILED

Alarm at the spread of Spanish in
workers who have recently come to
Washington, many of whom are liv-
ing three and four in a room without
anyone to care for them when ill.
with no beds available in the local
hospitals for the serious cases, and
with the menace Of communicating
the disease to those living with them,
has impelled health authorities of the
national government to establish a
hospital here for war workers.
This temporary hospital will be
opened in a week or ten days at COZ
and 612 F street. The property was
today taken over for this purpose
through the cooperation of the U. S.
housing bureau
Will Accommodate 100 Sick.
1t will accommodate 100 beds as a
start and will be particularly for the
young girls who have come to Wash
ington for war work who are i'll and
have no homes here. 1t is probable
that no permanent residents of Wash
tngton will be admitted to the hos
pital.
To this hospital will be sent the vic
tins of Spanish influenza, pneumonia
and other communicable diseases.
Surgeon E. A. Sweet of the public
health service has been detailed as
liaison officer in co-ordinating the ac-
tivities Of the War Department, the
the United States housing bureau and
the District health officers.
He has been with the public health
service for fifteen years, is experienced
in hospital organization and has pre-
viously been in charge of important
campaigns for the public health serv-
Ice. For the last six months he has
been in charge of cleaning up malarial
| conditions in the territory around
Camp Meade.
| The Red Cross will furnish nurses,
and is now employing it's purchasing
force to equip the temporary hospital.
The need for such an establishment
was first seen and urged by Maj. James
Rritton, in charge Of the War Depart
ment dispensary, where 800 to 400 cases
i are being treated daily. He has staff
: of eleven Army officers employed. Re-
pcdlSulS CdocS HdN0 Cutie TO MS dtten-
ton where young girls were i'll with
cut proper care and no bed could be
found for them in any local hospital
| One case in particular is cited A
girl, an absolute stranger in the city,
had found a room away out in the out
friends. When an officer from the War
Department dispensary visited her and
found her condition serious it was i'm
possible to fine bed for her in a hos
pital because they are all overcrowded.
Red Cross Cooperating.
! The Red Cross also was prompt to rec
ognize the need for hospital accommo-
dations, especially for the war workers,
and is cooperating to the utmost Of its
ability in the establishment of the tenn
porary hospital under public health
service administration.
The United States Housing Corpo-
ration has a hospital for war workers
as part of its general housing scheme
for the District, but this cannot be
ready for use for several months In
| the meantime the temporary hospital
at 602 and 612 F street is being fitted
| up to meet the present urgent need
until the more permanent establish
ment is ready.
The properties where the hospital
| will be located have been comman-
deered for government use and were
previously occupied for a time by the
| housing bureau.
| Congress has appropriated a million
dollars to be expended by the public
health service in efforts to control the
| influenza epidemic. Part Of this fund
will be employed in establishing the
| temporary hospital in Washington,
both as a humanitarian effort to re-
lieve the suffering among the war
workers without home care, and also
| to prevent further spread of the dis
ease by such sufferers in congested
rooming houses.