The sun., 1919-08-06
TO HOUSE ADDICTS
ON STATEN ISLAND
Drug Users Will Be Cared For
at Sea View Hospital,
Says Copeland.
PELHAM PLAN DROPPED
City Institution Is Well
Equipped for Care Of
Narcotic Victims.
PELHAM PLAN DROPPED

The matter Of furnishing suitable hos
pitsl facilities for the treatment Of drug
addicts was disposed Of yesterday at a
closed session Of the Sinking Fund Com
mission and a special meeting Of the
Board of Estimate.
Dr.. Royal S. Copeland. Health Conn
missioner, gave out statement saying
that the proposed home for the addicts
will be at the Sea View Hospital, q
city institution, at Castleton Corners,
Staten Ieland, used now to house tuber-
culosis patients. DR.. Copeland and Bird
8. Coler. Charities Commissioner, are to
meet within the next few days to take
up this matter In detail, reporting TO
subsequent meeting Of the board.
Tho proposition to use the Sea View
Hospital for the treatment Of drug ad-
diets was one of several substitute
measures for Warwick Farm suggested
to the Mayor by DR.. Copeland, the con-
version Of the naval station at Pelham
Bay Park being included among the va
rious projects. When Mayor Hylan ex-
pressed himself as opposed to the ac-
ceptance Of the Rockefeller Hospital
building for use at Warwick Farm, DR..
Copeland planned the taking over Of
the abandoned hospital buildings at
Pelham Bay, and he was prepared 70
place his recommendations before the
Board of Estimate at the special meet
ing yesterday morning.
Has Plenty of Beds.
In a recent report to the Mayor con-
corning the use Of Sea View as a drug
farm the Health Commissioner described
the need Of beds for tubercular patients
as considerably less than in other years
and said that there are enough beos
available in the Board of Health and
Charities Department hospitals AID SAM
tariums for all these patients. AND
since Sea View has accommodations for
upward of 1000 patients he particularly
advised the use of that plant because all
the drug work could be centralized
there most advantageously.
As the Sea View Hospital comes un-
der the budget of the Charities Depart
ment and the cost of It's maintenance
Is carried by the central purchase com
mitteA there will be no need Of a special
appropriation for the drug work. as
would have been the case IL Pelham BAY
Park had been decided upon. The Dig
staten Island hospital already has
staff of physicians and nurses. To these
will be added experts from the Health
TIE partment staff, and the medical dirsc-
ton of the treatment Of the drug ad-
diets will bs entirely under the charge
| Of DR.. Robert J. Wilson, director OF the
bureau of hospitals In the Health De-
partment.
..rhe matter of the care Of addicts,
DIR. Copeland said yesterday. foilowihe
| the announcement of the boards ACTON
| has been very happily settled Inc
| generosity of Commissioner Coler gives
| the deoartment an institution admirably
| fitted and admirably suited by iocai 'on
| and surroundings as well as oy itf
| internal arrangements for the treatment
of the drug patients.
| Ho,pftaI Well Equipped.
"sea View has the finest group o.
bospital buildings in the world SIT
mated on the highest point OF slater
| Island, remote from private haotation
| II has large grounds, beautiful trees anc
a view of the sea. 1t affords opportuni
Ties for out of door exercise and lapoi
and has recreation halls. manual tralh
| ing shops and all the facilities lot tn'
physical regeneration OF these patients
| at the present time there are aoou
| 700 tubercular patients housed In TN
| building and there are a number Of new
buildings that have never been opened
| The patients now there will De dis
| tributed among other hospitals OF tn'
| Charities and Health departments Sons
cases will be sent to Otisville' N I:
| ana some to Mountain View Sanitarium.'
The buildings at Sea View. added DR.
| COPELAND, are in excellent condltloh
They will be thoroughly cleaned ant
dls,nfected, he said, before any addict
| are admitted. He expects that TN
place can be made ready to receive drui
addicts by the latter part of next week
The Navy Department will be advised
or the action making unnecessary tn
turning over to the city of the building
at Pelham Bay Park and it will b
asked to restore the station to Its orig
inal condition. This includes the razini
OF the structures erected to house tn
naval reserves trained there during tn
war. II the naval authorities show
disinclination to proceed with this worl
they will be asked to turn over to tn
CITY s65o,00o, which is the figure Josepl
p Hennessy, Park Commissioner of Tn
Bronx, estimates this work will cos'
The city will begin the work OF restora
ton at once II the Navy Department
accedes to this request. Bronx resident
had objected vigorously to having dru
users housed at Pelham.
DR.. A. A. Robert Bankowsky. Ben
iamin Kirschenstein. q druggist, an
John Dwork. a drug clerk employed b
the latter. were acquitted by a jury Il
the criminal branch Of the Federal Dis
trict Court OF the charge of traffickIn
in narcotic drugs in violation of tn
| Harrison law.