The Washington herald., 1920-03-30
HOUSE HEAR
HOSPITALNEEDS
Committee Will Consider
Lack of Care for
Soldiers.
D. c. SITE POSSIBLE
Investigation Being Made
Into Washington Loca-
ton for Building.
D. c. SITE POSSIBLE

The House Committee on Public
Buildings and Grounds will meet to-
day to take the first steps toward
passage of a bill to provide meas
ure of relief from shortage Of hos
pital facilities for former service
men suffering from tuberculosis,
mental and nervous diseases.
Members Of the committee are
practically unanimous in favor of
some positive action by Congress in
this respect, but anticipate difficult
ties with leaders opposed to;further
appropriations for hospitals.
VIII Consider ID. c. Site.
The committee this morning will
receive the report of the subcommit-
tee on a site for such a hospital in
the District, and will probably call
upon the Secretary of the Treasury
for recommendations for specific
sites in various States.
Startling revelations as to the
inadequate facilities with which Of
ficers of the Public Health Service
are forced to contend are to be
laid before the House. Incidents
of former soldiers dying of tuber-
culosis in city hospitals, in aims
houses, and other public institu-
tions. sometimes being buried in
potters' field, are to be cited.
Many Held for Insanity.
Conditions brought to light yes
terday revealed that over half of
the former soldiers and sailors suf-
fering from durable nervous and
mental diseases, resulting from
their war experiences. are being
confined in public institutions for
the criminal insane. Reports to
this effect have been made to Of
ficers of the American Legion who
are cooperating with the Public
Health Service for favorable action
by Congress on the appropriation
of $20.000.000 for additional hos
pital facilities.
Although DIR. owen Copp. super
intendent of the Pennsylvania Hos
pital for the Insane, and other
experts. have stated that so per
cent of the former service men
could be cured with proper treat
ment. the patients are forced by
necessity to enter public institu-
tlOns where inadequate and un-
trained personnel deprives them of
the care the government owes
thCnL
Tuberculosis Needs.
a total of 12.4OO beds. it is esti-
mated, will shortly be required
to provide adequate treatment for
patients alone who
served in the army OF navy. A
grand total of 3O,660 beds, accord
ing to Public Health Service off,
cials. will be needed within the next
two years to care for the war dis
abled.
CHIEF interest in Washington is
centered in the report Of the sub
on available sites for
Public Health Service Hospital in
the District.
This committee made a thorough
inspection of the temporary hospital
which has been established at 1850
avenue.
Temporary Hospitals Examined.
The buildings and grounds were
formerly occupied by the National
School of Domestic Arts and Sci
ences: This school has since been
under the name of the
Abby School in rented quarters at
Sixteenth and Irving streets north
west.
The buildings of the National
School of Domestic Arts and Sci !
ences weie continued as a hotel |
through the fall of .191S. When the |
was signed it was then |
too late to reopen it as a school, |
and the buildings continued to be |
used for the housing of war work |
ers to June, 1919, when the gov
ernment took it over for use as a |
temporary hospital.
Insistence by some members of |
Congress on use of existing incti- !
tutioEs for care of tubercular pa
Lients among former service men is |
not feasible. according to DR.. Ed
ward r. Baldwin, vice president of |
the Trudeau Sanatorium, Saranac |
Lake, N Y