The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-12-05
Larger Staff

1T was contemplated THAI this
/ building should be located lIitc near
! the car line and at the edge Cf the
! hospital reservations. II the building
were thus erected it would enable
the hospital TO use the splendid ward
that is now being used for reaching
purposes for the purpose % honsinr,
the hospital patients. and give the
vocational training more suitable
quarters for their school work than
this ward.
1T occurs to me that it ispcrfcct-
ly feasible to permit the married
men who are living in Johnson City
and others who come to this hospital
/ and later take some training while
they are patients and after they are
discharged, to locate in Johnson City,
and come as day students to this
school This would make it possible
for the board to furnish q very much
more complete equipment larger
staff and establish n better institu-
ton to serve men both while in the
hospital and after their discharge. II
would also enable the hospital au-
thorities to inspect the men while at
work with very much less trouble
than to attempt to make the inspec.
ton while the men are off the reser-
walton
ut is my general understa nding
that the capacity of this home Is es-
timated to be 1000. In view OF the
fact that the army hospital at Oteen.
y. c., is to be given up early in Oc-
| tober. and that the public health are
to take this over. and that this is
unquestionably one of the best loca-
! tons in America for a tuberculosis
hospital, the capacity being easily
1000 to 1900. this would make two
institutions within 100 miles of eacd
other, win total bed capacity Of
. 500
my experience with these men and
my knowledge of the distribution
leads me to believe that IL will not
be possible to collect a thousand at
either Of these places. In that event
il looks to me TO be practical propo-
, sition for the Bureau of War Risk,
the Public Health Service and the
Federal boar to have a definite I'M
de rsta nding, and an outlined policy
that until at least 80 per cent of the
bed space at any institution is actu-
ally occupied with hospital patients,
such other space might be used by
the Federal board trainees. The past
few weeks has not resulted in the
best work at johnson City because o.
the disturbed conditions. and the
sooner a definite workable policy liz
established the better IL will be fo-
all services.
1T is understood that the nome
at Marion, Ind, is to be used as a
hospital for the mental cases. Some
weeks ago we received a communica-
ton from Gen. George II. Wood noti-
flying us that such was the case. and
that there would likely be no train
ing there, and that we had better re-
move the personnel that We have. He
is president OF the BOARD OF managers
Of the National Soldiers Homes We
did not rcassign our personnel but
sent communication 10 General
Wood, 10 Cholmeley-Jones, OF the war
Risk Bureau, and to Dr Franklin 81
mons, or the Society FOR Mental Hi-
gicne OF New York city. advisor on
care OF mental cases, inclosing copies
Of the proposed plan OF training tor
mental cases that has been adopted
by the board.
This plan, we believe, expresses the
advance position of mon who are best
able to advise In regard to THIS wOrl.
and VI provides that each hospital
snail BE- provided 81 ~ srsc' wh,'c
vocational framing suitable e. a.