The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1921-04-21
THE STATUS OF THE
DISABLED VETERANS


| 600 veterans now in hospitals un
i der care of the United States
Public Health Service. Mer
with expert knowledge on tn,
subject estimate that there are al
least as large a number in need
of disqualification, for one reason
or another, who are receiving M
recognition for their claims. The
plight of these latter cases is ad
mittedly severe. but even those
who have been able TO get hos
pitalization do not find life bed
of roses. There are only slightly
more than half of these patients
in Government owned or operat-
ed hospitals. AT the end of 1920
the figures were as follows:
Tubercular patients, govt. hos
pitals, 4427; private hospitals,
3840.
Mental patients. govt. hospi-
tails. 3845; private hospitals, 1906.
General patients, govt. hospi-
tails, 1863; private hospitals, 3434
The patients listed above as be-
ing in private hospitals are there
of course, at government expense.
But these are private institutions
operated for gain, and there is
necessarily a margin between the
amounts paid by the government
to these hospitals for the care of
these patients, and the amount
actually expended in their be-
half. This margin depends, of
course, on the nature of the peo-
pie who own or operate the hos
pital, and yet this is really not
the worst feature of the situa-
tion. These patients are there,
under the care Of private doctors
and nurses, without any inspec-
ton on the part Of the govern
ment to determine whether they
are receiving the kind of treat
ment that the serious nature Of
their maladies require. They are
left entirely in the care of these
private individuals to care for as
their conscience sees fit.
If the government can afford
to hire private individuals to dis
charge its obligations to its vet
Grams, why can it not build or
lease these hospitals. The mar
gin taken out by the private in
stitutions would go long way
toward the payment of the over
head expense, and the patientsI
would be directly under the cGre
of government doctors and mrs
es, who can see whether they areI
getting proper treatment or not.
There is less excuse for this
state Of things when we discover!
that as early as October 1919 al
careful estimate was made to dis
cover the number of beds that
would be necessary during the
next year for ex-service patients.
The number was approximately |
$4,000. 1t was recommended
that 3O,66O beds be provined, z, POOL
for general medical cases, IL, ,O60I
for mental and 10000 for tuber-
In July, 1920, the director of
the Bureau of War Risk Insur-
ance, who had assumed nominal
control of this hospital program,
announced that "there have been
made available 14,000 beds in
army and navy hospitals and ma
tional homes for disabled volun-
teer soldiers, in ambition to 15,-
900 beds in public health service
hospitals, many of these beds be-
ing ready for immediate SER
vice." In August of the same
year, with the actual number Of
patients at 10000, the 14,000
army and navy beds had mater
ialized into 1,343, and the public
health service beds had material
zed into 8,070, actually occupied.
What is the cause Of this colos-
sal collapse of program one
would hardly dare to guess, but
he actual situation is there,
staring us in the face. Let us
lot turn our backs to it.
There is a small silver liningl
o the cloud in the fact that there
ire 1858 new public health SER
ice heds in prospect in the nearl
'uture in Is hospitals scattered
,ver the entire country, that haveI
,een taken over or are about to
,e taken over by this service.
This will bring the number ofI
J. s. p. H. S. beds to $1,000.
Where will the rest of the esti-
mated $4,000 patients be putt
Where will the 10000 veterans
Who are now in need of hospital
zation be put? i
There should be, at the least. /;
10000 beds ready for use. All of
he 10000 patients now underl !
Government care should be in