Evening star., 1922-12-29
VETERANS |NP[EA
FORHOSP|TALFUND
Request Made for $500, 900
Allotment to Complete Mt.
Alto Institution.
NURSES HOME is NEEDED
Disabled Men Declare Facilities
Here Are Inadequate
for Needs.
NURSES HOME is NEEDED

A plea for the allotment of $780,
900 for the completion of the Mount
Alto Hospital here was made today
by the Disabled American Veterans
before the subcommittee of the House
considering appropriations for the
Veterans Bureau. The subcommittee
is composed of Mr.. Wood of Indiana.
Mr.. Wason OF Kew Hampshire. Mr..
Dickinson of Iowa and Mr. Griffin Of
New York.
II. II. Roege. representing the ma
tional organization of manned former
service men and women. said his as
sociatio,. had n particular interest in
the section Of the bureaus budget
which c"ntemplates an expenditure
of 81 1000. O60 to complete the perma-
nent hospital building program al
ready authorized. 1t was from this
fund that he would set aside 100000
for the institution for veterans on
Wisconsin avenue.
separate Home for Nurses.
Mr.. Raege outlined his general plan
for the improvement of Mount Alto TO
make il f1rst-class unit by furnish =
ing a home for nurses as we'll as a
recreational building. which would
afford a place for the entertainment
Of patients. with a center for occu
pational therapy and pre-vocationai
training. Furthermore. he urged that
the necessary funds be made avail
able not later than March 4. 1923.
At present nurses in this hospital
are quartered in 3D. building. which
is designed for the use of patients. as
similar in construction. Under the
Disabled American Veterans proposed
another place would be provided else
where on the grounds for the nurses.
Inspectors of Mount Alto have
stressed the necessity for the i'm
mediate providing Of a building for
tho socital use OF patients and place
where the educational representatives
of the bureau at the hospital may
properly function. AS matters now
stand the only structure for such uses
is the old wooden Red Cross hut that
destroy. Because Of the fire regula-
tions the patients are not even al
lowed to have motion pictures. while
there Is no room or facility for the
shows which the organizations from
this city have wanted to produce for
the patients.
While the site a, Mount Alto is
rated one of the best in the District.
the Incomplete condition of the plant
is said to he a distinct drawback to
DOtn tle StdH anu tne patients
One of the policies of the federal
hospitalization board. of which Cen.
Sawyer Is chairman. is to place pa
tients as near as practicable 10 their
homes and friends. but as conditions
just now are. there ia a steady flow
Of disabled veterans from Washingt on
going to Dawson Springs. Ky. and
other places far removed from this
city.
Veterans Need Treatment.
Because OF their refusal TO accept
such transfers there are said to he
scores of former service men now
in Washington in dire need of hos
pitalization who cannot be accom-
modated.
During the week Col. Forbes, d!rec-
tor OF the Veterans Bureau. has sent
out orders calling for the immediate
lieved to be in physical condition to
ing their monthly compensate ton af-
fected. This is expected to bring
about relief of the situation here.
1t has been complained that while
Washingtonians have been told they
must 60 to distant points in order
to find room in hospital. there are
a number of patients in the hospitals
here who have been here for months
but whose homes are elsewhere. and
1t IS planned to move these closer
to their families. This is also ex-
pected to result in an improvement in
the conditions so far as Washing
tonians are concerned.