The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-01-04
PROTESTSCLOS|NG DETENTION HOME
 AND FREE CLINIC
No Action Taken by CommiS- Sion-ConferenCeS May Be Held Between City
 and County

Protests against the closing of the city and county isolation hospital, 2213 Avenue A, south, and the ve- nereal clinic, were made to the city commission at it's meeting yesterday morning, when a delegation of citi- zens, club women and others asked that these institutions be continued c. N. Wiley pointed out that the women at the detention hospital could be treated at cost of stS0 each and at the county farm, where many oi them would be sent 1t would cost 5. or s25O and this is no saving. He declared that this disease Is a men ace to the community and every eff fort should be made to curb it ane by all means the only sources oi treatment for it should not be closed Mrs. Solon Jacobs said she under stood the county gave So per cent oi the appropriation for the maintenance of this institution and the city only 35 per cent. She declared she did not see how Commissioner w. B. Cloe of public safety hoped to wipe out the evils of prostitution with the de- tention hospital closed and no place to treat the people infected with thls disease. Several of the girls being treated at the isolation hospital have been returned to the Girls lndus- trial school, Mrs. Jacobs stated she was told, and that they would spread this infections disease among the other inmates of the institution.
 Mrs. NJ. Y. Dabney spoke briefly urging the commission to keep these institutions in operation if possible
 Famous Institutions
 Mrs Echols, commissioner Of health and education, stated that she knew conditions were very bad here and that she realized how necessary 1t was to keep these institutions go- ing. The people affected with this disease will in short time, if the clinic and detention hospital are closed, be knocking at the door of the Hillman hospital, she said, and the welfare department.
 She suggested that the city take care of the clinic as an emergency measure declaring that the city could not operate the detention hospital and clinic without aid from the county.
 Dr. A. J. Dickinson of the federal health department stated that the federal appropriation would be dis continued if the clinic was closed. He suggested that the city commis- sion open associate clinics in the various sections of the city and that people who were able to pay fee of S2 could be treated there This would greatly decrease the number to be treated at the free clinic, he stated, and many do not want to have the treatment free but are not able to pay the regular prices charged by physicians. There are at the pres ent time S4 associate clinics and Ia free clinics in the state, he stated The city loses s10,00O year in eff ciency of service through this dis ease, he said, and associate clinics should be opened all over the coun- ty.
 It was suggested that joint con ference be held by the commission with the board of revenue in an ef- fort to work out some plan whereby the detention hospital will be re- opened and the clinic continued. Mir McLendon, president, stated that the commission was in sympathy with this work and would do everything possible to continue these institu tions.