Evening star., 1934-04-22
FUND FOR BATTLE
ON TUBERCULOSIS
SOON T0BE ASKED
Commissioners Will Map
Financial Details After
Study of Report.
FULL-TIME OFFICER
is BEING CONSIDERED
Employment of Nurses for Home
Care May Be Included in
New Estimates.

Requests for funds for enlargement
Of District facilities and personnel for
fighting tuberculosis will be submit
ted to the Budget Bureau within a
moves toward more determined
campaign against the disease here,
Commissioner George E. Allen said
yesterday.
Details of the financial program are
to be mapped out by the Board of
Commissioners after a careful study
has been made of the recommended
tions submitted Friday by the Spe-
cial tuberculosis Investigating Com
mittee at the conclusion of its survey
of present facilities.
Plans Include Hospital.
Construction of new adult tuber-
culosis hospital. one of the major
recommendations of the committee of
experts, would be provided under the
Commissioners bill for authority to
obtain a S2O,0oO,OO0 grant from the
Public Works Administration for a
number of needed projects, the Dis
trict to repay 70 per cent of the sum
over period of years. This is in
tended also to make possible COM
pletion of the Children's tuberculosis
Sanatorium The main building of
this institution is to be opened June l..
Commissioner Allen revealed also
that he is considering a proposal to
ask the United States Public Health
Service to lend the District the
services of DR.. F. c. Smith to pre-
pare a detailed study of a pro-
posed reorganization of the tuber-
culosis program of the District Health
Department.
Just how much money would be
sought for provision of more ade-
quate permanent personnel, equip
ment and nursing services has not
been determined yet, Allen said, since
he has not had time yet to make a
careful study of the report of the
Investigating Committee.
Fun-Time Officer Considered.
It was indicated items for the en-
ployment of full-time District tuber-
culosis officer and for payment on
per diem basis of a greatly in
creased number of visiting nurses for
home care as we'll as hospital and
clinic work may be included in the
new supplemental estimates. These
matters have not been finally worked
out however.
Commissioner Melvin C. Hazen said
he did not agree with one recon-
mendation contained in the majority
report that is that the proposed
tuberculosis officer and the proposed
tuberculosis advisory board be made
separate entities. not subject to the
District health officer
This suggestion by the other six
members of the Investigating Com
mittee was opposed in the minority
report submitted by DR.. William C.
Fowler. the health officer. Allen said
he had not decided finally what posi-
ton he would take on this matter Of
jurisdiction.
Favors Children's Transfer.
Two proposals made by all members
of the Investigating Committee other
than DR.. Fowler met with Aliens
immediate approval One calls for
the transfer of children now being
treated at Gallinger Municipal Hos
pital to Childrens Hospital to provide
for the use of some so beds for adult
tuberculosis patients at Gallinger. The
children would be placed at Children's
Hospital on a per diem cost basis.
The other proposal is that the
Health School, near the tuberculosis
Hospital at Fourteenth and Upshur
streets be used for tuberculous adults
during the Summer period, to relieve
congestion at the adult institution.
This plan, Allen said, will depend
upon conferences to be held this week
with members of the Board of Educa-
ton.
This recommendation by the five
other members of the inveStig gating
committee, was opposed by DR.. Fowler,
who raised a question as to whether
the children now there could be pro-
vided for elsewhere. He said the Dis
trict could not compel the parents OF
these children to send them to the
Chidrens tuberculosis Sanatorium
located in Prince Georges County, Md,
Is miles from downtown Washington
Commissioner Allen said permanent
provision for these children could be
worked out during the Summer, if the
school authorities approve the change
in the use of the Health School.
Additional Workers Assigned.
Twelve additional workers, includ-
ing six nurses and three orderlieS
were assigned yesterday to the staff
OF the tuberculosis Hospital by Com
missioner Allen, at the request of DR.
j. winthrop Peabody, superintendent
of tuberculosis hospitals. This brings
to so the number of additional en-
pIoyes all of whom were drawn from
the ranks of the unemployed under
the Emergency Works Administration
Commissioner Allen Yesterday made
public letter from Surgeon Genera
Hugh S. Cumming, head of the Public
Health Service, declaring that Fed
eral agency had no intention oi
seeking to "federalze" the public
health program of the District. "Or
the contrary" the surgeon genera
said various pieces of proposed leg
islation looking toward the federaliza-
ton of State and local health work
throughout the country have beer
uniformly disapproved by this Office.
The letter announced the appoint.
ment of DR. Smith as member ol
the investigating committee