Evening star., 1935-06-02

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Of private social welfare endeavor in
Children's Hospital.
A conservative estimate sets the
number of charity patients treated at
the hospital at 90 per cent of the total.
This n-profit-making institution
Is the only hospital in Washington
which has special departments for
the care of children up to II years
Of age in properly equipped wards, ac-
cording to o. H. p. johnson, president
of the board of directors.
More than 10000 dispensary visits
were paid to the hospital in 1884, and
in addition over 1000 bed patients
we're cared for.
p. w. A. Loan Expected.
The hospital is prepared for an
expansion of its dispensary work and
the replacement of its heating and
laundry facilities. long outmoded, with
the aid of an expected 100000
P. w. A. loan.
Still wider and more intensive
diagnostic work. in clinics that should
be the envy of the whole country, are
sought, however. by the men and
women who devote greater part of
their time to furthering the work of
the institution.
Need for more space Is shown in
the fact that during February the
daily census of what has been consid-
cred an 185-bed hospital reached 1875
patients.
Present facilities. Miss Matte NJ
Gibson. superintendent. shows. in
clude the two out-patient departments
of the dispensary for the treatment
of sick or injured children. and the
Child Welfare Department for the pre-
vention of disease: the In-Bed Club
for children suffering from cardiac
diseases, and the newly dedicated
Louise Kaufman Simpson Hard of
Hearing Clinic.
New Buildings Desired.
The Cushman Memorial Building
Is used for the diagnosis of ear. nose
and throat ailments, for the study Of
asthma and for the study Of mental
guidance. The citizens who take an
active interest in the hospital, how
ever, feel that these are too many
activities to pursue In one small
building and hope for new buildings
or wings to divide the diagnostic work.
The hospital devoteS much of its
attention to crippled children. but
work of this type is still felt to be
inadequate in the District.
To remedy this need, Mrs. Cary T.
Grayson. president OF the Crippled
Children's Society of the District OF
Columbia. has begun survey to de.
termine the number of crippled chill
dren in the Capital as the first step
toward bettering care granted them
and improving their school facilities.
Hydrotherapy, massage clinics. oc-
cupational therapy and drinker
respirator are among the services the
hospital offers now to the crippled
boys and girls.
More and more work is needed
along this line and there is con-
tinued need for braces and specially
constructed shoes for growing chill
dren." Miss Gibson says
Most of the crippled-children aid
at present comes from the Rotary and
Kiwanis Clubs
Other private groups which aid in
the hospitals work are the Thrift
Shop and the Junior League The
former, with a contribution this year
of $3.50, has been able to help in
some degree almost every department
of the hospital.
The Junior League maintains four
paid social service workers constantly
at the hospital at an annual cost of
$4,000. Miss Lucia Murchison began
this league work with one aide five
years ago. Now as many as 80 volun-
teer league members help in caring
for the great number of cases refer
red to the group by the dispensary
and the wards. This figure rose to
1000 last year and the Junior
Leaguers paid 1886 visits to these
patients.
Doctors Give Time.
I'VE have some endowments," says
Mr. johnson of the hospitals finances.
but the income from them, if solely
depended upon. is enough to keep
the doors of the hospital open for
only so days. The balance of the
money for operation comes from the
good friends of crippled and sick chill
dren. And the unselfish giving of
time by our eminent medical staff,
who number among them some Of
Washington's most prominent phy-
sicians, enables us to give the best
possible medical care.
while we gratefully acknowledge
the generous bequests from some of
our philanthropic residents, I am
surprised that others seek
ing an outlet for their philanthropic
impulses seem unaware that the Chill
drens Hospital offers the most per-
feet object of a generous charitable
institution"
The Community Chest aids the hos
pitfalls work to some degree.
Working with MIR. johnson, vice
president of the Metropolitan Ma