Evening star., 1935-03-31
ALLEN PROPOSAL
FOR D. c. HOSPITAL
CENTER IS HAILED
Doubt of Its Necessity Is
Expressed. However, by
Society Leader.
AID OF P. w. A. SOUGHT
FOR PRIVATE PROJECT
Emergency Hospital Trustees
Head Visions D. C. as Med.
ical Capital.

Reactions ranging from guarded
interest to enthusiastic acceptance
greeted announcement yesterday of
Commissioner George E. Aliens plan
for creation of a great medical center
in Washington.
In brief, the proposal embraces
consolidation of all hospital and
medical school facilities in the
District in single unit, non-profit,
non-sectarian and non-racial. A
private corporation, made up OF
representatives of existing agencies,
would build and administer the
project with the help of P. w. A.
funds. 1t is estimated that from
S5,000,000 to S6000.000 would be
needed to put the plan into effect
The buildings of existing institutions
would be sold upon completion OF
the center.
Visioning Washington as the medi-
cal capital of the world, Karl Corby,
head of the Board of Trustees of
Emergency Hospital and of a special
committee of about 80 leaders in the
medical and community life of the
District, looked forward with en-
thusiasm to the first meeting of the
committee on Wednesday morning
At that time the plan will be dis
cussed in detail with Commissioner
Allen.
Goes Beyond New York.
"If this plan goes through" Corby
said, sit will bring to Washington
something no city ever has boasted
This proposal goes beyond the scope
of medical centers now operating in
New York and other cities. we con-
template its becoming the greatest
medical center in the world.
Within it We will bring the gradu-
ate and undergraduate schools of
medicine which now exist in several
units within the District. None of
these would lose their identity in the
new center, nor would the individual
hospitals which would also be in
cluded lose theirs. Each of them, re-
tanning their corporate forms as at
present. would have section of the
center as their own.
Research work would be carried on
In a single unit, all duplication elm
mated; and all benef1tting by the accu-
mulated findings of those participate
ing. The worlds leaders in the medi-
cal profession undoubtedly would be
attracted by the research opportuni-
ties.
Better Service Foreseen.
THE practical result would be bet
ter service to the whole community,
to rich and poor, black and white, at
lower costs or at no cost at all if the
subjects are unable to pay. Dis
pensary outposts for out-patient treat
ment probably would be established in
suburban sections Of the District, per-
haps as many as 12. but all hospital
ization would be concentrated in the
center"
DR.. Earl Baldwin Mckinley, dean
OF the George Washington University
School of Medicine, and a member of
the committee. also hailed the pro-
posal with favor He said:
II have found great interest in this
plan among those who have known of
it for the past few weeks. We all
know our present hospital and medical
facilities will be unusable in 10 or Is
years. They have been increasingly
inadequate over the past few years
From a practical standpoint, this
would be the best time to strike out
for completely modern facilities"
Medical centers now are operating
in New York. Cleveland, Chicago and
st. Louis and they've all been success
full. The reduction of duplicating ex-
penses and overhead alone is a most
important fact. The whole thing is
q most sensible idea
The group disqualification plan now
operating would fit right in, with no
change except that subscribers would
be hospitalized at the center rather
than in the individual institutions.
Also, the obligations of the Com
munity Chest would be simplified.
see 1t, too, as cementing influence
In the growing community conscious
ness of the Capital City"
80 "AAAnAAA oCiiy MOL gan, QCdIl
of the Georgetown University School
of Medicine, advised a careful study
of the workings of other medical
centers before such a project be un-
dertaken, to determine how far they
fulfill their aims and in what way
they are defective.
DIR. Bennett Opposed.
In the opinion of DIR. A. B. Ben
nett, president of the District Medical
Society and also. member Of the
committee, such an undertaking is
unnecessary at the present time
I'VE already have more hospital IA
cilities than we need" he declared,
land they are as good here as any
where in the country. Such a propo-
sition undoubtedly has value where
the need exists, but offhand I don't
see such an emergency in the Dis
trict."
Although no accurate speculation
may be made at this time on the
chances of a p. w. A. loan for such
q project, on any terms, it is mat
ter OF record that few allotments to
private corporations were made out
Of the original p w. A. fund. Rail-
r4.AS vuarn fhe aynentior IN this rl1Ie