Evening star., 1936-06-28

- GENE !: A doctor has Just lett
small apartment in downtown
Washington. It's a neat apart
- ment filled with threadbare,
old-fashioned furniture. Two aged
women are talking in low tones in the
bed room They are sisters. One is
very ILL., She has been i'll in bed for one
year. The doctor has just told her that
she must have long period of hos
pitalization and special medical atten-
ton. Her aged sister is employed, but
her meagre income is barely sufficient
to meet their every day living needs.
There are no relatives-the two Of
them are alone in the world A year
of illness has exhausted their small
savings. There simply is no money for
this hospital care, for nurses, for spe-
cialistS -.
Jimmy Has Accident.
Scene 2: Another small apartment
in downtown Washington. 1t is noon.
6-year-old Helen and 3-year-old
Jimmy are playing with few old toys
on the floor. A worried mother is get
ting lunch. She is opening vegetables
canned by her when her husband was
working. He is out Of work now
walking the streets. There are only
few such cans left Little Jimmy is
curious to see what mother is doing.
He comes to the table to watch. 1t is
a stubborn can. Suddenly the opener
slips =. its sharp point buries itself
in little Jimmy's right eye -.
Bobby Gets Tuberculosis.
Scene 3: Two dark, damp rooms in
a basement. our-year-old Bobby lies
white and feverish in bed. A worried
mother holds 12-year-old Kitty close
to her =. watches anxiously two
doctors talking in low tones at the
bedside One doctor finally turns to
the mother II am sorry" he says,
but Bobby will have to go TO a sana-
tarium . it's tuberculosis" The
mother looks at him duly. She Won
ders where the money is coming from.
Her husband deserted her year ago.
She went to work in a department
store moved to these two dark rooms
in a basement and hired another
young mother in the neighborhood to
look after her children. 1t was a
struggle There hadn't always been
ncurishing food. she knew that. But
now she was receiving more money
had planned on moving to a better
apartment in few days =. and now
Bobby must go to a sanatarium I.
Hospital Care Provided.
The above cases are absolutely true
ones from the files of the Central Ad-
mittance Bureau for Hospitals. Incl
dents of illness striking suddenly in
families with curtailed incomes. Fam
lilies who are not eligible to public re-
lief or to the free care provided for
the poor in public hospitals, to whom
sudden illness is a dreaded hardship.
The necessary care for the cases de-
scribed above was provided by the
Central Admittance Bureau for Hos
pitals. In the case of the aged woman
needing disqualification, the family
doctor, who had been giving his serv-
ices for practically nothing for some
time, reported the situation to the
bureau The aged woman was sent
to a hospital Immediately. Part of
the cost of her disqualification was
borne by the Community Chest, the
balance was arranged in small month
ly payments to suit the convenience
of the employed sister.
Operation Performed.
Little Jimmy, whose eye was injured
by a can opener was rushed to a hos
pital. Knowing the family's circum-
stances q doctor notified the Central
Admittance Bureau Immediately. The
father, though unemployed. was classed
as "employable" and was not eligible
to free service. Therefore. the long
disqualification expense was borne by
Community Chest funds Jimmy lost
his right eye entirely and required
further treatment when his left eye