Evening star., 1937-06-20
Glenn Dale Sanat0riillrn Wards
Vacant Due to Personnel Lack
Many Children afflicted With Tubercu.
lOsis Are Denied Treatment at Ne,v
Plant Near Defense Highway.

Although the tuberculosis rate in
the District of Columbia is climbing
and there are many children afflicted
with the disease in need OF hospital
treatment, ward after ward stands
vacant in the new tuberculosis San
atorium at Glenn Dale, Nd. for lack
Of personnel to operate them.
Ever since the hospital has been
opened there has been a waiting list
OF tubercular children seeking ad-
mission. denied treatment for lack
OF hospital attendants to operate q
large part OF the splendid new plant
just of the Defense highway.
Funds to increase the Glenn Dale
personnel are expected to be included
in the new District appropriation bill,
now in conference between the Sem
ate and House. but 1t is not known
definitely how large the increase will
be. Even though there may be An
easing OF the shortage in the chill
dren's building, however, there prob
ably will be an even more acute
shortage OF personnel in the new
sanatorium for adults. to be opened
this Summer at Glenn Dale. Funds
at present included in the measure
are entirely inadequate to properly
stan the new building for adults. in
the opinion Of members Of the sana-
torium stan, and it is probable that
only part of the beautiful new
structure can be operated this year.
Although the children's building
now has a capacity Of about 800 beds
including the isolation ward. less than
200 patients can be cared for by the
present staff OF % nurses and 50
other hospital employees.
And so in all OF the wards on the
first floor and in other parts Of the
building new beds which never have
been used, many Of them stacked In
piles against the walls, are gathering
dust while tubercular children plead
for treatment which must be denied
them.
The new wings. which increased by
approximately 100 per cent the bed
capacity OF the building. were COM
pleted last Summer They stand,
locked and empty. awaiting the ar
rival OF personnel to put them into use
Between 80 and 100 OF the new beds
never have been used.
Despite all the waste space and the
empty beds. the youthful patients are
crowded into the upper two floors of
the main building, so that the skele-
ton staff can care for as many Of
them as possible. Many Of them are
in the isolation ward, which cannot
be operated as an isolation unit for
lack Of personnel. although a number
OF the young patients should be sep
arated and given special care, it was
admitted by the hospital staff.
Two teachers are struggling to do
the work OF five, who are required.
For long time bed patients were
denied educational training OF any
kind, but now the two teachers are
trying to divide their time among
the bed patients as we'll as those who
are up and around. There are now
1S9 young patients in the sana atorium
and a class of 40 students is con-
sidered the maximum for effective
teaching.
There are q number OF children
Of pre-school age, however, who are
not given any instruction for lack
of a kindergarten teacher. For EN-
cient instruction. according to DR..
Daniel L. Finucane, superintendent
of the hospital, there should be five
teachers. two for the bed patients,
two for walking cases and one for
kindergarten instruction.
The entire stan of the sanatorium
now is composed of 81 employees of
all types. including % nurses. To
put the full 3oo-bed capacity of the
hospital into operation will require
50 additional employees, 23 OF when
must be nurses. Even so, these 46
nurses very often will be called upon
to work 10 or II hours 4 day II 800
patients are to be cared for, Dr..
Finucane pointed out.
To put the present nursing stan
on an eight-hour day, flve-and-a- -half-
day week, without taking in another