Evening star., 1937-04-08
HEALTH CRUSADE"
HERE IS PLANNED
BY NINE HOSPITALS
Civic Leaders Join in Move
to Provide Better
Facilities.
SERVICES OF DOCTORS
CITED BY CHAIRMEN
Drive Should Lower "Unneces-
sarily High" Death Rate,
DR., Rutland Says.

Groundwork for the Crusade for
Health" to be sponsored from April Is
through May by Washington's nine
united hospitals, was laid yesterday
at luncheon in the MayfloWer Hotel,
attended by more than $50 persons
representing the city's hospitals,
churches, Government health agen-
cies. civic organizations and private
homes.
Charles D. Drayton, president of
Children's Hospital and chairman of
the Hospital Presidents Committee,
sounded the keynote of the movement
in an appeal to make the people OF
Washington more hospital
than ever before, so that our hos
pitals will no longer have to operate
at deficit, and more adequate facili-
ties can be provided to care for the
vast overflow of patients who now
receive only inadequate care when the
best Is needed"
The existing emergency can not be
blamed on the Community Chest, he
insisted, but the crusade, on the other
hand. should impress the people of
Washington with the Importance OF
the Chest and the necessity of in
creasing their support of that organ
iZation.
Record of Unpaid Care
The first two months of this yeaI
find $3.50 days care for patients GER
}, n
unpaid, in spite of payment for 1856
days by the Community Chest, and
over 10000 prenatal, syphilis and
other clinic visits unpaid in spite of
Chest payments for $4,000 such visits
it was revealed
In assuring Washingtonians that
time and energy spent on the crusade
will be well applied, Chairman Dray.
ton cited the millions of dollars ir
time" spent by doctors to care for the
needy sick In the hospitals, who have
little or no money to pay for the
service.
Hospitals are not built for the con-
venience of, nor as money-making ma.
chimes for doctors" he said. "All the
money spent on them spells service tt
the public, and more money must gc
to our hospitals in order for them tt
render adequate service. No one con.
nected with hospital is overpaid. TT
the contrary, all too many of the at
taches are underpaid"
That death rates in the District from
certain diseases are excessively anc
unnecessarily high" and how the
pending crusade should prove bene.
fetal in their lowering was pointed ou
by DR.. George C. Rutland, Distric
health officer
"Deplorable Conditions"
While we know deplorable health
conditions exist in the District, we alst
know the causes and apparently Con.
gress is coming to our aid" he said
Meanwhile, the citizens of the Dis
trict can go far toward altering tn,
picture by supporting such a drive a
the United Hospitals are planning.
am confident that the District healtl
record is facing a change for tn
better"
The luncheon invocation was pro
nounced by Bishop James E. Free
man, president of Episcopal Hospital
Cannon Arson Phelps Stokes, Corpora
ton Counsel Elwood Seal, Commis
sioner Melvin c. HaZen and Rev
Arthur A. O'Leary we're among tn
many prominent persons seated at tn
speakers table.
In addition to Drayton and Bishol
Freeman, the Hospital Presidents
Committee includes Capt. Cheste
Wells, Columbia Hospital; Maj. Gis
Blair, Emergency Hospital; Clarenc
A. Aspinwall, Garfield Hospital; Fathe
O'Leary, Georgetown Hospital; Cloy,
H. Marvin, George Washington Hos
pital COL Joseph F. Randall, Homeo
pathic Hospital, and Sister Margare,
Providence Hospital.