Evening star., 1937-10-01
EXPANDED SERVICE
F0RD.C.'SCR|PP[ED
CHILDREN PLANNED
Orthopedic Surgeon to Be
Employed to Treat Them,
Better Clinics Seen.
SOCIAL SECURITY GIVES
CITY $24,165 FOR WORK
New Unit to Be Set Up to Handle
Job and Experts Will Be Added
to Present Staff.

Federal approval of new District
program for sharing in social Sc
curity funds to expand Health De-
partment services for crippled chill
dren was announced today by Health
Officer George C. Ruhland.
The new program will involve en-
ployment of prominent orthopedic
surgeon as part-time consultant in
the treatment of crippled children
as well as improvement of clinic
facilities and expansion of other serv-
ices, DR.. Rutland said.
The District has been allotted s24.-
l56.05 in Federal social security funds
Tor the current fiscal year to match
expenditures from local funds on the
program. The District has been
spending nearly $4,000 a year for
aid to crippled children, officials said.
Thus the total outlay on their be-
half will be nearly doubled by shar-
ing in the Federal grants.
For administration Of the program
SPP4Na AlllI Will DE Or
ganized as division of the Bureau
of Maternal and Child Welfare under
the direction of DR.. Ella Open
henner, present director of the bu-
reau. 1t will coordinate and SUD-
plement the existing services for Grip
pied children.
More Personnel.
New activities planned under the
expanded program will be launched
as soon as details of adding necessary
personnel can be worked out through
the District Personnel Board. the
Commissioners and the Civil Service
Commission, DR.. Rutland said. He
said the new work may be started by
next week.
In addition to the part time con-
sultant in orthopedic surgery. addi-
tional personnel will include a chief
of the crippled childrens unit. two
physiotherapists, a medical social
worker, nurses and clerical workers.
The generalized public health nurs-
ing staff of the Health Department
will take an active part in the pro-
gram, especially in locating crippled
children in need of aid and super
yising follow-up care for them after
they have received treatments in the
clinics, DR.. Rutland said.
The clinical and hospital aid for
crippled children under the Health
Department program will be central
lied at Gallinger Hospital with pro-
vision for additional public facili-
ties operated under contract with
the District at children's and other
private hospitals.
Present facilities for hydrotherapv.
physiotherapy and other treatments
for crippled children attending school.
transferred this term from the old
Weightman School to the Langdon
School. will be expanded under the
program.
1000 May Benefit.
One of the first major tasks will
be a survey to locate and register
the crippled children needing aid in
the District. School reports indicate
there are more than 1000 afflicted
children who will be benefited.
General aim of the program sis to
give every crippled child in need of
care such services as will enable him
to be put in the best possible physical
condition and will help him find his
place for service in the worlds work"
according to the Crippled Childrens
Bureau of the Labor Department.
which administers Federal aid for
crippled children under the social
security act.
Approval of the Health Department
program by the Children's Bureau
finally cleared the way for making
use of the Federal grants in the Dis
trlct after 20-month delay due TO
technical and legal organization re-
quirements and recent shift in
control of local hospital appropria-
tionS from the Public Welfare Board
to the Health Department.
Health officials first started work.
ing out a program to qualify for
sharing in the Federal funds nearly
two years ago on passage of the So
cial security act. AS the Childrens
Bureau began making grants to quail
fled States in 1886, the District pro-
gram was transferred to the Public
Welfare Board, because it then had
control of the hospital appropria-
tions, which accounted for most of
the District money available for
matching the Federal grants. Be-
fore the Public Welfare Board could
launch the program hospital appro-
priations were shifted to the Health
Department this Summer, and the
work for crippled children was re-
turned to its Jurisdiction.