Evening star., 1938-12-21
AdditionaIFunds
f|or Sanatoria
Authorized
,HHeuIth Officer Given
v Permission to Incur
!! $4,000 Deficit

authority has been given to Health
Ohicer George c. Rutland to run a
detcit up to some $4,000 at the
Glenn Dale tuberculosis Sanitoria,
IN order to give care to patients
found in immediate need of hospital
kation, the Commissioners said to-
day.
The average daily population at
! the institution has been running
higher than calculations made last
winter by the Budget Bureau in its
action on this years budget, officials
saad. When this situation came to
the attention of the Commissioners
recently, they advanced to the de-
pArtment some funds earmarked for
the third quarter of this fiscal year,
which will not start until January l..
Health Department officials were
exceedingly hesitant today to dis
cuss the situation for the stated
reason that they feared they might
get into difficulties with Congress-
y, A on Waiting List.
-Chairman Collins of the House
District Subcommittee on Appropri-
ations subjected DR.. Rutland to
some criticism last spring during
hearings on this years budget.
The adult building at Glenn Dale
has capacity of 400 beds and re-
ports today showed there are 1888
patients there. The children's
building has capacity of 300 beds
and about 2l4 are occupied, Is of
the patients being adults.
DR.. Rutland said there was a
waiting list of about "A persons for
the Glenn Dale institution. He said
these would be admitted as the
tuberculosis officials determined the
extent of necessity in each case.
The Commissioners acted on a re-
port from Auditor Daniel j. Donovan
which said in part:
1T appears from Dr. Daniel Finu-
canes statement that he anticipates
a deficiency of about $4,000 in the
maintenance appropriation this
year. I have gone into this matter
very carefully and it would seem
there probably will be deficiency.
Notwithstanding this, DR.. Finucane
has been warned to exercise every
care to avoid deficiency, without
resorting to any action which would
subject the administration of the
hospital to justified criticism.
Budget Bureau Cut Figure.
SHOULD there be deficiency, the
responsibility should be placed with
the Budget Bureau. DR.. Finucane's
recommendation for his mainte-
nance appropriation for 1899 was
e270,0O0, based on an expected daily
average population of 700. The Com
missioners, using an average popu-
aation of 600, with a per capita cost
Of $410, requested $246,OOO The
Budget Bureau reduced this amount
to 1928 900, based on daily average
population of 570 Had the Commits
sioners' figure been approved, there
would be no question of the hospital
operating the entire year with de-
f1ciency.
For the first five months of the
present fiscal year. the daily aver
age population has been 6O2. The
average for the remaining seven
months of this fiscal year will be
about 6l5. Apparently the only
way, from the present outlook, to
prevent deficiency, would be to re-
duce the number of patients, and
IN my opinion this should not be
done"
1.-The Commissioners denied fatly
that. before approving creation of
any necessary deficiency, they either
directed or suggested to DR.. Ruhland
or his staff that they should reduce
the number OF patients at the insti-
triton.