Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-05-15
Hospital Admitting Bureau
Helps Needy III Get Best Care
Plan, Devised by Garrett
Director, Also Proves
Economical.

A news clipping from The Star, sent
to him by his Idaho Congressman
almost four years ago, began the chain
OF events that brought Ross Garrett to
Washington and led to his establish
ment Of the Central Admitting Bureau
for Hospitals. 901 Eighth street NV
the only organization of its kind IN the
world.
1T looks like Washington needs
you," the Congressman wrote on the
clipping, describing the deplorable
health conditions of the Capital,
which he sent to Mr.. Garrett. The
Congressman had seen Mr.. Garrett
clean up a community in Idaho where
politics was 50 tied up with public
health that citizens could not eat or
drink without exposing themselves to
virulent diseases.
Mr.. Garrett. . chemist who ran
central laboratory service for the doc
tors and hospitals of the community.
had been drawn into the battle when
the Medical Society asked him to help
trace the cause of several cases of
typhoid and undulent fever.
Mr.. Garrett never goes into things
half wayne not only Investigated the
causes, but talked about them and
took pictures of them The commu-
nifty soon learned that the purity of
their water supply depended upon the
guesswork OF vote-getting plumber,
and that their milk inspection was
done by politically inclined carpen-
ter. They voted for reform. and Mr..
Garrett, who was then appointed Sec
rotary of the Board of Health. city
chemist and public health engineer.
saw that they got it,
AideeRelief Problem.
When the depression brought the
problem OF providing medical care for
relief families, the medical men again
turned to Mr.. Garrett for help In soly-
ing this problem.
Planning and coordination are al
most religion with Mr.. Garrett, but
ne never forgets that plans must be
ntted to human beings, not human
beings to plans. When he came to
| washington as health secretary of
| the Council OF Social Agencies in 1894
he found that recommendations con.
talned IN health surveys of the Dis
trlct made years earlier had not vet
been carried out. With the same SCI
entific precision with which he had
traced typhoid causes in Idaho, he
started out to find the reasons why.
II was not entirely coincidence that
Or. George c. Rutland, one of the
most outstanding public health off,
Gals in the country, became WASH
ington's health officer that fall. or
that the dust was wiped off the old
surveys and many Of their recommen-
dations carried out.
The field OF private medical care
presented many complications at that
Time also. Each private hospital and
clinic had its own separate system
Tor deciding which of its patients
should be helped from Community
Chest funds. This arrangement was a
burden to the hospitals and unpop-
ular with the doctors. To solve this
MIR. Garrett devised the plan of the
Central Admitting Bureau, which in
vestigates the needs OF all persons
applying for reduced clinic hospital
costs. 1t proved so ehicient and
economical and was so popular with
patients, hospitals and doctors alike
that it was admitted to the Com
munity Chest as a separate agency in
1896.
The Central Admitting Bureau not
only certifies patients who need Com
munity Chest help today in meeting
their medical bills, but also helps
patients with small incomes by ad-
justing their bills to terms they can
afford
Because the bureau offers these two