Evening star., 1938-07-17
I'D. c. HOSPITALS
ASSA|LEDByG.H.A.
Officials Say Practice Bar
Has Forced Action to
Build Own Plant.
BACKGROUND-

BACKGROUND
Group Health Association, Inc,
organized by Home Opners' Loan
Corp. t0ith $4,000 to set up clinic
at 1928 / street NV. has been at
tackled by District Medical Society.
American Medical Association and
others as illegal mope toDard so
cialized medicine" Case is pending
in court to fir status of the CO.
operative. 1t no10 treats $500 Gor-
ernnent porkers and their families,
: is considering its oDn hospital in
Chevy Chase. Md, and announces
determination to struggle for the
right to lire"
Criticizing IL Washington hospitals
and the Medical Society of the Dis
trict of Columbia for refusing to per-
NIT legally qualified physicians and
surgeons on the staff of Group Health
Association to practice in these in
stitutions, G. H. A. officials last night
announced the association had been
forced" to provide its own hospital
facilities.
In explaining this. William c. Kirk
patrick, president of G. H. A., issued
an official statement. in which he
named publicly the hospitals of the
city for the first time, and told how
each had barred a G. H. A. surgeon.
He made public his statement in
connection with the campaign to raise
funds to repay the Home Owners
Loan Corp. $4,000 it provided to
finance the associations clinic in the
1900 block of I street, and also to
buy and equip modern hospital for
its members. One of the tentative
sites for the hospital is in Chevy
Chase. Md. G. H. A. officials plan
to appear before the Montgomery
County commissioners July Is, to ask
authority to operate a hospital on
the. site, west of Wisconsin avenue
on a line with Davidson drive.
The G. H. A. charges against the
hospitals and organized physicians of
the city was loosed on the eve of the
National Health Conference opening
here tomorrow under the auspices of
the Presidents Interdepartmental
Committee to Coordinate Health and
Welfare Activities.
County Society to Meet.
Meantime the Medical Society of
Montgomery County plans to meet
Tuesday night at the Manor Country
Club to consider the form of the
G. H. A. application before the county
commissioners, and determine what
shall be the attitude of the society
towards the proposed hospital.
In its campaign to raise funds for
the two-fold purpose. Mr.. Kirkpatrick
announced that pledges already are
being received at the Office OF the
associations treasurer, Charles K.
Berlin. officials said they were con-
fident" that more than sufficient
funds would be raised.
Every physician on the staff of
Group Health Association said Mr..
Kirkpatrick, "is graduate of recog-
nized medical school, has served a
period of internship and has been
certified by the District Board of
Licentiates, in accordance with law, as
being qualified to practice medicine in
the District of Columbia. In addition
to these basic requirements, most of
the members Of our staff are doctors
of long experience and recognized
prestige.
Nevertheless, solely because of the
opposition of the District Medical So
ciety-an unofficial organization-to
the voluntarily cooperative form Of
group health, this medical minority
has succeeded in having our physicians
barred from practice in Washington
hospitals.
In every instance where application
was made to District hospitals for
group health physician to receive the
$50. IJ0cpITAT pora AoN