Evening star., 1939-09-20
Children S Hospital
Card Appeal, Near
End, Is Short Of Goal
Calls for Service Mount:
Benefit Performances Of
Light Operas Planned

With less than two weeks remain
Ing before its card appeal" cam
palgn for funds must give way to
the Community Chest drive, the
Children's Hospital has raised only
$9,000-one-third of the ames,nt
needed to wipe out the deficit in
Cured IN the last fiscal year-Supt.
Matte M. Gibson reported today.
Hospital visits or treatments at
the institution are increasing at the
rate of 300 to 500 a month after
reaching an all-time record high of
$4,000 in 1888, Miss Gibson said.
OF these visits about IS per cent are
charity cases-exclusive of the num-
Der for which the District Health
Department and the Community
Chest provide partial payment.
Regardless of past and possible
future deficits, the hospital is re-
solved not to lower its standards of
medical care by spreading it's funds
thinly, Miss Gibson declared. Wen
Keep going as best we can until the
hospital just has to shut down" I"
she said, explaining that even with
a deficit operations probably could
be continued for some years.
Explains Chest Relations.
More than 10000 card appeal
communications have been mailed,
according to the superintendent, and
5000 to 5000 more are to be dis
patched before the drive closes at
the end of the month.
In addition to contributions we
get lot of nice letters-and we ap-
preciate them deeply-but there ap-
pears to still be some misunder-
standing regarding our relations
with the Community Chest" she
said. "As the result of an amicable
arrangement the Children"s and all
other hospitals in the city are no
longer member agencies of the
Chest. The Chest buys hospital care
from us the same way it would buy
a commodity from any other Or
ganization. Because of lack of funds,
however, the Chest for a long time
has been able to pay only a portion
OF the cost of the service it buys
from us. Last year it paid 81 per
cent of a projected so cents hos
pital visit on cases it sent us. The
actual cost is about rs cents visit.
we are happy to get even this part
payment, however"
The District Health Department
pays so cents each for visits of spe-
cial clinical patients. but its funds
for this purpose are limited to SIS
600 for the year, Miss Gibson point
ed out.
Benefit Performances.
In addition to it's card campaign
the hospital has agreed to sponsor
presentation of two Gilbert and
Sullivan productions-"The Mika-
do" and H. M. S. Pinafore"-by
the New York Light Opera Co. on
October 2 and 3 in Constitution
Hall. Net proceeds of both per-
formances will 60 to the hospital,
In its card appeal the hospital
asked possible patrons to contribute
enough to take care of one or more
dlspensary visits at rs cents each,
enough to care for sick child in
the hospital for one or more davs
at 50 day or to become sustain.
ing members of the hospital with
whatever contribution they choose
to make.
The hospital, Miss Gibson pointed
out, maintains specialized children's
clinics not duplicated by other hos
ptials in the District. These clinics
include medical, surgical, skin,
orthopedic, heart. dental, eye, al
lerglc, neurological, hard of hear
ing, venereal disease, habit, child