Evening star., 1941-08-09
Commissioners Seek
u. 5. Aid for Hospitals
In Washington Area
Nearby Counties and
Alexandra Certified
For Defense Funds

Declaring that Washington and
the Metropolitan Area now have
shortage of some 300 hospital beds,
as we'll as an insufficient number OF
adequately trained nurses, the Dis
trict Commissioners today urged the
Federal Works Agency to make loans
or grants available 70 private hos
pitals in this area as defense prof.
ects.
The letter, written for the Com
missioners by Commissioner Guy
Mason, to Regional Engineer C. T.
Watson of the Federal Works Agency
at Richmond. Va, certified all private
hospitals in Washington, Arlington
and Fairfax Counties, and Alexan-
dria, Va, and Prince Georges and
Montgomery Counties in Maryland
as being in the Metropolitan Area
under the community facilities pro-
vision in the Defense Public Works
Act.
The Commissioners in their letter
approved the comprehensive pro-
gram for hospital expansion re-
Gently developed by the Health Sc
curity Administration here, in CO.
operation with private hospital
management and characterized the
proposals as 100 per cent defense
projects"
Must Act independently.
While the statement by the Com
missioners aids the private hospi-
tails in their negotiations for loans
or grants from the Federal agency.
/ each hospital organization will have
to conduct its own negotiations.
The proposals came TO head at
the District Building when Fred
erick M. Bradley and Gilbert L. Hall
asked for certification for Garfield
and Columbia hospitals and for the
proposed new hospital in Arlington
County. The Commissioners broad
ened the proposal to include all
private hospitals in the Metropoli-
tan Area, including Alexandria,
where definite plans are said to be
under preparation for expansion Of
the Alexandria General Hospital.
1t was said active plans for eX-
pansion also have been under con-
sideration for Emergency and Cas-
ualty Hospitals; and need for better
facilities also have been contem-
plated for some other hospitals
here.
Commissioners Letter.
In the letter to the regional head.
quarters of the F. w. A, the Com
missioners stated:
Prior to the influx of workers
into the Metropolitan Area, embrace
ing the District, Arlington County,
Alexandria and Fairfax County, in
Virginia, and Prince Georges and
Montgomery Counties in Maryland,
the hospitals in the area were able
to meet the demands for service.
The myriads of defense workers
who have come to this area in the
past few months have entirely
changed that situation. so that at
the present time there is a shortage
of some 800 beds, as well as of nurses
with adequate hospital training.
Such training can only be obtained
in flrst-class hospitals. With the
continued influx of defense workers
the situation is becoming steadily
graver.
I'm our opinion, therefore, the
proposed increase in hospital fscili-
ties for this area, as recommended
by the Health Security Administra-
ton. are urgently necessary, and are
100 per cent defense projects"
Any direct application for loans
or grants for private hospitals in
this area, it was said, would be for
warded to the regional headquarters
at Richmond, and that regional
agents would be sent to make a
personal inspection of present hos
pital facilities. or to study proposed
new projects,