Evening star., 1941-06-08


patients at the rate of 81 30 per
age of District patients was one OF
the arguments used by the House
committee in throwing out a st.
Elizabeth's budget request from the
1912 Interior Department budget.
Investigation yesterday showed
that for the years 1881 through 194l,
the District has paid st. Elizabeth's
S23 ,466 1925 for maintenance Of its
patients there. The other patients.
from the armed forces. are charge
able to Federal funds, but 1t was
pointed out that the District con-
tributes its share even of the Federal
money spent on the institution
through payment Of Federal taxes
by District residents. District resi-
dents paid in Federal taxes during
the fiscal year 1910 more than any
one of 81 States and more than the
total contributions of seven States
combined.
Load Reduction Plans.
Various plans are now under con-
sideration for reducing the District
load at the hospital. The Health
Department, for instance, is con-
vinced that an expanded venereal
disease program and the introduc-
ton of a mental hygiene clinic
would serve to reduce the number
Of commitments The department
sought Sl1.600 to establish such a
clinic in the next fiscal year. but
the item was not approved by the
Commissioners. Some groups have
asked its restoration.
1t Is also suggested that an in
stitution such as the Home for the
Aged if adequately equipped and
stated. could handle a number of
the patients now committed to st.
Elizabeths at a cheaper rate than
the District is paying the hospital.
The type of patient this suggestion
has in mind is the senile person who
is not troublesome and requires
only care and custody. 1t IS ad-
mitted at St. Elizabeth's that there
are some of this type patient who
could be cared for by such an in
stitution and it is being considered
in connection with the proposed
District Welfare Center in nearby
Maryland or Virginia. Under the
welfare center plan. the Home for
the Aged would be probably the
first of four institutions to be moved
TO the suburban plant.
At least part Of the District prob
lem in its dealings with the hospital
is the number of "crackpots" who
straggle into the Capital to give the
President or other officials a piece
Of their mind. These persons are
referred to Gallinger Hospital
psychopathic ward and often are
temporarily detained in St. Eliza
beth's at District expense until ar
rangements can be made with the
welfare agencies in their home
States to take them back While
this is reciprocal arrangement
under which the States do likewise
with District patients. the District
by virtue of its National Capital
status is believed to carry a full
load. Thus far this year, the Dis
trict has handled 152 such cases.
Although they had no definite
breakdown on the figures, welfare
officials haZarded guess that the
period such patients remain in the
hospital might average a month, at
the per diem rate.
For permanent care at the insti-
tuition at District expense. a person
must be resident of the District of
one year and INDECENT. Partial pay
ments are charged after investiga-
| ton of the prospective patients
financial status, when the COM
mittment is made by District Court.
Acting Welfare Director Conrad Van
Hyning explained. The welfare de-
partment is the collecting agency of
this money.
District Cases Double.
District cases in the institution
have doubled in the last IS years.
In 1926 there were 2,124 and in 1910,
1856. incidentally, according to DR..
Winfred Overholser, superintendent
of the hospital. the rate OF mental
patients per 100000 population Is
higher here than in many other
States. The figure here is 625. he
said, compared to around 500 for
New York
The present arrangement for
handling District mental cases is not
a,,
fare authorities, it is understood. AS
the situation stands, they are simply
the paying agency and have no con.
troll whatsoever of commitments
which are made by the Commission
on Mental Health through District
Court. This means that the num-
Der OF patients and consequently the
expense can rise without their being
able to do anything about it. Thus,
when the welfare annual budget is
prepared, a very large item which
boosts the total to large figure is
the St Elizabeths item-money
some one else is spending for them,
In the 1912 budget now before Con-
gress, for instance, the estimate for
ST. Ellzabeths patients Is S2,956. 500
or about a quarter of the entire
welfare budget.
One Of the other institutions
which the appropriations unit mem
toned in its report was the Colum-
bia Institution for the Deaf, or more
specifically Gallaudet College. This
college is the only college for deaf in
the world. The Kendall School,
part of the Columbia Institution for
the Deaf-is used by the District
Board of Education for its deaf
charges. The District annually
spends more than $4,000 for the
education of the children there. A
graduate Of Kendall, however, is not
automatically entered II, raIIsuSot