Evening star., 1941-09-05
Prince Georges Boart
AssaiIed for Failure
To Provide Hospital
Official Fears Lack
Of Facilities Nay Add
Peril to Polio Outbreak

A charge that the Prince Georges
County Board of Commissioners is
taking a shortsighted view in fall
ing to provide hospital facilities
in the county, when similar facili-
ties in Washington are already over
crowded, was made today by DR..
Leslie French. chairman of the Hos
pital Committee of the County Medi-
cal Society.
Concern that. the recent outbreak
of infantile paralysis and other
communicable diseases may be
greatly aggravated by a lack OF
proper disqualification was expressed
by the physician.
Meanwhile, the Prince Georges
County Civic Federation, which in
stituted the fight for a hospital sew
eral years ago. met last night and
called upon the county commits
sioners to decide upon final plans
for the institution.
The commissioners were asked to
meet with the federation's Hospital
Committee, headed by Frank Fier-
stein, at pm Wednesday in the
Bladensburg fire hall.
The Star was commended by the
federation for cooperating in pub
licizing the civic body's efforts to
obtain county hospital.
The county commissioners have
been authorized by recent legisla-
ton to issue 100000 in bonds to
provide for a hospital and the
medical society and several civic
organization are now seeking to
obtain a Federal Works Agency
grant of 100000 additional to pro-
ide for 100000 institution some
where in the county within Is
mile radius of Washington.
Fears Polio Epidemic.
THE county health officer has
fears of an epidemic of poliomyelitis
If something is not done about hos
pitalization," DR.. French said.
Yesterday DR.. J. M. Byers, county
health officer, disclosed IA cases Of
infantile paralysis have been re-
ported during the months of July
and August. He said incidence Of the
disease reported this year is double
the number previously reported in
any year.
In a letter to DR.. French the
county health officer declared:
The County Health Department
has been experiencing considerable
difficulty, to put it mildly. in getting
communicable disease cases hos
pitalized. This has been true for
all of the major communicable dis
eases, including diphtheria, typhoid
fever and acute poliomyelitis, as well
as certain INDECENT prenatal cases
and the general run of INDECENT
medical and surgical cases.
THE difficulty of getting county
residents hospitalized has rapidly
increased in the last year and now
has reached point at which if any
adequate hospital facilities are not
provided in the immediate future
for Prince Georges County there
is grave danger that the control
of communicable diseases, especial
ly diseases of the epidemic form as
acute poliomyelitis or influenza,
would completely collapse under the
added strain"
Population Burdened.
Pointing to the already over
crowded conditions in Washington
hospitals, DR.. French said there are
only two communicable disease hos
pitals in this area-Gallinger Hos
pital in Washington and Sydenham
Hospital in Baltimore.
Federal Works Agency funds
would be made available at this
time, he said, because of the added
burden of a population increased
by workers engaged in defense
projects in this area.
An application for F. w. A. funds
must be accompanied by plans and
specifications of all construction
costs and an architectural firm has
agreed to prepare such plans with
out charge with the understanding
that it would be retained if the
project is approved, DR.. Byers said
The county commissioners have
declined to agree to such an under
standing with the architects, DR.
French said. A conference with
F. w. A. officials at Richmond, Va,
last week led representatives of the
medical society to believe the grant
could be obtained If the commits
sioners approved the application,
Dr.. French said.