Evening star., 1941-08-10
Three Hospitals Seek
S5,960,000 u. 5. Aid
For New Buildings
Garfield and Columbia
To Expund;; Arlington
Plans Institution

TIUHS INSTITUTION
Continued From Page BID
fied couples and young people who
get married who are of the So
called "child-bearing age" has load
ed up the maternity wards of Wash
ington hospitals beyond capacity,
DR.. Ramsey explained. One hospital
has closed its visitors rooms and
put maternity beds in rooms which
never were intended for hospital
beds.
No Beds Available.
The extreme shortage of ma
ternity beds in Washington hos
pitfalls here was recently demon
strated when an expectant mother
came all the way to Washington
Tor care. could not find a maternity
bed and had to return to a hos
pital at La Plata, in Charles Coun-
ty, Md.
d Up to- the middle of last year
washington hospitals were able to
meet demands, but now hospital
population, according to Health Sc
Curity Administration figures. is vir-
fually at the peak which it reached
during the worst weather of last
winter.
/ The biggest project now under
consideration, for Garfield Hospital,
was handled for the institution by
Che Building Committee of which
Frederick M. Bradley, lawyer, is
chairman. The new Garfield build
Ing is designed to be erected on the
south slope of the grounds, between
The present parking space and the
street. 1t would increase the capac-
3ty of the hospital by $50 beds, and
Eould make Garfield big medical
tenter.
{ The new building would expand
khe already large maternity section
cf the hospital and provide more
wards, an X-ray department, physio
sherapy department and admins
trative Offices, according to DR.. F.
o. Eissman, superintendent. The
but patient department would be
located on the Florida avenue level.
Eventually about two-thirds of the
Did hospital would be torn down,
he said. The bed capacity OF the
hospital would be increased to 80l.
4 Arlington Hospital Plans.
I The new hospital for Arlington is
sponsored by the Arlington Hospital
Association, whose president. Gill
bert L. Hall, attorney. filed the ap-
plication for S1.260.000, part loan
and part grant. Two structures
would be erected on the 16-acre
tract on North Sixteenth street,
Arlington County, near Lee high
way. One would be the hospital
itself and the other would be nurses
quarters.
: A feature of the institution would
be that the first and second stories
Of one wing of the hospital, with a
separate entrance, would be used for
all the county health department
activities which now are housed in
many different places,
The new Columbia Hospital build
ing. for rs beds, at a cost of S700,0 900,
would be erected west of the present
hospital property at Twenty-flfth
and L streets NV. known as
clinical and surgical addition, it
would provide for female surgery
and gynecology, with operating
rooms, and quarters for the resident
staff This would relieve the present
institution of these activities for use
in maternity cases, and SO about
double the maternity capacity.
A new nurses home is also
planned. Paul E. LeSh, attorney and
vice president of the hospital, has
been active in handling legal phases
of the new proposed expansion.
Capt. Chester Wells is president OF
the board of Columbia, and has
taken much interest in the proposal.
Commissioners Letter.
The District Commissioners, in
their letter written by Commissioner
Guy Mason, certified that all pri-
vate hospitals in Washington, Ar
lington and Fairfax Counties, and
Alexandria, Va, and those in Prince
Georges and Montgomery Counties
in Maryland were in the Capital
metropolitan area and as such came
under the community facilities pro-
vision of the Lanham Act.
I Other hospital proposals are
known to be under consideration in
the metropolitan area. officials of
Emergency Hospital are known to
be making a careful study, practically
all other hospitals are said to be
"studying their potentiality.
In regard to the new ward build
ing for Gallinger Hospital, this pro-
posed S650,000 project would be one
of the major items in the $4,000, 900
program being developed by the
Commissioners for financing under
the Lanham Act.
Health Officer George C. Rutland
has been seeking funds for the new
ward building as we'll as for con-
valescent home for patients at the
Glenn Dale Md Tuberculosis
Sanatoria and for construction of a
health cented in the lower North
west. The District now has funds
only for purchase of a site for the
projected center.
DR.. Rutland placed the ward
building for first choice and 1t was
reported Yesterday the Commits
sioners have decided to include this
item in their s6,000.000 program.
The building would provide 200 beds
for children and $50 beds for ma
territv roces