Evening star., 1942-09-27
Health Committee
Reports on Need
For Hospitals
CiviIion Defense Group
Cites Need for Maternity
Beds in Crowded Copitol

NIfeS Nee0 TOT MutetHiiy
Beds in Crowded Copitul
A report. based on study OF hos.
pital conditions in the District and
nearby communities and outlining
plans for the addition of 1887 beds,
has been submitted to the Commits
sioners and to Chairman McCarran
of the Senate District Committee
by the Health Committee of the
Civilian Mobilization Division OF
the Metropolitan Area of Civilian
Defense, 1t was announced yester-
day.
At the same time, DR.. William
Charles White of the National In
stitute of Health and chairman of
the Health Committee. expressed
satisfaction with efforts being made
by local health agencies, in cooper
alton with Federal authorities, to
increase existing hospital facilities.
DR.. White said the shortage of
maternity beds was described to the
committee as being the most Sc
rious bottleneck in the private hos
pital situation"
Calls Situation Critical.
The chairman asserted the in
crease in population has created
an emergency which is well known
to be critical"
THE Health Committee" he said,
has also envisaged the additional
demand created by bombing or pos
sible epidemic"
The report prepared by the COM
mittee calls for an addition of 600
beds to Gallinger Hospital, SOS beds
to six different hospitals in Mary
land and Virginia, and 222 beds to
three private hospitals.
At Gallinger Hospital, 1t is rec
commended that $50 beds be added
for pediatric cases, $50 for mater
nifty cases Cncluding bassinets), 1OO
for chronic disease cases and 1OC
for venereal disease patients. To
provide adequate care for this in
crease, additional housing should be
provided for 100 resident physicians
and internes and 100 nurses, the
report states, and the buildings
should be improved to allow for tn,
expansion of laundry facilities, re-
conditioning of the coal-burnins
plant and connecting passageways
Nearby Expansions Cited.
DR.. Whites committee reported
the expansion of hospital facilitie.
IN nearby communities not only
would provide badly needed accom-
modatiors for those areas but woult
materially relieve the pressure fo
space on institutions in the Distric
itself.
The civilian defense health prou,
suggested new building to taxi
care OF $50 beds in Arlington Coun
ty, 100 beds in what amounts vir
tually to new building in Alex
andria, $50 beds in Prince George
County, Is additional beds at Sand
Springs, in Montgomery County, 10
oeds IN Bethesda, Md, and 40 bed
In Greenbelt to take care of tn
5000 residents in that communit
ana to provide a hospital for &C
cldent cases in the area.
The committee also suggests tn
erection OF a new wing at Columbi
hospital to provide for 70 new bed
new wing at Garfield Hospital fe
l2O additional beds and the cor
version OF nurses quarters 8
Georgetown Hospital to allow fc
80 new beds.
Nurses to Occupy School.
Nurses at Georgetown Hospita
under the committees plan. woul
be moved into an abandoned scho<
building adjoining the hospits
buildings after the school was reno
waited at cost OF about $1,000
Under plans approved by Commis
sloner Mason and being studied b
the Federal Works Agency, facil1
ties at Georgetown Hospital woul
be further increased by razing thre
old buildings on the premises an
building a new wing to provide fe
another 100 beds.
On the basis of As beds per l 0(
population, the committee foun
several months ago the Dlstri.
needed an additional 1,484 beds Q
the basis of current population est
mates.
Members Of the committee ir
clude: Miss Gertrude Bowling, d.
rector of the Instructive Visitin
Nurses Society and chairman of tt
Health Committee of the Counc
OF Social Agencies; Ray Everett
executive secretary of the Soci.
Hygiene Society; DR.. Harold ]
Hertford, dental surgeon; Harold I
Lund, executive secretary of til
District tuberculosis Association
Or. Harold H. Kerr, DR.. Winfre
Overholser, superintendent of S
Elizabeth's Hospital; 3. B. Sandidg
superintendent of Emergency Hos
pltal, and Mrs. Harlan Fiske Ston
chairman of the Public Healt
Nursing Committee of the Distrit
Health Department. Dr.. George {
Rutland, District health Office
acted as an advisor.