Evening star., 1942-04-05
Fairfax Citizens Ask
Sc, 500 County Fund
For disqualification
$1,000 PIunned for
INDECENT Patients Care
Held Far Too SmuII

Fairfax County Va) residents
yesterday were urged by DR.. Will
liam Chase, chairman of the Hos
pitalization Committee of the coun-
ty Community Chest, to appear be-
fore the county Board of Super
viSors at its budget hearing We'd
nesday to request an appropriation
of $500 for the care Of INDECENT
sick in the county during the next
fiscal year.
The proposal by the county board
that only $1,000 be appropriated for
this item has precipitated a con-
troversy between the board on the
one hand and the Fairfax County
Community Chest and the Health
Security Administration in Wash
ington on the other.
Fuel has been added to the argu-
ment by the recent action of Al
eXandria Hospital officials in
refusing to admit charity and part
charity cases from Fairfax County
except those of critical nature.
County board officials claim that
the supervisors have provided for
the care of all INDECENT cases which
were authorized by the board to
receive disqualification. The officials
maintain that many so-ca1led char
ity patients are perfectly able to
pay their bills and should not be
saddled on the county"
"a Drop in the Bucket"
DR.. Chase and willard C. Smith,
administrator of the Health Secur-
ity Administration, have insisted
that the proposed $4,000 appropria-
ton is just "a drop in the bucket, "
compared with the problem of pro-
viding hospital and clinic care to
Fairfax County residents unable to
provide their own medical and
health necessities.
Last years cost of disqualification
of INDECENT and partly INDECENT
county residents was approximately
S23,500, DR.. Chase said yesterday
adding that the cost during the COM
ing fiscal year probably will ex-
ceed that figure. He also expressed
fear that Washington hospitals will
join with the Alexandria Hospital
in closing their doors to charity pa
tients from Fairfax County.
'The situation is most serious
one" DR.. Chase declared. Even
if the board appropriates s8,50O
which is added to the Chest fund
of $4,000, the amount will still be
less than half of the disqualification
bill for indigents this year"
In a recent letter to DR.. Chase
Mr.. Smith asserted that of the more
than $4,000 spent for care of in
digent sick in Fairfax County last
year, only $2,704 was paid for by
Fairfax tax funds. The remainder
was paid by the Fairfax Community
Chest and other charitable organi-
cations. he said.
G.. Wallace Carper, chairman OF
the county board, has charged Alex
andria Hospital officials with act
ing in a "hasty and ill-considered
manner" in refusing to admit Fair
fax charity patients.
Protested to Hospital.
In a letter last night to Robert
G. Whitton, business manager ano
treasurer of the hospital, Mr.. Carpel
asserted that the board has paid
the bill of every INDECENT patient
admitted to the hospital where such
disqualification was authorized by
the board or by the county super
intendent of public welfare. Any
other bills for disqualification fur
nished INDECENT residents of the
county are not the boards respon-
sibility, he declared yesterday.
THE 5000 appropriation which
has been suggested for this item
(See FAIRFAX, Page Bid