Greenbelt cooperator., 1942-05-29
DR.. Silagy Loses Arbitration
Decision To Former Directors;
Dowrick Resigns As President
Year-old Controversy
Ended by Verdict

AAANSu Oy SA uA\S
A decision by the American
Arbitration Association has brought
to an end the year-old contro-
versy of the Greenbelt Health As
sociation. The arbitration board,
on the basis of two hearings and
voluminous evidence, has render
ed an opinion that the "old board
of directors" of the Association
acted within its rights and in the
best interests of the Association
interminating the services of DIR.
Joseph Silagy last summer.
Arbitrators Stanley l. Posner
and DIR. Dean A. Clark criticized
methods followed by the directors
in two instances, but gave the
decision to them on each of the
three questions which had been
submitted. DIR. Samuel C. Bukantz,
the third arbitrator, offered a
minority opinion.
Controversy Reviewed
The controversy which seems to
have originally developed from
difference of opinion among doc
tors on the Associations medical
staff divided the board of directors
during the spring of 1941 and
spread into the membership.
DIR. S. R. Berenberg, Business
Manager William R. Stewart,
President Ed Weitsman, Secretary
Donald H. Cooper, Editor Sam
Misler, and several committee
chairmen stepped down from Off
cial positions with the G. H. A.
as the ill-will went into the sum-
mer months. Arguments gravitated
around the type of contract to be
offered to physicians, with Direc-
tors Walther and Chinitz and DIR.
Silagy opposing majority of the
board.
1t will be recalled that at a
spectacular meeting of the Assoc
iation membership September d,
1941, Directors Howard C. Custer,
W. R. Volckhausen, Mrs. Margar-
ct Zorach, Mrs. Mary Shorb, DIR.
Lincoln Clark, Ed Walther, and
Mrs. Aaron Chinitz resigned pro-
vided the controversy between a
majority of the board and DIR.
Silagy be submitted to arbitra-
ton. Termination of the services
of DR.. Silagy was revoked at this
meeting.
A new board, consisting of
Stewart Dowrick, Sam Creggar,
Hermann DuBuy, Sherrod East,
Curtis Barker, Eugene Hesse, and
Bernard Jones finally agreed to
arbitration of the argument De-
cember 3, 1871, after a second
membership order to his effect in
October.
In the meantime Drs. Mary and
Clesson Richardson, appointed to
the medical staff by the old board,
resigned after stating that they
found the practice of medicine i'm
possible under the unpleasant con-
ditions which prevailed. The
Health Association row was alleged
to have been factor in last falls
Town Council elections. So bitter
did feeling run throughout these
months that friends quit speaking
to each other, rumors ran through
the town like wildfre, and num-
erous lawsuits were threatened.
Health Association membership
dropped from a high of 387 famil-
les last May to 315 at the present,
while the town nearly doubled it's
population.
Verdict Quoted
In regard to the first question
for arbitration, care the charges
against DR.. Silagy :. true or
false?" the arbitrators considered
four allegations:
/. "After refusing to sign the
agreement which he had pre-
viously approved, DIR. Silagy in
formed the Board that he had
submitted it to the A. M. A. for
their consideration pointing out
certain issues he though might
arouse A. M. A. objections. While
the Board had no objections to
the submission of its plan to rec
ognized medical bodies, neverthe-
less the manner in which this was
done did not appear to indicate
that Dr. Silagy was acting in the
best interests of the Association
of cooperative medicine. He
failed to consult the medical ad-
visors who had helped draft the
plan and he did not consult your
Board. Turning the contract over
to a body which had recently been
convicted in a Federal Court with