Evening star., 1942-01-20
Monday Evening Club
Hears Of Health and
Morale Needs
Authority Over Handlers
Of Food and Additional
Nurses Recommended

Nurses Recommended
The need of improved health, rec
reation and housing facilities to
maintain health and morale in the
Capital during the present war
emergency was stressed by speakers
last night at the monthly meeting
of the Monday Evening Club, held
in the Y. w. C. A., Seventeenth and
K streets NV.
AS an immediate step in prevent
ing the spread of disease, DR.. Daniel
L. Seckinger, assistant health officer,
urged legislation giving the Health
Department authority to insure that
no person suffering from a COM
municable disease be allowed to
serve food in any eating place. He
suggested that the authority extend
to boarding houses.
DR.. Seckinger also declared an ad-
ditional number Of public nurses
are needed Immediately At present,
he said, there are only 95 and these
are forced to. spend II per cent Of
their time to clinical work, due to
present demands. Under standards
recommended by the United States
Public Health Service the city. with
an estimated population Of 10000
should have 237 nures, he said. The
Health Department, he said, has
asked for appropriations for an ad-
ditional ITO nurses.
Sees Big Health Task.
DR.. Seckinger urged that persons
suffering from severe colds Or other
ailments stay at home for a time
to keep from spreading the all
ments. General preventative health
work, with the rapidly increasing
population, is going to be tremen-
dous, the assistant health officer
said.
Hugo Wolter, director Of recrea-
tional service of the Civilian De-
fense Council, suggested sufficient
appropriations be made to insure
adequate recreational facilities here.
With the rapidly increasing popula-
ton, additional facilities for recrea-
ton will be needed to help keep up
morale. he said.
In line with the recreational prob
lem the club adopted a resolution
to empower its Executive Committee
to request that the club be heard
before a Senate group on a bill
pending which would create recre-
alton board and define the boards
duties. The board, it was pointed
out, would coordinate the various
recreational agencies and facilities
here. The motion was adopted after
Miss Sibyl Baker, director of COM
munity centers, had outlined efforts
made over a period of years to i'm
prove recreational facilities here.
Housing Code Urged.
Miss Helen Shuford, supervisor Of
tenant selection of the Alley Dwell
ing Authority, urged enactment of
a housing code" to govern housing
standards. In answer to question,
she expressed some doubt as to
whether the $4,000 additional hous-
ing units will be built here by July
J. as has been estimated, including
some 1880 by private interests and
$500 by public agencies.
The Districts water supply prob
lem was outlined by David Auld OF
the District Department of Sani-
tary Engineering. Plans were made |
in 1885 for water and sewer facin- |
ties to take care of the city's esti-
mated population for 1850, he said,
but that population already has
been reached. he said. There are
sufficient piping facilities, however,
he indicated, to take care of a con-
siderable increase over the present
population. He expressed the view
that the city will be given priority
for needed water pipes, etc.
Robert L. Haycock, first assistant
superintendent of schools, speaking
generally on the health problem.
urged daily health habits, education
OF children and parents in health
programs and advocated more fire.
quent examinations of school chill
dren, in cooperation with the Dis
trict health authorities. DR.. Seek
niger, the assistant health officer, in
answer to question, declared the
Health Department should have ad-
ditional personnel to aid in exami-
nation of school children.
Cites Health Councils.
Mr.. Haycock said school health
councils have been established in
Junior high schools with a view to
cooperating in finding ailments
with which school children are suf-
fering and to make treatment Of
those ailments available.
John Ihlder, executive officer of
the Alley Dwelling Authority, who
presided, expressed some alarm over
possible results in the event of an
air raid here. In this connection,
he suggested that If all the buildings
are filled. there would be quite a
shortage of housing facilities if some
of them were bombed.
The meeting was opened by Miss
Louise Mcclure, president of the
club, who turned the chair over to
Mr.. Ihlder.