Evening star., 1942-08-21
Priorities Cut
New Hospitals
To.550 Beds
Reduction From 100
Prompts McCorron
To Recheck Needs
By J. A. O'LEARY.


ing reports today from all local hos
pitals on the extent of present
congestion, fearful that the plar
of the Federal Works Agency te
limit emergency new construction
to $50 beds for this Metropolitan
Area may prove inadequate.
The Federal Works Agency ad-
vised him late yesterday that scar.
city of materials has made it nec-
essary to reduce estimates given te
congressional committees earlier ir
the year indicating a need for zoe
hospital beds for the Metropolitan
Area, 800 of which were to have
been in the District and the re.
mainder in surrounding counties
Making it clear he did not be-
lieve this would satisfactorily meet
the situation, Senator McCarrar
Immediately directed r. F. Cana.
lier, committee counsel, to write tc
all local hospitals, asking for the
number of beds available and other
data bearing on the effect of war
time congestion on hospital facil-
ities.
Only $50 for District.
The FWA report showed $50 o1
the new beds would go to Gallingel
Hospital in the District, and the
other 400 apportioned to Alexandra
and Arlington County, in Virginia
and to Montgomery and Prince
Georges Counties, in Maryland.
The report he received yester-
day was in the form of a letter from
Henry j. Sullivan, regional super
visor for this area, addressed to
Brig. Gen. Philip B. Fleming, Fed
eral Works Administrator, who for
warded it to the Senator. 1t read
in part, as follows:
AT the time of the hearings be-
fore the Appropriations Committees
of Senate and House best estimates
OF the Federal Works Agency and
Public Health Service at that time
were presented to indicate what
was then believed to be the need
for additional hospital space in the
Washington Metropolitan Area
"Since the date of the hearings
the availability of materials has
become so serious that our previous
estimates on what could be done
In the area had to be considerably
reduced
Agreement With WPB.
"Recentlv Vol have entered into
an agreement with the War Pro-
duction Board on. criteria for all
construction. Insofar as hospital
construction in concerned, this cri-
terion limits new construction in an
area to four beds per thousand in
taking care of any deficiency in
hospital facilities. Our previous
standard was not less than four
and a half beds per thousand of
population.
I'm order to relieve quickly the
need for hospital space in the WASH
ington Metropolitan Area. it be-
comes necessary to adopt the exist
ing criteria, at least as a first step,
and the following program is now
being recommended to you:
Alexandria, 100 beds; Arlington
100 beds; Bethesda, 100 beds; Prince
Georges County, 100 beds; Gallinger
$50 beds-total $50.
This program is based, first OF
all, on the criterion of four beds
per thousand of population applied
to al, estimated Metropolitan popu-
lation area of 100000.
At four beds per thousand, the
total number of beds which could
be justified under the above criter-
ion would be 4,640 We have found
in our survey, which has been
checked by the United States Pub
lie Health Service in cooperation
with the Health Security Admin.
stration, that there are available In
Washington at this time 4,103 gen.
eral beds. The difference between
4,640 and 4,103 indicates deficien-
cy of 537 beds, which we have
rounded off at $50, are the tota
number of beds recommended in tht
above program.
One-story Construction Advised.
"It has been apparent for soms
time to this Office and to the Pub
lie Health Service that the mos
logical first step would be to distri
butte hospital construction in th'
rapidly growing suburban areas o
Alexandria, Arlington County. Beth
esda in Montgomery County, ant
in a centrally located part of Primo,
Georges County.
Because of the shortage of ma
terials and the impracticability O
being able to obtain elevators, one
story construction of new hospital
Is practically imperative.
1T was agreed between this agen
cy and the United States Publ
Health Service that the best solu
ton would be to recommend a 100
bed addition to the existing Alex
sndria Hospital. which now ha
facilities for rs beds; the construc
ton of new 100-bed hospitals i
Arlington. Bethesda and Primo
Georges County, where there ar
no hospitals today and to construe
facilities for a 150-bed hospital o
vacant land available at the Gallir
ger Hospital site in the District {
Columbia.
Recommended Immediately.
This program should be under
taken Immediately and if it is foun
that the population increase hs
been underestimated or If the crit
eria are too rigid for Washington
we are of the opinion, based upon
survey which has been made. ths
additional temporary facilitie
probably not to exceed $50 to q
more beds, can be provided at Gal
field and Columbia Hospitals
building one or two-story add
tions and making certain chang
and improvements in the existir
institutions, or by constructing add
tional facilities on available land
the Gallinger Hospital. 1t is Of
opinion, however, that this shou
not be done at this time"
Senator McCarran expressed Il
view that a ratio of Az beds p
thousand of population is too low
view OF the thousands OF tempora
u