Evening star., 1942-09-03
Mental Hygiene
Bureau Asked in
Health Budget
S4,O58,42o Requested
Represents Increase
Of$388,2 ,292

Budget requests to provide for
more than 100 new employees IN tne
various units of the Health Depart
ment were included in 1914 estimates
released yesterday by the Commits
sioners, calling for total expendi-
ture of S4,058, ,429, an increase OF
s388, 1872 over the l943 appropriation.
Included is an item of s28,340 to
establish a new Bureau Of Mental
Hygiene. This item has been among
the departments requests for the
last several years but has been re-
jected.
"A mental hygiene program" the
department explained, Ito the de-
gree to which it is given public sup
port. can reduce both crime and
mental disease. 1t can definitely
keep certain classes of individuals
from becoming inmates of the penal
institutions or of the mental hos
pitals." 1t was pointed out that 7
per cent of all selective service re-
jections have been due to neuropsy-
chiatric conditions.
$3.50, 0,661 Asked for Glenn Dale.
An increase in the appropriation
for the Glenn Dale tuberculosis San
itoria from 1886 to s95o,661 was
asked. partly to engage 80 new en-
ployes at, a cost of sac, $50. The de-
partment would like to create new
position of senior medical officer at
IS 500 a year to assist the superin-
tendent in his duties. Other in
creases are asked to provide for
higher costs of supplies and equip
ment.
A corresponding increase for the
tuberculosis Hospital at Fourteenth
and Upshur streets NV, from $780,
920 to $158,893, is requested.
At Gallinger Hospital, it is esti-
mated, S1,426,987 will be needed
for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1914, instead of the 81 .381 SAT appro-
priated for l943. This amount In
cludes nine new positions, one OF
which would be an assistant super
intendent at $500 year An in
crease of only 50 400 over the $450.-
900 allotted last year for general
maintenance was asked for in the
new budget request. According to
the department, fewer patients are
being treated at the hospital now
than at any time during the last
year.
No Increase for Supplies.
No increase in the appropriation
for food and other commodities was
sought on the ground that such fu-
ture prices ncannot be predicted at
the present time with any degree of
ACCURACY" "zaa1d in the belief that
ceilings VIII operate 10 keep many
of the prices within the present
range.
Fourteen new positions would be
created in the Medical Services unit
and several others would be reclas-
sified under plans presented in the
request for 1914 budget of $685.
500, instead of the 725,5l0 granted
for l943. Most of the new person.
mel would work in the Bureau of
Maternal and Child Welfare which,
it is estimated, will be required to
hold 187 weekly clinic sessions dur
ing the. budget year. The estimates
call for three additional attending
physicians and 10 junior clinic aides.
An additional 20 junior graduate
nurses have been requested for the
Nursing Bureau, along with one
senior supervisor. The new nurses,
it was, estimated, would cost s32, 400
in salaries, $4,000 for equipment,
$1,000 for transportation and $500
for supplies.
Number of Items Increased.
Other requests presented to the
Commissioners by the department
include:
For laboratories, $40, 1874, compared
to s66,510 for 1943.
| Inspections, $257,779, compared
with s2o1, $40.
Medical charities, s23o,0oo; COM
pared with $211,200.
Emergency Hospital, s55,00o, the
same as 1943
Casualty Hospital, $4,000, COM
pared with s55,000.
The Washington Home for Incur.
ables, $4,000, the same as for 1o43.
The Columbia Hospital and Lying
in Asylum, $1,000 as compared with
$11, 200 in the 1943 budget. The ad-
ditional 5000 last year was for spe-
cial repairs.
The amount of Government aid
expected in 1914 from various Fed
eral agencies is s341 400 as compared
with 1862 ,297 estimated for I943.