Evening star., 1942-08-21
Priorities Cut
New Hospitals
To $50 Beds
Reduction From 100
Prompts McCorron
To Recheck Needs
BY ]. A. OLEARY.


of the Federal Works Agency to
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 nee
essary to reduce estimates given tc
congressional committees earlier in
the year indicating a need for 1,70C
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-
heve this would satisfactorily meet
the situation, Senator McCarran
Immediately directed r. F. Cana
lier, committee counsel. to write to
all local hospitals, asking for the
number of beds available and other
data bearing on the effect of war
time congestion on hospital facil-
aties.
Only $50 for District.
The FWA report showed $50 of
the new beds would go to Gallinger
Hospital in the District, and the
other 400 apportioned to Alexandria
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.
Recently you 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 an 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 Admini-
stration, that there are available in
Washington at this time 4,1O3 gen.
eral beds. The difference between
4,640 and 4,l03 indicates a def1cien-
cy of 537 beds, which we have
rounded off at $50, are the total
number of beds recommended in the
above program.
One-story Construction Advised.
1T has been apparent for some
time to this Office and to the Pub
lie Health Service that the most
logical first step would be to distri-
butte hospital construction in the
rapidly growing suburban. areas of
Alexandria, Arlington County, Beth
esda in Montgomery County, and
in centrally located part of Prince
Georges County.
Because of the shortage of ma
terials and the impracticabiiity of
being able to obtain elevators, one
story construction of new hospitals
Is practically imperative.
1T was agreed between this agen-
ey and the United States Public
Health Service that the best solu-
ton would be to recommend 100
bed addition to the existing Alex
andria Hospital. which now has
facilities for IS beds: the construc-
tion Of new 100-bed hospitals ir
Arlington, Bethesda and Prince
Georges County, where there are
no hospitals today and TO construc,
facilities for 150-bed hospital or
vacant land available at the Calm
ger Hospital site in the District ol
Columbia.
Recommended Immediately.
This program should be under
taken Immediately and if it is found
that the population increase has
been underestimated or if the crit
eria are too rigid for Washington
we are of the opinion. based upon 8
survey which has been made, thai
additional temporary facilities
probably not to exceed $50 to 20|
more beds, can be provided at Gar
field and Columbia Hospitals b,
building one or two-story addi
tions and making certain change
and Improvements in the existing
institutions, or by constructing addi
tional facilities on available land a
the Gallinger Hospital. 1t is ou
opinion, however, that this shoul'
not be done at this time"
Senator McCarran expressed tn
view that a ratio of Al beds pc
thousand of population is too low II
view of the thousands of temporar
residents now in this area, who, II
the event of serious illness coul,
not be cared for in their ivin
quarters.