Evening star., 1942-06-04
MeetingtoSt
Nurse Shortage
Called dbyMason
Columbia Hospital
Moy Have to
Close One Ward

taken to meet what is regarded as an
alarming shortage of nurses in
Washington hospitals, Commissioner
Guy Mason said today as he ar
ranged for a conference of hospital
and medical leaders at 2.30 pm. to-
morrow to review the whole picture.
The problem, which has become
more acute in recent weeks because
of the enlistment of many nurses in
the Army and Navy Nursing Corps,
was crystallized by report from
Col. N. L. McDiarmid, superintend-
ent of Columbia Hospital, stating
that one entire ward there may have
to be closed for lack of a sufficient
number of nurses
Commissioner Mason said he had
been advised also that Garfield Hos
pital already has been forced to
close some rooms for the same rea-
son, and he added there was a short
age of nursing personnel at Gal
linger Hospital and the District
tuberculosis Sanatorium at Glenn
Dale, Md.
The Commissioner said one pos
sibility he wished to discuss with
the hospital and medical leaders
would be whether the nursing STATS
of various public and private hos
pitfalls might be pooled, so that num-
bers Of them might be shifted from
place to place wherever there was
the greatest need.
Salaries to Be Considered.
He said the question of the sala-
ries paid nurses here also would
be considered, and that possibly an
appeal might be made to Congress
to help out on the financial situa-
ton.
Discussing the use of nurses aides
to tighten the work of the limited
number of graduate nurses avail
able. Commissioner Mason said it
might be found desirable to urge
that such workers be brought here
from nearby Southern States, al
though he added that this in turn
undoubtedly would accelerate the
housing problem.
1llC SoHCl O1 Oil w dSll-
ington hospitals, except the Mill
tary hospitals, have been asked to
attend tomorrow's session in Com
missioner Mason's Office, along with
Health Officer George C. Rutland,
DR.. Edgar A. Bocock, superintend-
ent of Gallinger; DR.. Daniel Finu-
cane, the Glenn Dale superintend-
ent:; District Budget Officer Walter
L. Fowler and his assistant, Will
liam G.. Wilding, and District Audi
tor Arthur r. Pilkerton.
Meanwhile, as other hospitals re-
ported they are experiencing ex-
'treme difficulty in obtaining enough
nurses to meet the rapidly increas-
ing demands for hospital service,
Miss Edith Beattie, executive sec
retary of the Graduate Nurses Asso-
citation, issued an urgent appeal to
inactive members of the profession
to return to active duty.
Nurses Aides Sought.
She also called on high school
graduates interested in nursing ca
reers and women who can serve
voluntarily as nurses aides to help
relieve the situation. Miss Beattie
pointed out that, there are only
about 5000 graduate nurses regis
tered in Washington today-no
more than the city had before the
war. Information on how they can
help can be obtained at the associa-
tior,s headquarters, at 1746 K street
NV, she said.
Reporting on the situation t,Gar-
field, DR.. Francis j. Eisenmafl, the
superintendent, declared the short
age has reached the critical stage.
Some months ago, he disclosed. Gar
field was forced to close medical
surgical ward containing II beds
because of a lack of nurses.
He paid tribute to members of the
Red Cross nurses aide service who,
he said, have been doing wonder
full job" helping out the regular
nursing corps at Garfield.
Miss Ashby Taylor, director OF
nursing at Children's Hospital, who
has Just returned from a meeting of
UI16 AoSOSldtlOil Al
Chicago, said reports received there
indicated that hospitals throughout
the country are experiencing short
ages of nurses.
B. B. Sandidge, superintendent of
Emergency Hospital, said the situa-
ton there has become so critical
that lay help was being pressed into
nursing duties, working under the
supervision of graduate nurses.
"We're managing to get along"
he said, but the situation isn't get
ting any better. Something will
have to be done to get more nurses"
Supt. Bocock of Gallinger said
the shortage there was not as
marked as at other institutions.
Miss Elizabeth M. Rogers, super
intendent of Casualty Hospital, said
the shortage hasn't been as bad as
1t might be-" but that many addi-
tional graduate nurses are needed.
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