Evening star., 1942-06-23
Farley Backs
Plan for Nearby
Area Hospitals
District and Federal
Officials Agree on
Solution to Problem


District and Federal officials ten
tatively were agreed today on a
plan to solve the Capitals hospital
bed shortage through construction
of several hospitals in the nearby
counties of Maryland and Virginia.
The program would add an esti-
mated 300 to 900 beds to the present
$500 serving the Metropolitan Area.
it was stated.
Although the need has been esti-
mated at about 1000 beds, officials
felt priorities on materials and
fund limitations would not permit
anything beyond the scope of the
present plan.
The agreement resulted from a
conference yesterday at the District
Building between representatives OF
the Federal Works Agency. the Fed
eral Security Agency and District
officials over the most economical
solution to the problem of finding
additional beds here.
Under the plan. Federal funds
authorized by the Lanham Act for
community facilities in war centers
would be used to build a l50-bed
hospital in Arlington County. a 100
bed hospital in Prince Georges
County one of 100-beds in Bethesda.
Montgomery County. and a small
25-bed addition TO the hospital at
Sandy Spring, Montgomery County.
Patients $50 Non-Residents.
Commissioner Guy Mason ex-
planned after the conference that
IS per cent of the patients in local
hospitals are non-residents, mostly
from the surrounding counties. He
said provision of the hospitals in the
counties might vacate as many as
300 beds in the District institutions.
The plan also contemplates con-
struction and stating Of an addl-
ton of perhaps $50 beds at Gallinger
Hospital. to which would be trans
ferred indigent patients now cared
for in private hospitals at District
expense. Mr.. Mason explained that
this would free additional beds in
the private hospitals and that all
private hospital beds would be avail
able for pay patients.
Construction of a nurses dorml-
tory at Columbia Hospital in under
consideration. with the present
nurses quarters to be turned into
hospital service. Similarly an ola
school at Thirtv-sixth and Prospect
streets NV. will be remodeled into
a nurses home for Georgetown Hos
pital with present nurses quarters
being converted for patients.
To Survey Other Hospitals.
Mr.. Mason disclosed that FWA
engineer and a doctor are planning
to visit Sbley and Garfield Hos
pitals to see if similar arrange
ment regarding nurses quarters
might not be worked out there and
thus make available still more beds.
The theory is, he explained, that
construction of temporary dorml-
tories for nurses would be less costly
and more satisfactory than building
the additions as hospitals.
Mr.. Mason said some of the pres
sure on Gallinger probably would be
relaxed with the transfer of $50 con-
valescents from Glenn Dale Tuber-
culosis Sanatoria to the old tubercu-
losiS hospital at Thirteenth and Up
shur streets NV. which is to be
remodeled with funds in the 1943
District budget. After disposing of
the convalescents. Glenn Dale will
then be in a position to take over
most of Gallinger's tuberculosis load,
he indicated.
Plans for remedying the hospital
situation have been the subject of
study for many months by both
officials and representatives of the
hospitals. At one time it was
planned to build additions to several
local hospitals on ground donated
by the hospitals but this was later
abandoned as being too costly and
not answering the problem, accord
ing to officials.
Deadlock Ties Up Money.
The money to carry out this ten
| tatively accepted program is now
tied up in the so-called District
housing appropriation bill for Wash
ington and the Metropolitan Area.
under which sl7,5OO,0O0 is allocated
for community facilities. The dead
lock between the House and Senate
has not affected this section of the
measure, disagreement being over
whether family dwellings should be
built here as we'll as dormitories for
incoming war workers. The Senate
inserted s12.50O 900 in the measure
for private family dwellings which
| the House has refused to accept.
Those attending yesterdays con-
ference which was called at the in
stance of the Civilian Mobilization
Committee of the civilian defense
set-up. included in addition to Mr..
Mason. Charles P. Taft of the Fed
ersl Security Agency; Frank Sulli-
, van of II Federal Works Agency:
James Bruno of FSA; DR.. Vernon
Fogue of the Public Health Service:
Welfare Director Conrad Van Hyn-
ing. chairman Of the mobilization
group. and DR.. William White. Har-
AID Lund and Mrs. Olive Swinney,
oil of tho MohiljZatiOn Committee