Evening star., 1943-02-27
Hospitals 10 Boost
Minimum MONTHLY
Pay Of Nurses SIS
Trade Board Committee
On Public Health Hears
Reports on Problems

A $25 boost in the basic pay OF
nurses in local hospitals, raising the
monthly minimum from $100 to $125,
will be put into effect Monday, the
Washington Board of Trades Public
Health Committee was told at a
luncheon meeting at the Harrington
Hotel yesterday afternoon.
The announcement was made by
O. K. Fike, chairman of the board S
Hospital Facilities subcommittee,
who estimated that the increase will
involve an additional output of BE-
tween s5oo,ooo and 100000 a year.
In order to spread a part Of this
financial burden to the public, 1t
also was announced, the daily charge
for each hospital room will be in
creased by so cents.
Mr.. Fike reported that hospital
heads appeared to be unanimous in
the opinion that the nursing situ-
alton had reached its most critical
stage. He said he had met with
them and that they agreed a higher
pay level was vital to satisfactory
operation Of hospitals.
Raised Last Summer.
Increased salaries for nurses was
one of the first suggestions offered
for solution of the growing nursing
shortage. A raise in the basic pay
from $50 to $100 was put into effect
last summer after study had been
carried on by special hospital COM
mittee under the direction of Com
missioner Guy Mason.
This second increase within a year
will not change other allowances
made to nurses. AS in the past, they
will continue to receive two meals
and laundry in addition to their
salary.
The nursing problem was only one
Of several topics taken up at the
meeting, arranged especially to ac-
quaint the committee with the pres
ent status of the hospital situation.
Other speakers were DR.. w. Calhoun
Sterling. chairman of the Inter-
Professional Conference; James
Russell Clark, director of the War
time Service Bureau of the Amer
ican Hospital Association, and
Everett w. Jones, chief hospital
consultant of the War Production
Board and the guiding figure in the
recent acknowledgement pro-
gram to supply local hospitals with
additional beds without resorting to
more than a minimum Of new con-
struction.
The meeting marked one OF the
first public appearances here of Mr..
Clark, who will be in charge of the
Washington Office of the Wartime
Service Bureau, scheduled to be
opened next week in the old Draper
mansion at Seventeenth and K
streets NV. The bureau will serve
as a liaison between Government
agencies and the American Hospital
Association.
DIR. Sterling Makes Report.
DR.. Sterling gave a report on the
work OF the Inter-P Professional Con-
ference, a group whose organization
he said represented the fist time in
the Nations Capital that leaders
In medicine. pharmacy, dentistry
nursing and the hospital field have
organized for joint action.
Mr.. Jones, who left the director
ship Of a large hospital in Albany.
N. Y, to take over the WPB post.
told the committee that hospital
projects still are coming in to the
War Production Board at a rate of
from 100 to 200 a week.
If you think you're hard up for
hospital beds in Washington" he
saidsin connection with report that
he Just had returned from a trip to
the West Coast, you would think
you are in clover If qou knew how
hard up at least $50 other cities
are"
Mr. Jones said hospitals had been
slow in waking up to the situation,
but that, after they had become
aware Of the Nations war produc-
ton problem, they had been highly
cooperative.