Evening star., 1944-04-09
Drastic Cuts
In D. {. Hospital
Service Feared
Needs of Armed
Forces Cut Deeper
Into Personnel

FOTCeS Aut 1SSPSf
Into Personnel
Demands of the armed forces for
more nurses and other personnel
may result in drastic curtailment OF
hospital service in Washington un-
less relief comes soon, hospital ex-
ecutives agreed yesterday.
This was the consensus when they
were asked to comment on the de-
cision of Columbia Hospital to close
a surgical ward at once and to shut
down an obstetrical ward soon un-
less the staff is augmented.
One officer Of a medical organ
ization saw a chance for local relief
If some system Of priorities could be
worked out for assignment of nurses.
He pointed out that many registered
nurses were assigned to first-aid
rooms of Government departments
and bureaus, where their skill rarely
was needed, and they could be used
much more effectively in hospitals,
while their places often could be
taken by student nurses or volun-
teer aides. At present, since nurs-
ing assignments are entirely on
voluntary basis, there is no way to
require Federal agencies to Coop
crate in meeting emergencies.
Service Quota Untitled.
With the armed services combing
the country for more doctors, nurses
and medical technicians as the in
vasion of Western Europe ap-
reaches, regional quotas have been
assigned for needed volunteers.
The District was asked to furnish
1853 registered nurses between Janu-
lary l and July of this year. and
IS still are needed to fill this quota,
according to the Instructive Visiting
Nurses Society.
One of the expedients which is
being resorted to in hospitals is
for special nurse, ordinarily as
| signed to a single patient, to care
for two or three in adjacent rooms.
"A third of 7.urse is better than
none" an official commented.
Registrations decline.
Filling calls for. nurses from hos
pitfalls and homes becomes more
difficulty daily, it was said at the
Graduate Nurses Association. A
dozen used to drop In daily to regis
ter, now one rarely appears.
The nurses organizations, it was
pointed out, face the double duty
Iof cooperating with the armed
forces in recruiting all the young
and able-bodied nurses needed and,
at the same time, trying to fill at
least the minimum of essential
Civilian requirements.
Hope was expressed that the
large classes of students at present
in training in Washington nursing
schools would relieve the situation
to some extent. Capacity classes
are enrolled in all the hospital
schools, and more would be taking
the courses If there were room for
them, superintendent of nurses
said. While many of the graduates
undoubtedly will be commissioned
IN the Army or Navy, she explained,
many undergraduates will be avail
able for the hospital duty which
always occupies large part of the
latter phase of their schooling.
Older nurses, some emerging from
retirement, are putting in long hours
in hospitals.
Hospital Cases Rising.
Figures made public for the first
time yesterday by James Russell
Clark, director of the Washington
Wartime Bureau of the American
Hospital Association, showed that
hospital admissions in the United
States increased, in round figures
from 100000 in 1912 to $4,000, 900
during 1943.
This increase, far out of propor-
tion to population growth and other
normal factors, is attributed in part
to higher wages, which have enabled
many persons hitherto unable to
afford hospital treatment to pay for
| it.
Mr.. Clark said the stringency in
hospital personnel which had hit
Washington is simply what is
happening all over the country.
Many hospitals have had to close
sections and otherwise curtail sery-
ice to their communities, he pointed
out.
The armed forces have taken 5O.-
600 physicians and about 47OOO
nurses from civil practice, and tech
nicianS, orderlies and other en-
ploeys have been drafted in heavy
numbers.
Cadet Training Speeded.
The United States Nurses Cadet
Corps, under the Public Health
Service, is campaigning to recruit
IS 900 student nurses by June. They
will be assigned to essential institu-
tions for the duration. An ac-
celerated training program, under
which training may be completed
in 80 instead of 36 months has been
worked out.
The attitude of most local hos
pital superintendents seems to be
to try to carry on without decreas-
ing their facilities. though some ad-
mitted yesterday they didn't know
now long they could continue to
do this.
At Georgetown Hospital, it was
said that more patients would be
taken if there were room. Provi-
dence Hospital reported itself buster
than ever, with no intention of cut
ting down its services.
Casualty Hospital expressed hope
that it could continue at present
capacity One ward was closed
about four months ago.
At Garfield Hospital, while 70
curtailment was anticipated, it was
recalled that floor remodeled for
an obstetrical ward two years ago
never had been opened, since there
were not enough nurses.
Gallinger Hit Hard.
A small tuberculosis unit at
Freedmen's Hospital, fitted up some
time ago, has remained unopened
for the same reason. Freedmens,
however, has been maintaining all