Evening star., 1944-08-20
Pamphlet Urges
Virginia
Sdndtoriun1
Alexandra, Arlington
And Foirfux Groups
Bock Joint Project

Boek Joint Project
In an attempt to speed oficial
action towards construction of a
sanatorium for tubercular patients
IN Northern Virginia, the Tuber.
culosts Associations of Alexandria,
Arlington and Fairfax have pub
lshed pamphlet entitled Unite
to Fight tuberculosis In Northern
Virginia" It has been distributed
to members OF the three governing
bodies, the association board mem
bers and civic leaders in the three
communities In the hope that pub
lie opinion will force the issue which
has been pending for more than
two years.
The first oficial step was taken
last Wednesday night by the Fairfax
Board Of Supervisors, which went
on record as willing to cooperate
with the other two localities and
invited members of the Alexandria
City Council and the Arlington
Board Of Supervisors to view a site
IN Fairfax County proposed as
suitable location by a joint COM
mittee named last February to Sc
lect location.
Although the Arlington Board Of
supervisors, meeting yesterday, in
dicated 1t does not believe the time
has been reached for the selection
OF a definite site, 1t agreed to meet
with representatives of the Alex
andria City Council, the Fairfax
Board OF Supervisors, and the State
Department of Health to give the
matter further consideration.
The committee from the Alex
andrla City Council will meet Tues.
day with representatives of the Tu-
berculosis Association, and will then
consider Fairfax's invitation to view
the proposed site on the Wilson
Estate property Thursday.
First Proposed in 1912.
First consideration of the proposal
for a joint sanatorium came in 1912
when the Alexandria City Council
invited oficial and lay representa-
tives from Arlington and Fairfax to
discuss the need for such a project.
When 1t became apparent that those
present considered the proposal fav-
orably, representatives from each
jurisdiction were named to consider
the problem. City Manager Carl
Budwesky represented Alexandria,
Mrs. Elizabeth Magruder was ap-
pointed from Arlington, and Andrew
w. Clarke from Fairfax.
Following the appointment of a
Site Committee last winter. includ-
Ing DR.. Charles P. Cake of Airing.
ton, Robert Whitton of Alexandria
and James Bauserman Of Fairfax,
Joseph Saunders, an Alexandria
architect, was engaged to submit
building plans.
Oncial committees were named
by the three jurisdictions, and met
IN Arlington last May with thu
health officers of the three local.
tiles to discuss Mr.. Saunders plans,
possible locations and estimated
costs.
In the meantime DR.. Cake ,e-
signed from the Site Committee and
his place was taken, by DR.. j. Ed
Payne. DR.. w. A. Browne, Alex.
andria health officer; DR.. r. G..
Beachley, Arlington health officer,
and DR.. Nelson Podolnick, Fairfax
health of1cer, were instructed to
cooperate with the site committee
in further consideration of a loca.
ton, and last June the Wilson
estate property was designated as
the site considered most suitable
by the committee.
Lack Of Facilities Cited.
The associations pamphlet points
out that Virginia ranks fourth
highest in the United States in
deaths from tuberculosis, excluding
Arizona and New Mexico, where
deaths can be expected to be high
because of the prevalence of sana-
toria. It states that standard
recommendations of public health
and tuberculosis authorities are for
three beds per annual death and
that according to this standard,
Virginia with 1.647 beds is over 1000
beds short of the recommended
number.
OF this number of beds, 1,O39 are
In State sanatoria where orzy am
bulatory patients are admitted,
with the remainder in municipal
institutions in Danville, Norfolk.
Richmond and Roanoke.
Patients rejected because their
cases are too advanced, and who are
considered the most infectious, are
forced to remain at home and are
considered to be the cause for the
spread of the disease. 1t is esti-
mated that for each death from
tuberculosis there are 10 known
active cases; for each known active
case there are 10 undiscovered
cases, and for each of these cases,
known and unknown, there are 10
contacts, or potential cases.
In the Arlington Fairfax -Alexan-
dria area in the year ended June.
AVHoy eAACAS WCAS oOO lOSllltC cases.
l29 suspicious cases, 1858 contacts,
and 46 deaths.
At the present time the three
health departments are carrying
records Of 500 tuberculosis patients
OF which approximately only ESQ
are hospitalized. At all times there
are SO to rs patients waiting to be
admitted to sanatoria, and fire.
quently cases found in the early
stages are advanced or even die be.
fore q bed Is available.
Action Urged by Darden.
Gov. Darden, in discussing the
situation at meeting in Alexan-
dria last summer, said that it would
take at least Is years for the State
to provide adequate facilities, and
advised the communities to accept