Evening star., 1944-08-07
Survey
in District
House Unit Hears
RuhIond Oppose
Communistic' Moves
BY DON s. WARREN.

Government should 60 in providing
hospital facilities for private, pay
patients, Chairman D'Alesandro of
the Health Subcommittee of the
House District Committee today
called on Federal and District
Health authorities to survey the
Districts hospital needs and submit
formal recommendations.
When pressed by Commissioner
Mason to outline the objectives and
scope Of the requested survey, the
Maryland Representative declared:
AL know is that we need, and
after the war will need, more hos
pitals to take care of the rich and
poor alike. We are all agreed more
hospital facilities are needed and
am asking you to study the ques-
tions and submit recommended tions." -,
He asked that the survey be made
by the Commissioners, Health OFF,
Ger George c. Ruhland and G. repre-.
sentative of the Public Health Serv-
Ice. He was Joined in the request
by Representative Mcmillan, Demo.
crat, of South Carolina.
The development came at a public
hearing on Mr.. D'Alesandro's recent
proposal that Washington should
plan a modern municipal medical
center as the No. / postwar project
OF the city government, a suggestion
that brought at the outset a oues-
ton from Health Officer Rutland as
to whether such project would be
"Communistic."
Opposes "Communistic" Moves.
The health oficer said:
Il believe the government should
not go into the realm of providing
for private patient service. That
leads to the Communistic Or totali-
tartan philosophy of government,
which is not the American ideal"
Both he and Commissioner Mason
had said the District governments
present responsibility was for the
care of INDECENT patients. Both
agreed there was need for rebuild
ing, expansion or improvement of
private hospital facilities in the
District.
Commissioner Mason, the first
witness, said it was known WASH
ington had a bad situation" as to
hospital facilities and help, but that
he hardly knew" what was meant
by the proposal for a municipal
medical center" If it meant Gov
ernment provision of hospital facili-
ties for other than charity patients,
he said, it would involve "a lot Of
things"
Mr.. D'Alesandro declared he stood
for provision of needed hospital
facilities, no matter what they
were.R~g~z
Cites Private Development.
i The Mayo Clinic .at@Rochester.
MINI. 9and John Hopkins Hospital
in Baltimore, Mr.. Mason pointed
out, were developed by private
means and the Naval Medical Gen.
ter at Bethesda, Md, was developed
as Federal service hospital. There
is no like institution in the country,
he added, that is financed and
operated under the Government for
the private patient as such.
Commissioner Mason added 1t
seemed desirable that some means
be found by which private hos
pitals could be given loans and
grants for necessary expansion or
rebuilding and then be permitted
to operate as private institutions.
Col. Charles w. Kutz, District
Engineer Commissioner, another
witness, also stressed that the Dis
trict governments obligation was to
provide care for INDECENT patients.
He added that an elaborate" pro-
gram is being planned for expansion
at Gallinger Municipal Hospital.
The total cost for this work, he
estimated, would run to s750, 900
or $1,000, 900 to meet "the imme-
diate necessities"
In any discussion of construction
Of new medical center, Commits
sioner Mason said, it should be
taken into consideration that both
Georgetown and George Washing
ton Universities have hospitals and
medical schools which are related
to the operation of Gallinger Hos
pital.
1871 Report Submitted.
DR.. Rutland submitted to the
D'Alesandro committee a copy of
the 1941 hospital needs survey Of
the District compiled by Charles F.
Neergaard, New York, which called
for replacement of the buildings Of
the Georgetown, George Washing
ton, Providence and Garfield Hos
pitals and for modernization Of
facilities at Emergency, Children's,
Columbia, Casualty, Sibley, Episco-
pal and Alexandria Hospitals.
There was minor clash of views
on the Districts tuberculosis control
program when Mr.. D'Alesandro
asked about reports that DI. Ruh-
land had delayed" action on a
report from DR.. A. .Barklie Coulter.
head Of the tuberculosis division of
the Health Department.
Both officials denied there had
been any unnecessary delay in ac-
tion on the Coulter report, but DR..
Coulter said he felt that since he
was blamed for any faults In the
Districts tuberculosis program he
should have something to say about
the program"
This was countered by a state
ment by DR.. Rutland that since
care of INDECENT tuberculosis pa
tients rests with District government
hospitals, which have superintend-
ents in charge, there was "ques-
ton how far the control of an out
side official should go"-apparently
meaning DR.. Coulter as head of the
tuberculosis division. Under the
Health Department setup, the heads
of Gallinger and Glenn Dale report
to Deputy Health Ofiicer Daniel L.
Seckinger or to DR.. Ruhland and
not to DR.. Coulter.