Evening star., 1945-04-23
Lack Of Office Space Delays
MentoIHeoIth Bureau Openinq
DR.. John F. Owen,
Director, Arrives
To Begin Duties

DR.. John F. Owen, director Of the
new District Bureau of Mental Hy-
giene, has arrived to begin his
duties, but opening of the bureau is
now blocked by lack of Office space
DR.. George C. Ruhland, District
health officer. announced today.
DR.. Owen, so, veteran of 18 years
service at the State Hospital in
Raleigh, NJ c., where he had been
superintendent for 10 years, talked
with DR.. Rutland today on the
duties entailed in his IS 800 position
as director of the newly established
bureau.
DR.. Owen will develop clinical serv-
ice for child guidance, assist Ju-
venile Court and aid in treatment of
alcoholics and drug addicts and
treat patients now at ST. Eliza
beth's Hospital who need only
psychiatric clinic supervision.
Congress provided in the l945
budget funds for establishing the
mental hygiene service, but it was
not until March that the Commis-
sioners were able to obtain a psychi-
artist for the work.
No Office Space in Sight.
DR.. Owen had expected to open
his Office May !. but was informed
by DR.. Rutland that there is no
prospect at present of providing him
office space DR.. Rutland has sew
eral assistants and psychiatric social
workers he could employ to work
with DR.. Owen. but is hesitating to
assign them because of the lack of
a location.
DR.. Rutland and DR.. Owen jointly
requested that the medical profess
sion, clergymen and citizens groups
unite in protesting to the Govern
ment that the Veterans Admins
tration is using three rooms on the
| first floor of the Municipal Center,
Fourth and c streets NV, where
DR.. Rutland had planned to open
the bureau.
DR.. Rutland said he had nc
assurance" that the Veterans Ad-
ministration would move out and
at present knows of no other place
in the crowded District government
buildings to open the bureau. This
last obstacle in providing District
residents with mental hygiene serv-
ice is particularly trying, DR.. Ruh-
land said, in view of his long strug-
gle to get Congress to appropriate
funds, followed by a 10-month
search for a man capable of han
ding the job.
Plans Are Elastic.
The plans for the Mental Hygiene
Bureau are elastic and will depend
great deal on DR.. Owens findings
as he begins work first on a huge
backlog of cases waiting to be re-
ferred to him by nearly every Dis
trict institution, including the
schools. the jail, Gallinger. and st.
Elizabeths Hospitals, Juvenile Court,
Police, House of Detention and
others.
There are thousand public, pri-
vate and parochial school children
alone already recommended for ex-
animation by the school inspection
branch of the Health Department,
an annual case load of 800 students
expected thereafter, DR.. Rutland
said. The other cases waiting total
thousands" he said.
DR.. Owen expects q great part
of his work will be with alcoholics,
but said he did not want to en-
phasize that in his preliminary dis
cussions in view of the fact that
many other types of cases will also
be demanding his attention. The
stan originally intended by the ap-
preparation includes DR.. Owen, two
assistants, four psychiatrist social
service workers and two clerks.
DR.. Owen, a psychiatrist, received
his medical degree from Wake
Forest College. He is member of
the North Carolina State bar.