The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-02-03

hospital in Detroit has created a
controversy among Negro doctors
OF the city. The following signed
article which was submitted to the
Michigan Chronicle last week takes
issue with the proposal The au-
thors OF the article indicate that
segregation in existing hospitals
should be Abolished.
What Is an interracial hospital7
The definition given is. "A hospital
admitting white and colored pa
tients. having white and colored
doctors and white and colored trus-
tees" Nothing is said about hav-
Ing colored and white nurses.
Why do we need such hospi-
tai? The answer is. ITO develop
Negro doctors and 10 train Negro
nurses. To furnish adequate beds
FOR Negro patients who now have
difficulty being admitted TO white
hospitals.
This hospital will be sponsored
by the city. county. state and fed
eral governments. but il will be
run as a private institution. II will
have two or three hundred beds
II will be for private patients. a
few indigents will be admitted for
teaching purposes.
How will this hospital be buili7
by private funds donated by white
philanthropiS,S, and aided by some
government funds"
No Shortage Of Beds
We are opposed 10 this hospital
plan because We know there is no
shortage Of hosoital beds in De-
troit for Negroes A survey Of the
city hospitals will reveal there are
not two hundred private Negro pa
tients in all the hospitals in De-
troit today. The survey also shows
one Negro general hospital with
more than 100 beds closed as a re-
suit of two few patients 10 pay
the operating expenses The city
OF Detroit has adequate bed space
for indiGents. There are less than
20 Negroes Harmed" on, 10 private
institutions by the city at the pres
ent time.
De,roi, is building fttv million
dollar medical center We must
paw taxes n help build and main
tain this institution We will not
need small 900 bed hospital 20
compete with the medical center
for the training Of our Negro doc
tors md nurses
Doctors should be trained in the
period following graduation from
medical school. They should be
trained under men who devote
their life 10 research and teaching
This must be done in medical CEN
tiers. in these institutions there Is
every facility for teaching the doc
TOR as well as treating the patient
In private hospital doctors are
busy taking care Of their individ-
ual practices Private patients ma
turally object 10 being used for
teaching purposes. and in such a
hospital there arc no doctors paid
rs full time teachers. This is posi-
lively the wrong place for our Ne
gro medical students 10 be shunied
when they are entitled 10 place
In the city Medical Center where
their classmates will be trained to
become specialists.
Negro Nurses Excluded
There is no training school for
Nero nurses In Detroit Wayne
university offers a course IN nurse
tram Nc. colored girls are admitted
10 his course for The FIRST Two
years academic work in the uni
vcrSitY class rooms They are then
told they vii, have 10 So 10 a col
o.cd hospital for their clinical
work. usually in Washington. Chi
caSo. or Nashville. Tenn The rea-
son IS ;hd. WAYNE Nursing school
trains nursing students chnlca,ly n
Harper or Ford hospital The col.
ored students are told We can not
force these private hoSf !ia.s 10
train you as IL is against their
policy 10 accept Ncgro students IN
their nursing schools. The fact
is Wayne makes she agreement
with these hospitals and accepts
the NeGro exclusion clause Hlr-
per hospital az present uses few
graduate Negro nurses because Of
the great shortage Of white nurses
since The war began.
In the Detroit Free Press Of Jan
Uasy 26. 1915. Dr.. Wyman Barrel.
an Influential staff member Of
Harper hospital for more than 20
years. stated that there is imme-
dia'e need for the construction Of
q 2S0-b bed hospital in Detroit and
that the need is especially urgent
for facilities - train Necro nurses
and interns. The present policy Of
Harper hospital regarding the
training Of Negroes has been clear
ly stated above
Howard University NJ d lea !
school has the only Ylan for train
Ing Negro specialists that IS worth
considering They have been and
are placing Negro doctors in large
medical Ccr'ers in the country for
trainDg periods OF one. two and UP
70 five years These mon then re-
turn TO Freedmar's hospital for
more development in practicing
and applying what they have been
taught Thcy also act as inStruc-
tors 20 undergraduate medical stu
dents This IS the only program that
VIII ever devotion specialists on
par with men who have had the
same opportunity for years
Hospital Will Re Jim-Crow
Why should a Ncgo boy or girl
graduate from Wayne university
medical or nursing school 60 TO
any hOs~ltal other than the one
Their white classmates enter In
Detroit this will be the new Medi-
cal Center, or at present Wayne or
Seymour hospitals which are used
by the medical school for teaching
purposes. or course men like DR..
Barrett from Harper hospital are
in favor OF building jim crow
hospital to train Negro nurses and
tntcrnS.
To this jim-crow hospital will
COME the second and the third as