Evening star., 1945-10-09
Policy
On Emergency
Cases Attacked
BIodensburg Rescue
Squad Says Patients
Are Turned Awoy

The Prince Georges General Hos
pital today was charged by Wilmer
Tippett, chief of the Bladensburs
rescue squad, with refusing emer.
gency treatment to persons brought
there by the rescue squad.
Mr.. Tippett said he planned tt
appear before the county commits.
sioners this afternoon in Upper
Marlboro to demand an immediate
investigation. He also expressed
hope that the county grand jury
now in session, would look into the
matter.
According to Mr.. Tippett. scores
of persons, white and colored, taken
to the hospital since it opened ir
March, 1914, were refused emergency
treatment He said nearly all were
admitted to other hospitals in Prince
Georges County and the District.
superintendent Denies Charge.
DR.. A. Kirk 5esley, hospital super
intendent, denied that any emer-
gency case ever had been turned
down to his knowledge, if the per-
son actually required such care.
Il don't put a lot of confidence in
these accusations" DR.. Besley de-
clared. Il feel that we have trained
medical men at the hospital who
know the condition of patients bet
ter than rescue squad members"
DR.. Besley also said that If the
rescue squad had a Legitimate
complaint it should have taken it to
him or to the hospitals Board of
Directors. This never has been done,
he said.
Some Cases Accepted.
Mr.. Tippett admitted that all sick
and injured persons taken to the
hospital by the rescue squad are
not refused treatment and that sit
depends, apparently, on how the
physician in charge feels when we
bring them in"
Declaring that the hospital was
constructed with Lanham Act funds
to serve all the people of the county
at all times, Mr.. Tippett said:
This is great injustice to the
people of the county since the hos
pital is maintained with county
funds and both white and colored
residents have to pay taxes for its
maintenance"
Injured Man Denied.
He cited the case of a colored man
who suffered a broken neck in an
accident and who was refused treat
ment at the hospital. He said hos
pital officials told the rescue squad
they had no room for him.
In another case, the rescue squad
chief said a 24-year-old white man
was taken to the hospital suffering
from a stomach aiinaent, but that
the resident physician refused to get
ont OF bed and look at him, even
though the patient offered to pay
for the treatment. -.
A third ease, Mr.. Tippett recalled,
involved q 9-year- -old white girl COM
planning Of stomach pains who was
told by the hospitals resident physi-
clan to treat herself at home. He
said that the rescue squad then took
the gir Ito Leland Memorial Hos
pital, Riyerdale, where she was ad-
mitted for kidney ailment.
"We are not asking that these
persons all be admitted, but merely
that they be given emergency treat
ment to alleviate their suffering, .
Mr.. Tippett asserted. "In refusing
such treatment hospital authorities
sometimes give lack of room as an
excuse and at other times don't
give any reason for turning away
the patients.
He could not estimate the num-
ber of persons turned away from
the hospital except to say that 1t
was considerable" He said the
Bladensburg rescue squad is the
largest in the county and handles a
ma jority of the rescue calls.