Evening star., 1945-01-27
Military Hospitals
In This Section All
Are Short Of Nurses
By CARTER BROOKE HOMES.

The shortage of Army nurses
which has caused the President and
the War Department to make
urgent requests on Congress for
legislation authorizing the drafting
OF nurses for commissions in the
armed forces is brought close to
home by a glance at some of the
military hospitals in this area.
Fort Meade (Md) Hospital is an
example. 1t has 1850 keds. The
ratio worked out by the surgeon
generals office, based on a study OF
average requirements for the care
OF military wounded and sick in
this country, calls for at least one
nurse to Is beds.
Fort Meade has approximately one
nurse for 20 beds. This is the best
1t can do with the available supply
OF graduate nurses. This post
hospital has SO nurses at present for
all purposes.
Some Even Shorter.
Some Army hospitals in this coun-
try are having to get along with as
few as one nurse to 26 patients, the
National Nursing Council for War
Services reports.
The ratio authorized in the war
zones is one nurse to IL beds. Nurses
overseas often have to do double
duty-work 16 hours or more at a
stretch-to maintain anything ap-
proximating that quota.
Wo1to,. DaaI Jeraez4
hospital in this area, cannot be COM
pared on general statistical basis
with the standard pattern for Army
hospitals because of several peculi-
arities of its situation, an officer on
the executive staff pointed out today.
A part of the Army Medical Cen
ter, 1t is one of seven out of more
than go general hospitals in the
United States which is designated
both as a general and conValescent
hospital. Since requirements and
allowances of nurses vary consider
ably between general and GONZALES
cent centers, the combined status of
this institution makes it difficult to
put 1t on a comparable basis with
other institutions, the officer ex-
planned.
Regrets Criticism.
The charge of Representative Boil
ton, Republican, of Ohio that Army
wives were indulging themselves
with special nurses at Walter Reed.
while wounded men did not have
enough nurses, caused hospital au-
thorities TO comment that it was
regrettable Mrs. Bolton did not have
an opportunity to mention her OBJ
servation, when she recently visited
the hospital, to some one on the
administrative staff. An explanation
could have been given her it was
pointed out.
According to the public relations
Office of Walter Reed, using the
past 10 days as an example, only
7 per cent of the more than 5000
patients in the hospital are civil
ianS. Only 20 of these patients
had the services of special nurses
and of the special nurses required,
16 were practical nurses Gnon-grad-
uates) who are not eligible for serv-
ice in the Army Nurse Corps. Half
of these practical nurses were past
IS years old, were past 80.
When special practical nurse
Is desired by civilian, it is the
patient, not the hospital, who pays
for the services.
Help Relieve Load.
Such special nurses help to relieve
the load on the hospital staff nurses
and thus minimize the need for
regular Army nurses.
It is difficult for a casual OBJ
server to know when patient with
perhaps a heart condition or suf-
fering from the results of a cerebral
hemorrhage requires constant at
tention, spokesman explained. In
all cases, the attending physicians
decide what measure of care the
patient needs.
Chairman May of the House Mill
tary Committee hopes to resume
some time next week hearings on
legislation authorizing selective serv-
ice to induct nurses.