Evening star., 1946-05-01
Heo|h Council Pushes Plans to Improve District Hospitals
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Continued From First Page.)
trict are a disgrace to the Nation
in a Capital City which, in so many
other respects, does honor to our
great country" ~
Criticizing the lack Of co-opera-
ton among hospitals here, he de-
clared I'VE believe it to be of tre-
mendous Importance to the health
and welfare of this population that
it look upon its problems, not so
much from the individual hospitals
viewpoint as from that which will
consider total needs and means of
meeting them"
Three principal recommendations
were made by DR.. Munger.
Our strongest recommendation, !"
he said, involves the establishment
of strong and active hospital coun-
Gil of the Metropolitan Area made
up of hospital administrators, trus-
tees, physicians, health leaders and
leaders of the general community.
1t should be under a full time exec
utive director who will need to be
amply paid for the superior services
which will be required of him.
The second major need, DR.. Mum
ger said, was "the education of the
whole community to better under
standing of its hospital needs and
problems.
"The third great need, and one
which is staggering in its extent is
for more and improved facilities, for
rendering hospital service" he Said.
The obsolescence of the buildings
and equipment Of the hospitals in
the survey area, particularly those
in the District. is tremendous. In
our opinion, the condition of the
hospitals plants is the worst which
could be encountered in any area in
this country Of comparable impor-
tance"
1,150 More Beds Needed.
He said the District. to serve its
present needs, requires 1,150 more
general hospital beds than the 3,843
beds it now has. OF the present
3,843, he said, more than 1000 beds
are in obsolete structures, many
of them presenting serious fire and
sanitary hazards, and long overdue
for replacement. The two new
hospitals under construction. for
George Washington University and
Georgetown University, he esti-
mated. will provide only $50 new
beds" to meet a deficit of 1,150.
To help meet the needs which
ne placed at s35 ,o00, 900 worth OF
additional construction, DR.. Mum
ger strongly recommended" legis-
lation of the type of the Tydings
bill for new hospital center be
vigorously supported"
DR.. Munger charged that the
whole Washington area was par
ticularly deficient in facilities for
caring for those who are chron-
ically i'll. Present conditions" he
explained, ARE advisedly described
as 'heart-breaking' and disgrace
full"
He recommended that Gallinger
Hospital, Freedmen's Hospital and
several of the larger voluntary hos
pitals establish special sections for
the intensive care of those of the
"chronically i'll, whose illness is such
that it can still be benefited"
Asks New Home for Aged.
Replacement of the Home for
Aged and Infirm at Blue Plains was
advocated, as the institutions
present condition was described as
"deplorable."
The present convalescent care
situation in Washington as COM
pared with New York. Philadelphia
Boston and other leading cities was
characterized as 30 years behind
modern standards"
Activities at Gallhger Hospital
should be co-ordinated lin numer.
Gus respects" DR.. Munger said
with those of the voluntary hos
pitals"
| DR.. Munger recommended that
the proposed new hospital council
should give fullest consideration tc
the unmet needs of the Negro popu.
lation, comprising % per cent o1
the Districts population and % pei
cent Of that of the metropolitan
Area as whole.
"A foremost problem" he said, ii,
the almost complete lack of private
or semiprivate accommodation fol
Negro patients able to pay for such
care and desiring attention of theil
own Negro doctors. Gallinger Hos.
pital offers no opportunities for the
undergraduate or graduate training
of Negro physicians, nor are there
any Negro physicians on its attend
ing staff. These and other facts af.
fecting the hospital care of a race
whose health needs are great, merit
careful consideration and just solu-
tion."
Would Eliminate HSA.
The Health Security Agency, q
private organization, was character
lied by DR.. Munger as "misfit in
the hospital picture" as it had lin
tied its activities very largely tc
the function of dispensing charitable
funds to poor patients needing hos
pital care" Maintenance of the
central admitting bureau for hos
pitfalls at the Health Security
Agency, he said, "is putting an un-
justifiable burden upon the sick
poor in the amount of travel and
technical detail with which they
must cope in order to secure hospita.
aid when sick"
Such patients should receive care
at hospitals and care for indigents
should be paid from public funds, he
lXeterun II ests