Evening star., 1946-05-15
Hospital Survey
sGa||inger
BabyDeaths
Lends Support to
Officials CompIoint
Of Lack of Nurses
By Harold B. Rogers


service was blamed for the every
high death rate" of infants al
Gallinger Municipal Hospital in
the fifth chapter of the Metro
politan Health and Hospital sur
vey, issued today.
The report gives support to asser.
tions made recently by Gallingel
officials themselves during hearings
on the 1s47 District budget before
the O'Mahoney Subcommittee of the
Senate Appropriations Committee
AS a result of the disclosures at that
time, the committee is seeking in
creases in funds for personnel and
for the building program at Gal
linger.
The surveyors making today's re-
port not only cited specific instances
Of nursing deficiencies, which they
described as appalling" but also
found fault with the nursing service
at Freedman's Hospital. Freedman's
operates under supervision of the
Federal Security Agency.
Death Rate "Disquieting."
The fact that the death rate of in
fants per 100 live births in l945 was
6.6 at Gallinger (as against 3.3 at
Freedmen's and 81 or less for the
other 10 hospitals here accepting
maternity cases. was described as
most disquieting."
The premature infant mortality
rate at Gallinger was said to be 40
per cent, in contrast to only 20 per
cent for "a good grade of care" the
report said.
Adequate nursing at Gallinger
was said to be most acute need"
Pointing to a study of the situa-
tion made by DR.. Ethel C. Dunham
of this city the surveyors said, 1T
should be remembered that CALM
ger and Freedmen's serve the lower
economic levels of the population
which would account for some part
Of the differences observed, but the
question arises whether the very
high rates at Gallinger are not re-
lated to the deplorable status of
nursing and the physical condi-
tons under which care is provided
in that institution"
Overcrowding General.
Overcrowding of maternity serv-
ices was said to be general through
out the District. Columbia Hos
pital led in number of deliveries,
3,428 in 1945 out of the 22,215 births
IN Washington hospitals. There were
only 739 in homes.
Whereas only GAL beds were found
to be available for maternity cases,
(460 for white and 181 for Negro
patients,) DR.. Dunham estimated
772 beds were required by normal
standards.
The current shortage, she said
had been met by reducing the hos
pital stay to period of from five
to eight days, and 'in some hos
pitals by disregarding space re-
quirements and serious overcrowd-
ing" Doctors Hospital, she said,
was the only one which reported a
ten-day hospital stay.
The survey chapter on maternal
and child health" consisted of AZ
mimeographed pages. and went into
comprehensive analysis of the sub
ject, not only in Washington, but
in the other five political jurisdic-
tions in nearby Maryland and Vir-
ginia.
A special study by DR.. Dunham
for the three surveyors was supple
mented by studies made by other
consultants on mental hygiene pro-
grams of childhood and the services
for crippled children.
The Child Health Center at Chill
dren's Hospital was said to be "a
most valuable and promising COM
munity asset"
Many recommendations were made
by the three surveyors who acted