Evening star., 1946-04-12
Death Charges
Spur Ga||inger
Funds Drive
Fifty or More Bobies
Died 'NeedlessIy,'
Officials Assert
By Don S. Warren

By Don S. Warren
A concerted drive for at least s
minimum" expansion of tn,
staff of Gallinger Municipal Hos.
pital was on today under thu
stimulus of charges by Gallingel
officials that $50 or more" new.
born infants died there last veal
because of a lack of adequate
nursing care.
DR.. Lewis K. Sweet, head of thu
pedlatrics department at Gallinger
declared today the 'preventable'
deaths last year were about the
same number as for recent years
especially since the war, owing te
shortage of help.
In many cases, he told The Star
there was reason to believe prema-
ture babies and other weak" new
born infants had died because the
shortage of trained help was such
that nurses could not help the babies
with their feeding-that "partia.
starvation contributed to theil
deaths.
Approved by City Heads.
The Commissioners have given
their approval to Health Depart.
ment demands for increases in the
stats of the pediatric and other
units at Gallinger, though, it was
said, they had not studied the JUS
tif1cation arguments before they
were submitted yesterday to the
District Subcommittee of the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
Health Officer George c. Ruhland
gave his personal Endorsement last
night not only to requested increases
in funds over totals allowed by the
House, but also to the justification
arguments. Even with the granting
of such funds, he said, Gallinger
still would be lacking in staff help
according to accepted hospital
standards.
In all, the Health Department
with the approval of the Commits
sioners. is asking increases totaling
$249,000 for the fiscal year begin
ming next July over sums granted
last week by the House. Because of
impending financial troubles next
year the House had slashed nearly
100000 from the Commissioners
budget estimates, so as to save the
Sl0,000,000 capital investment fund
built up during war years against
future emergencies.
6S More Workers Needed.
The extra Health Department re-
quests called for employment of Ga
additional workers above the House
totals. Hospital officials said this
still would leave some wards closed
for TACK of sufficient help and be-
loW-standard levels in other units.
Hearings on the 1947 supply bill
were to be resumed today before the
Senate Appropriations Subcommit-
tee headed by Senator OrMahoney
Democrat, of Wyoming Unless there
was a sudden change in schedules
officials of the public schools were
to be called first today to justify
heaVy increases for school employees
and financing part of once larger
school construction program for next
year.
Meanwhile, Chairman O'Mahoney
indicated the probability his SUBJ
committee would approve requests
by the Commissioners for employ
ment of 125 additional police and 5(
extra flremeh, which were consid-
cred on the House side but denied
for revenue reasons.
Jump in Fire Losses.
The wartime shortage of fremen
he added, had been accompanied BY
a lessening of fire prevention inspec.
ton work, with an accompanying
jump in the amount of the Dis.
trict's per capita fire losses.
Indicating that his group prob.
ably would favor other moves to lib.
eralize the skeletonized House bill
Senator O'Mahoney also recited rea.
sons advanced for granting larger
appropriations for the Recreation
Department, the Free Public Ii.
orary and the Office of Recorder o1
Deeds, the latter in particular ref
erence to meeting the needs of re-
turning war veterans.
AS to the libraries, he said it had
been emphasized that while reade,
demands for serving were on the
increase, the return to a 40-hou,
work week had caused new prob.
lens, since the libraries gave a rs.
hour week service to the public.
Staff Plight Dramatized
The Gallinger staff plight was
dramatized by justification of the
proposed employment of Is addi-
tional: nurses for the obstetrical
nursery, at cost of $31 800, drafted
by DR.. Sweet and indorsed by DR.
Alvin R. Sweeney. Galinger's new
superintendent. 1t declared:
There is no provision made now
for the care of newborn infants at
night. More than third of the
Sbabies are premature infants re-
quiring considerable care. From 3
pm. to II pm. one nurse is assigned
to 80 10 100 babies. What assistance
she HIS is from women who were
engaged to do cleaning and attend
ant work They have been pressed
into service because of this desper-
ate need.
From II pm. to am, only do
me-tic attendants are provided fol
this care. Certainly mortality rates
can be considered an index of satis-
factory care and it must be recorded
that the mortality rate for newborn
infants at Gallinger is 66 per thous.
and. This is approximately AZ pei
cent higher than in any hospital in
the District.
Hours of Nursing Care.
Premature infants need approx
mately hours of nursing care in
"a hours. This is based on actual
activity analysis. Other newborn in
- fants require four hours of nursing
care in "a hours. ."
"The apa cipCIo itono fbof mil