Evening star., 1946-05-15
Survey Puts Blame
For GaI|inger Deaths
0n|nadequateNursing
Continued From First Page )

0n|nadequateNursi
Continued From First Page.)
for the Metropolitan Health Council
of the Council of Social Agencies.
| Establishment of new Bureau of
Medical Social Service in the Health
Department., to serve not only the
hospitals, but all bureaus of the de-
partment which deal with individual
and family counseling, was pro-
posed.
"The areas of public health nurs-
ing and medical social service are
distinct and independent fields of
professional competence" declared
the report. Clear recognition of
this fact would contribute to the eff
cheney of other bureaus, would re-
lieve the Bureau of Nursing of
duties which interfere with the quail
ity and quantity of its proper work
and would place the District in the
forefront of public health advance
among the municipal health depart
ments of this continent"
Appointment of two full-time as
sistantS to the director of the Ma
ternal and Child Health Bureau of
the Health Department., with more
clinic aides and clerks, was recon-
mended.
Opposes Woman's Clinic.
Among one of the sharpest sug-
gestions was one on the Womans
Clinic, operating since 1883 on
Georgia avenue NV.
On this subject the survey said:
Health departments should be
empowered to license separate clinics
as well as hospitals. With this in
mind, in the interests of sound
health practice, serious consideration
should be given to discontinuing the
services of Woman's Clinic" This
was described as a voluntary clinic
serving patients who could be bet
ter cared for in physicians Office
or in hospital or health depart
ment clinic"
without questioning the qualifi-
cations of the physicians, said the
report, "the quality of service in the
clinic must suffer from the absence
of nursing assistance and adequate
equipment and facilities for dag
nosis and treatment. The funds
raised by the board could be put to
more efficient use by donations to
some type of health work which is
already well organized to give medi-
cal care to mothers and children"
The report also recommended
that the maternity service service
provided by the Montgomery Gen.
eral Hospital should be radically
reformed or discontinued
More hospital beds for maternity
cases are needed, particularly for
Negroes y throughout the Metro
politan Area, particularly in Fairfax
and Prince Georges Countess" the
report said. g" Steps should be
taken to provide adequate facilities
to care for Negro unmarried mothers,
which are at present grossly in
adequate.
Mental Hygiene Scrutinized.
Community programs for ma
ternal and child health and nursery
facilities, when under the auspices
of private agencies, should be CO.
ordinated with those of other
agencies, private and public"
Several proposals for improvement
of fop to1
advanced.
The Metropolitan Health Council
was urged to study mental clinic
services of the entire area try to
strengthen those now in the District,
and get other clinics established,
not only here, but in either Alex
andria or Arlington, and in Prince
Georges County.
| The council was urged to bring
about establishment in local hos
pital of facilities for residential
care of pre-psychotic post-encph-
attic, and other types of children
in need of special group care"
Psychiatric and psychological con-
sultants, the surveyors recommended,
should be made available to homes
for unmarried mothers, so as to
flavor rather than retard, the
emotional adjustment of the clients
Of such institutions.
Regarding crippled children, the
report recommended the two State
health departments and the Dis
trict each employ full-time di-
rector for the crippled children's
service.
Would Remove Barriers
Criticizing residential require
ments for care, the surveyors urged
that regulations which prohibit
children in need of care receiving it
be abolished. This refers, "it was
explained" to the strict residence
requirements in the District and
Virginia, and also, in Virginia, to
the requirement for referral by
physician or certifcation by well
fare department..
The age limit for the Arlington
County Clinic should be raised, it
was proposed, from 16 to 81 years
Of age.
The District of Columbia was
urged to get adequate funds to
carry out the rehabilitation center
MANNED bv the Bureau of Maternal