Evening star., 1946-06-03
8-Point Program
.ToCorrectD.C
Hospitals Urged
$35,000, 900 Building
Fund Asked to End
DisgroeefuI' Situation
LACK OF STAFF seen handicap in
Montgomery County Hospital.
Page B-l

LACK OF STAFF seen handicap in
Montgomery County Hospital.
Page B-l
BY Harold B. Rogers
Truly disgraceful" hospital
conditions generally in the Dis
trict should be corrected by q
broad eight-point program, to
include more adequate legisla-
tion for licensing hospitals, a
$35!000, 900 construction program
financed partly by Fedora;
funds and a radical" increase
in Gallinger Hospital operating
expenses.
With these sweeping recommended
tions, the hospital survey for the
Council of Social Agencies today
laid down barrage of criticism.
1t branded as shocking" the fact
that only 10 out of Is hospital plants
in the Metropolitan Area are fire
resistant"
1t virtually read out of the pic
ture Health Security Administration
as now constituted, leaving its fate
up to the newly formed National
Capital Area Hospital Council. Most
HSA functions should be turned
over to hospitals, the survey said.
New Bureau Urged.
The survey report also recon-
mended:
A new Bureau of Hospitals in the
District Health Department.
That Howard University Medical
School should be accorded teaching
privileges at Gallinger Hospital.
That more hospital service for nom
white" patients, should be consid-
cred.
That Gallinger should accept COM
municable disease cases from nearby
areas, to be paid for at ratio pay
ment equaling the cost of such cases
to the District.
That medical social work should
be greatly expanded.
That an aggressive public rela-
tlons program should be developed.
Aid for Needy Urged.
Increased community support Of
charity for the poor. with greater
proportion of public funds available
to hospitals.
Revision of civil service regula-
tions for appointment of nurses at
District government hospitals.
: Congressional representation for
the District Of Columbia.
Better correlation of hospital and
health facilities throughout the
Metropolitan Area.
The report, prepared by DR..
Claude w. Munger of New York.
with the assistance of several ex-
pert consultants. consisted of 100
pages. 1t went into great detail de-
scribing nearly every hospital in the
area. Many services were COM
mended, more were criticized.
A copy of the survey report has
been turned over to the House Dis
trict Committee now considering the
Senate-passed Tydings bill for pro-
posed new hospital center here. The
committee had waited for the report
before taking final action on the
measure. Passage of legislation
like the Tydings bill is recommended
IN the report, but with provision
for Federal help to hospitals out
side the proposed center, and
stronger centralized administrative
control of the center itself.
The report followed the general
lines OF the preliminary review Of
the hospital survey given by DR..
Munger in person at a meeting of
health and hospital leaders here
April 30. But it went into much
new detail, and was several times
as long as DR.. Munger's recent
speech.
Hospital Council Formed,
One of the outstanding recon-
mendations. formation of a hospital
council, already has been effected.
The National Capital Area Hos
pital Council has been formed, and
is expected to met within a few
days. William R. Castle, former
Undersecretary of State, the coun-
Gil president, said further steps had
awaited the Munger report. Some
amendments will be presented to
proposed council bylaws.
The hospital council is charged
with responsibility in the Munger
report, for implementing about a
dozen suggestions to strengthen
health and hospital services through
out the Metropolitan Area.
The Metropolitan Health Council
OF the Council of Social Agencies,
for which the survey was made,
is asked to urge Congress to enact
legislation similar to the Tydings
bill, to correct the present grossly
inadequate hospital facilities for
the citizens of the District"
Such Federal legislation, the sur
vey said, sis the most hopeful means
of providing our Nations Capital
with hospital system comparable
with other progressive areas, and
of replacing, the inadequate and
truly disgraceful conditions which
now exist"
Hospital Beds Lacking.
There is now deficiency" Of
1,l27 beds in District general hos
pitals, exclusive of beds for tuber-
culosis, psychiatry and communi-
cable disease, the report said. This
is calculated on the basis of an esti-
mated need for 4970 beds, as
against the present bed capacity of
3,843. OF the 3,843 beds, the report
declared, "at least 1000 beds are due
for replacement by new facilities"
In most cases this need of re-
placement is indeed decades over
DUE" said the report. Garfield.
Emergency, Providence, Children's.
Casualty and Episcopal Hospitals
particularly need major replace.
ment and rehabilitation of present
buildings" Three of these, Gaxs
field, Emergency and Episcopal, are
ory,, al %~ ;osy, %Lo ,,,-,