Evening star., 1947-09-23
14MiIIion Asked
ToRunMunicipaI
Hospitals in AZ
Budget PIeo Seeks
Increase of 150%
In Current Fund
By Rudolph Kaufman II

c. Rutland has asked the Conn
mlsSioners to approve a huge
$14,606, 100 budget to operate and
improve the city's two municipal
hospitals and pay for District
patients in hospitals other than
St. Elizabeths during the year
starting next July /.
The cost of District patients in
St, Elizabeth Hospital is charged
to welfare appropriations. Details of
the 1889 welfare requests were
made public yesterday.
The hospital request, together
with those for public welfare, public
health and schools, represent the
chief cause for the all-time record
sl44, 100000 asked by city agencies
for 1853.
1907 Increase Asked.
The request runs $8,728, ,2e0 above
the $5,878,500 appropriated for hos
pitals for the current year-an In.
crease just short of $50 per cent.
BY far the greater part of the in.
crease is asked to increase the staff
OF Gallinger Hospital, make capital
improvement to the Gallinger plant,
and pay for repairs and buy equip
ment.
For instance, DR.. Rutland has
asked for 1874 additional personnel
for the Gallinger staff, including
AIT additional nurses, 225 additional
nurses assistants and attendants
and 10 additional practical nurses.
This would bring the nursing staff
of the hospital to more than 600.
DR.. Rutland has repeated his re-
quest, made unsuccessfully in past
years, for a 100000 psychiatric
building and $l,00o,00O building
for crippled children, plus $2,058, 100
of miscellaneous improvements to
the hospital, including a $650,0
residence for doctors.
s10,606,790 Estimate.
If the Gallinger requests are ap-
proved, the appropriation for the
hospital would jump, from $3,510,O0
in the present year to $10,606,790
for 1948-9.
In the case of Glenn Dale Tuber-
culosis Sanatorium, the only other
municipality operated hospital. DR..
Ruhland has asked for an increase
OF ST ,43S, 900 over current appropria-
tions. This year he has 81 1908, 500
to operate the sanatorium, whereas
he wants s3,041 500 to run and i'm
prove it in 1948-9.
More than half the increase, or
1851 900, has been asked to build
utility shop, an apartment house
for medical officers and a ware
house.
The rest of the increase, Budget
Officer Walter L. Fowler disclosed
today in making public details Of
the 1948-9 requests, is to add 118
additional employees to the hospital
staff. make repairs and buy equip
ment, and to pay sanatorium en-
ployes a 10 per cent pay difffferen-
tial on account of the hazards and
inconvenience of working in a con-
tagious hospital far removed from
the city.
The differential would require an
appropriation Of $155,756.
Increase for Department.
Details of the hospital request
today came on the heels of dis
closure that DR.. Rutland has asked
a $l,078,079 increase in funds to
operate the District Health De-
partment itself next year.
He wants a 1948-9 total of
$3,120,079 compared to a total of
S2,042, 900 allowed by Congress for
the current year. Part of the in
crease, or $287 $50 would be to con-
tinue work on the new $632 900
Northwest Health Center, while an
additional $4,000 would be spent
on plans for an Anacostia Health
Center.
To the $3,12O,O79 in District funds
requested must be added $557 ,202 in
Federal money DR.. Rutland ex-
poets to get from the United States
Public Health Service. This brings
the grand total that would be spent
in 1948-9, if the health request
were approved, to $3,677,28 CON-.
pared with a District plus Federal
total for the current year Of
S2,610,345.
Dr. Rutland already has $4,000
in Federal aid funds and $l34, ,750 In
District funds to start work on the
new Northwest center. 1t is housed
now in the old Polk School.
High Lights of Request.
High lights of the increased per-
sonnel requests are raises for DR..
Rutland himself and for Assistant
Health Officer Daniel L. Seckinger.
DR.. Rutland wants $4,000 a year,
or the same as the superintendent
of schools. He now gets $4,000. He
wants to get a $2,623 raise for Dr..
Seckinger so his salary will top that
of DR.. Alvin r. Sweeney, Superin-
tendent of Gallinger Hospital. DR..
Rutland has told the city heads
that, since DR.. Seckinger ranks
above Dr.. Sweeney in the depart
ment chain of command, he ought
to have more money.
In justifying his own raise, DR..
| Rutland said:
"The scientific education and ex-
perience which the latter Chealth
oficer) ie required to possess, plus
his responsibility over matters OF
life and death, make, his position
at least equal, If not superior, in a
number of respects, to that Of the
former superintendent of schools. :"
The SITS, 1929 increase In District