Evening star., 1947-08-27
County Explores
State Aid for
|ndigentCases
Group to Determine
If Prince Georges
Gets Proper Share

A three-man committee has been
appointed by the Prince Georges
County commissioners to ascertain
whether the county is entitled to
additional State aid. either IN hos.
|pital facilities or financial assistance,
to care for its INDECENT medical pa
tients.
Named to the committee were
Mayor Caesar L. Aiello of Hyatts-
vile, an attorney and member of the
Advisory Board to the commissions
ers, who was designated as CHAIR
man; DR.. Thomas A. Christensen of
College Park, president of the Coun.
ty Medical Society, and DR.. A. K.
Besley, University Park, superin-
tendent Of the Prince Georges Gen.
eral Hospital. Cheverly, who was
appointed secretary.
All were appointed at the commits
sioners' weekly meeting in Upper
Marlboro yesterday.
Situation Outlined.
The Recommendation for such q
group was made by DR.. Besley in a
memorandum submitted to william
A. Carson. chairman of the Board of
Commissioners.
DR.. Besley said procurement OF
hospital beds for INDECENT county
residents appears to be a problem
with which the health and welfare
departments of the county feel they
are concerned"
More and more, he added, these
agencies are attempting to bring
this problem to the Prince Georges
General Hospital, claiming that
under their program they have
reached a stalemate in so far as
being able to obtain hospital beds
in State aided institutions"
The hospital superintendent also
reported that Is per cent of the
charity funds spent in the hospital
was for persons certified as INDECENT
by the county health and welfare
departments. The State Depart
ment of Public Welfare, he pointed
out, has about $46o,o0O for this type
of assistance.
Warns of Increase.
This contribution by the county
commissioners can be expected to
increase" DR.. Besley warned, unless
hospital beds in the 81 State aided
institutions become more readily
available to the INDECENT OF Prince
Georges County or SUFFICIENT State
! funds are allocated to lis to proyide
for our own"
commissioner Carson charged that
about 80 per cent of the $3.50 900
goes to Baltimore, while Prince
Georges County gets only about
$1,000 annually for its INDECENT care.
Some of the money going else
where, he added, also gets turned
back at the end of the year. -
1T shouldn't be this way" he
asserted. I'VE should receive our
proper share"
The committee, which was ins
structed to return a report to the
commissioners, was charged with
the responsibility Of surveying, in
vestigating and studying the legal,
medical, financial and administra-
tive aspects of the INDECENT bed
problem, with emphasis as to where
funds or facilities to cope with the
work should come from.
Road Projects Ordered.
In other business yesterday, the
commissioners ordered the imme-
diate surface treatment and stabi-
lization of nearly 18 miles of county
roads which, until now, had been
graveled by the county A total~of
IA projects, including two stretches
Of Montgomery road, are included
In the new program, for which a
contract to do the work was award
ed to the E. Stewart Mitchell Co. Of
Baltimore, for $71,862.
/ Other projects include surfacing
Of sections of Pullman road, Mitch
ellville road. Armstrong lane, Pos
sum pike, Book road, Demineau
road, Pumphrey drive, Bergdorff
road, Treasure Cove road, Bryans
Post road, Brandywine Heights
road and the Aquasco-C Charles
County Line road.
The board also opened a bid for
street improvements to Special Inn
provement District No. 16, Carmody
Hills, but must submit it to resi-
dents of the area for their approval
before awarding a contract. F. L.
Hauser of College Park, the only
bidder, submitted a proposal of
s11,2 :
Property Rezoned.
The commissioners granted a re-
classification of property from resi-
Dental to commercial coming for Is
lots in the 5400 block of Defense
highway, opposite Landover road,
Bladensburg. The application, sub
mitted by Wade H. and Alice B.
Sheriff, had been postponed from
last Wednesday at Hyattsville.
The commissioners also directed
the closing of Old Eastern avenue
from Sligo Mill road to the Mont
gomery County line because 1t is
considered mot necessary" since the
opening of another road adjacent to
it, just inside Washington. The
commissioners approved the ap-
pointment of A. ]. Pickan of Laurel
as forest warden for the Maryland
Department Of State Forests and
Parks.
lG.,,kk hr~e1 Drofaeeop