Evening star., 1947-08-22
|PrinceGeorges
Bids for Model
Mental Clinic
U. S. Health Service
To Get Request From
Medical Society

Doctors of Prince Georges County
hope to persuade the United States
Public Health Service to establish
model mental health clinic some.
where in the county, it was an
nounced today by an official of the
county medical society.
: DR.. Thomas IA. Christensen, so.
ciety president, said the physicians
had learned the Federal health
agency Is contemplating several of
these clinics in different sections of
the country.
They would be set up at an
average cost of $4,000, to serve as
models for the development of local
mental health facilities throughout
the country, under a $7,500,000 ma.
tional mental health program au.
thorized by Congress.
Arlington Also Seeks Clinic.
Arlington also has been active in
seeking the project there. Last
month the county board requested
the State to make formal applica-
ton to the Federal Government to
locate the clinic in the Arlington
Health Departments new building
where. it was claimed, adequate
facilities already exist.
Charles R. Fenwick of Arlington,
legislative chairman of the Virginia
Council on Health and Medical Care.
has been working with State and
Federal officials for several months
to locate the clinic in his commun-
ity. He said today he is continuing
his efforts.
The Public Health Service plans to
set up one clinic In the East. prob
ably In the vicinity of Washington.
another in the Midwest and a third
on the West Coast.
Asked by the Maryland Depart
ment of Health to investigate the
possibility of locating health cen.
ter in Prince Georges County, the
county medical society reported this
week 1t would welcome such an ex-
tension OF facilities for psychiatric
care.
No Location Chosen.
AT the Public Health Service. DR.,
Mabel Ross, expected to head the
clinic in this section, denied today
that the Federal agency had settled
on any definite location.
She said several communities in
the Washington area were under
stood to be interested in obtaining
the mental health center, but re-
ported no formal applications have
yet been received.
Inc decision as to location of the
projected clinics probably will be
made next month, she said.
If Prince Georges County is chosen
as one of the sites, the clinic is
likely to be situated on or near the
University of Maryland campus, &C.
cording to DR.. Christensen.
He said this would enable clinic
authorities to work in cooperation
with the university's psychology
staff, and also would provide clinic
office space.
Patient Load of 800.
According to Public Health Service
officials, each model clinic will have
a staff headed by the director, and
a psychologist, two psyshi-
atric social workers. and a public
health nurse.
Patients will be accepted after they
are referred for mental guidance by
private doctors, courts, schools and
welfare agencies. Their problems
will range from juvenile delinquency
to adult Illustrations and maladjust-
ments.
The maximum patient load at any
one time is expected to be 300. But
Public Health Service authorities
believe the clinics will have an edu-
cational value far beyond the num-
ber of patients served.
The main purpose of the national
mental health program, they point
out, is to demonstrate to the public
that it is medically more sound and,
in the long run, less of a drain on
the, public purse to check mental
problems in an early stage rather
than allow them to develop into
SerfoilS mental il1ppSseS