Evening star., 1947-11-16
Civic Groups 10 Meet
Tomorrow for Action
I0nHeaIth Deficiencies
By Thomas 6. Buchonon

A cross-section of Washington civic
organizations will meet tomorrow
night to press for action on glaring
health deficiencies here which out
side experts pointed out 1S months
ago in the Metropolitan Health and
Hospital Survey.
Among the groups to be repre-
sented at the meeting will be the
Washington Metropolitan Health
Council, which sponsored last year s
survey and has been studying its
recommendations ever since, chap
ter by chapter, in number OF COM
mittees and subcommjttees.
The expected outcome of tomor-
rows .parley is a city-wide health
conference to organize community
pressure for reforms that medical
experts have listed as urgently
needed.
II
Out of this conference may grow
a permanent organization in which
all civic groups interested in COM
munity health can pool their ef-
forts. Whether such an organlza-
ton would serve as a layman's ad-
visory body to the existing Metro
politan Health Council or would
be separate from the council re-
mains for the participating groups
to decide, their spokesmen say.
Miss Elizabeth Harvey, secretary
of the Metropolitan Health Council,
will represent that agency at the
meeting. She said last night the
council. would welcome increased
community support for the goals
it's survey has set, and hoped the
groups taking part in the confer
ence would work through existing
agencies rather than attempt 10
duplicate their functions.
"I think it quite appropriate" she
said, that any group OF organlza-
tions interested in health problems
should get together to make recon-
mendations to permanent co-ordl-
mating groups, such as the health
council, as to things in the survey
that they think should be given
priority.
so Groups Get Bids.
"It Is hoped by the health council
that any such groups will work with
us on a cooperative basis, as this
conference proposes to do.
More than so civic groups have
been asked to send representatives
to tomorrow's meeting, which will
Be held at $3.50 pm. in Room 207
of Howard Universitys Douglass
Hall.
The invitations to attend the
meeting were sent out several weeks
ago. They were issued Jointly by
IL organizations, including the Ply
sicians' Forum, Medico- -Shirurgical
Society, American Veterans Com
mittee, Southern Conference for
Human Welfare, CIO Industrial
Council, Washington Federation Of
Churches, National Council of Ne
gro Women. All Souls Unitarian
Church, Barney Neighborhood
House, B'nai Birth, National Asso-
citation of Colored Women and
Local 10, United Professional
Workers.
Preliminary Meeting Held.
Others invited to attend include,
besides the Metropolitan Health
Council, the Federation of Citizens
Associations, the Federation OF Civic
Associations, the YMCA, YWCA,
Voteless D. c. League Of Women
Voters, Junior League and various
parent teacher, labor, church and
fraternal groups.
The meetings IL cosponsors took
part in preliminary discussion OF
the health problem May 81. They
decided to broaden the base of the
proposed health conference to in
clude all organizations interested
in public health.
DR.. Paul'B Cornley, associate pro-
fessor of public health at Howard
University and a member of the
Metropolitan Health Councils sur
vey committee, was named tempo
rary chairman.
Some of the proposals of the
Metropolitan Health and Hospital
Survey in which the sponsoring
groups have expressed particular
interest, DR.. Cornley said, are the
following:
/. Overhaul the school health pro-
gram to provide enough nurses to
examine school children more fire.
quently. }
2. End racial segregation ct Gal
linger Hospital, permit Howard
University medical students to train
there, admit Negro doctors to the
staff of private hospitals and pro-