Evening star., 1948-07-20
Million Urged
For Hospitals
Care
Record Allotment
By Chest Committee
Called Satisfactory
BY GEORGE Beveridoe

BY George Beveridqe
The Community Chest Fedora
ton Budget Committee today
recommended that record
breaking $l,08O,00O, be made
available to IA Washington area
hospitals next year for treating
INDECENT patients.
Hospital officials declared the
amount-$303, 900 less than they
asked for-would be satisfactory
and that If made available would
eliminate the necessity of a sep
arate fund drive.
The recommendation will 90 to
the federation executive committee
at a 4 pm. meeting Thursday.
Availability of the money, under the
plan, would depend on the coming
Red Feather fund campaign.
S850,000 From Drive.
Under the plan, s850,000 would be
turned over through the public fund
drive. The other $230.000 would be
collected from semi-indigent patients
who are able to pay for part of their
medical expenses.
The Hospital Council of the Ma
tional Capital Area last month asked
the committee for $l4.48 for each
adult-day of hospital treatment next
year, 50 for each infant-day and 81
for each clinic visit. The budget
proposal would grant sl1 for each
adult-day, So for each infant-day
and 50 for each clinic visit.
J. G. Capossela, council vice pres
ident and administrator of Emer-
gency Hospital. described the pro-
posal as satisfactory" and pledged
the support of the hospitals in the
federation campaign this fall.
At present, the hospitals face a
deficit of $1,300,000 next year, he
said. The budget proposal, in
creased funds from the District for
treating INDECENT patients and high
er payments from Group Hospitali-
zation, Inc, however, should come
pretty close to getting what we need
in 1949,' Mr.. Capossela asserted.
Deficits Considered.
Marcellus c. SHIELD, chairman of
the disqualification Budget Subcom-
mittee, said the hospitals deficits
were taken into consideration for
the proposal. Chests within the
federation. he said, have been asked
to hold their requests for funds
from the pending drive to not more
than 10 per cent more than their
1947 or 1948 ALLEGATIONS. No such
restriction was put on the hospitali-
zation fund, however.
The $1,080, 900, he pointed out, is
81 per cent higher than the current
$432,179 in the disqualification fund
this year.
Mr.. Shield said the committee
realizes the Sill rate was arrived at
by unscientific methods" but that
the many variables of hospital op-
Grafton made it the best possible
figure. The s11, he added, is S2.40
less than the audited costs of hos
pital operation in l947.
Mr.. Capossela, who expressed the
hope of getting the hospital in the
black next year, said he did not ex-
pect them to raise rates for paying
patients.
At Emergency now, he added. only
about 40 per cent of the patients are
listed as paying patients" About
30 per cent are INDECENT and about
30 per cent are subscribers of CHI,
he said.
Patients Expected to Increase.
Meanwhile, Willard Smith, head
of the Hospital Service Agency.
which handles payments for the
Chest patients, said the number of
adult Chest patients will go up, from
1878 this year to an estimated
1858 next year. The number who
needed Chest help in 1947, he said.
was only 5,521.
Hospital spokesman estimated
that. If the increased budget Is
fulfilled. hospitals next year will
gain $456,0 900 against the estimated
l949 deficit.
Hospitals participating in the fed
Grafton agreement include:
Alexandria, Arlington. Casualty.
Children's, Columbia, Emergency,
Episcopal, Garfield, Georgetown
University, George Washington Uni
versity, Leland Memorial, Provi-
dence, Suburban and Washington
Sanitarium.