Evening star., 1948-03-23
Transfer Order
Draws Protest
By TubercuIars
Freedmen's Patients
Object to Being Sent
To Other Institutions

Patients in all stages of tuber-
culosis met today at Freedmen's
Hospital ;to protest the Districts
decision that it is too expensive to
keep them under treatment there
at the city's expense.
The Health Department has run
out OF funds to pay the Federal
hospital for care of the INDECENT,
and has ordered their transfer to
city institutions, where service is
cheaper.
FreedmeuS doctors began inter-
viewing ipdigent women patients
yesterday about the proposed trans
. fer. OF the first 20 patients, 8
said they would go home rather
than be moved away from the doc
tors and nurses who have been
treating them for months, and, In
some cases, years.
\ Two Refuse to Leave.
Two fiatly refused to leave. Two
others said they would try to find
money in some way for continued
treatment at Freedrnen's, where
private tuberculosis patients pay at
least $1s.75 week.
This morning, Miss Nell Dejour-
nette, president of the patients
council, which represents all Freed
mems tuberculosis patients, called
The Star to register the almost
unanimous protest of her group.
: DR.. A. Barklie Coulter, director of
tuberculosis, today admitted that
the transfer was very depressing to
me" because it would:
I'd Keep Glenn Dale Sanatorium
and Gallinger Hospital filled with
transfers from Freedmen's, while
beds were idle at the Negro hospital.
cat present, Gallinger has no vacan-
cies and Glenn Dale only is beds
available for new colored patients.)
Waiting List Mounting.
90 .Prolong the waiting period for
new cases of tuberculosis through
out the city, including those dis
covered by the mass x-ray survey
now in progress. Some of these, he
said, already have been waiting
since December.
The waiting list has risen to 7Oj
and is mounting each week. 1T
includes only the most urgent cases
needing hospital care, the tubercu-
losis director said.
The Freedmen's patients and their
doctors said they had no fear of
inferior medical service at Gallinger
or Glenn Dale.
They felt strongly, however, that
tuberculosis Is the type of disease
in which treatment by one medical
staff should not be interrupted by
transfer to a new group of doctors
and nurses.
pretty Dismal" Doctor Says.
These people aren't blocks OF
wood" DR.. Howard M. Payne, chief
Freedmen's tuberculosis officer, said.
'We are responsible for them as
physicians. They came here in good
faith. thinking they were going to
get best possible treatment. It's
pretty dismal when you have to look
them in the eye and tell them that
the District can't pay for them any
longer here"
Miss Ruth Harvey, a Freedmen's
patient, expressed the view of the
majority with the explanation:
Here your doctors have worked
with you from the beginning and
have total picture of your condi-
tion.
The doctors out at Glenn Dale
would have to come into the middle
of the case, and it would be quite
some time before they would know
the patients physical condition and
reactions to different types of treat
ment. Besides, rest and good
mental condition are important to
recovery. If a person is mentally
disturbed by something like this,
the body can't completely rest"
This is a legal question and has
nothing to do with tuberculosis con-
troll as such," DR.. Coulter said.
What can I do, when I am told
that the District has exhausted the
money Congress gave us to pay for
INDECENT patients at Freedmen's for
this fiscal year? The District is
forbidden by law from running
deficit"