Evening star., 1948-07-04
Direct Entry System
To Be Started Soon
Al St. EIizabeths

Direct admittance of many men
tai patients to st. Elizabeths Hos
pital instead of sending them first
to Gallinger Hospital will start al
most Immediately" and without
strain on st. Elizabeths, officials
said yesterday after President Tru-
man had signed the enabling legis-
laUion.
Besides approving that bill to
relieve overcrowding at Gallinger
Hospitals psychopathic division.
President Truman also cleared the
way for the SIS, ,OO0, 900 Washington
veterans hospital to be built on the
Nevius tract in Arlington.
Authorization for the 750-bed gen.
eral medical and surgical hospital
was contained in the Veterans Ad-
ministration l949 appropriation bill
signed by the President.
Start Scheduled by Spring.
Construction is scheduled to start
by next spring on the 25-acre tract
across the Potomac River from the
Lincoln Memorial.
Approval of the change in the law
relating to admitting mental pa
tients at st. Elizabeths was hailed
yesterday by DR.. Winfred Overhol-
ser, superintendent of the institu-
tion.
ut will provide a great relief for
Gallinger and it will be of much
benefit to many patients and their
families" he said. Il don't see why
there should be any delay in putting
the new procedure into operation.
1T will place no additional load
on st. Elizabeths because 1t simply
saves time by avoiding two admis-
sions, that is at Gallinger and then
at st. Elizabeths. And, as for the
time element, the direct admission.
process itself will not take any
longer at St. Elizabeths than it did
at Gallinger.'
How Old Ruling Worked.
The former law provided that
mental patients, including those re-
quiring extended care and who in
many instances were ill at home or
in other hospitals, had to stop first
at Gallinger Hospital. Then they
went to st. Elizabeths for another
examination and a final decision on
commitment or release.
Although such patients remained
at Gallinger only few days in most
cases, overcrowded and understaffed
conditions caused considerable dis
satisfaction and complaint.
DR.. Overholser said st. Elizabeths
annually receives between 1900 and
l 500 patients from Gallinger. He
estimated that 600 or 700 year
now will 60 directly to st. Eliza
beths in accordance with the new
procedure.
This direct admittance provision
applies only to on-police cases. |
Police cases will continue to go first
to Gallinger. The admission sys-
TENS at Gallinger and st. Eliza
beths, however, remain unchanged
as do the procedures relating to
court action, commitment orders
and functions of the Mental Health
Commission, DR.. Overholser ex-
planned.
Provisions of New Law.
To have patient sent directly to
st. Elizabeths, a petition must be
filed in court with affidavits signed
by at least two responsible District
residents. The court may then issue
an ORDER for the patient to be taken
to st. Elizabeths instead of to Gal
linger for examination and q hear.
ing by the Mental Health Commits
sion.
The law requires that the patient
be examined within five days OF ad-
mission. DR.. Overholser said that
st. Elizabeths makes examination
on the first day and prepares prompt
reports to avoid needless delay in a
final decision as to whether the
patient should be committed or
released.
The change in the hospital ad-
law was advocated by The
Star and a bill to that effect was
introduced in the House on May 18
by Chairman Miller of the House
District Subcommittee on Health,
and Recreation.
The Washington veterans hospi-
tai prof won out in Congress after
numerous delays. and controversies,
particularly over the site for the
structure.
Preliminary Plans Approved.
After the President signed the VA
appropriations bill, VA officials said
yesterday they would instruct archi-
tects Louis Justement of Washing
ton and Yost g. Sawyer OF New