Evening star., 1950-02-21
|Chestto Withdraw Aid
For Well Baby Clinic
Al Children 5 HOSPITAL.
By George Beveridqe

BY George Beverage
Well-baby clinic service for
about 1000 youngsters in the
crowded Northwest area will be
wiped out July /, when Com
munity Chest funds supporting a
clinic at Children's Hospital are
withdrawn.
The hospital clinic. providing
service for about 1900 children,
is operated by the Child Welfare
Society, which will cease to be
a Chest agency after June 80.
United Community Services Of
ficials said the Chest aid will be
withdrawn because the clinic
"overlaps" a service offered in Dis
trict Health Department clinics
throughout the city.
Dr.. Montgomery Blair, jr.,
medical director of Children's Hos
pital, said the institution will
keep a small" well-baby clinic.
as part of it's teaching program.
While plans are not complete, It'll
probably will handle only about
800 patients, he said.
No Other Facilities Available.
Despite q tremendous need" 81
however, there are no DISTRICT
facilities now available which
could take over the 1000 children,
according to DR.. Ella Open
heimer, director Of the Health
Departments Bureau of Maternal
and Child Welfare.
To supply the facilities, the
Federation of Citizens Associa-
tions Saturday night urged Con-
gress to provide funds for a new
bureau clinic at the Park View
Elementary School, Newton and
Warder streets NV. The school
has been transferred to the use OF
colored students by the Board of
Education. At the same time, the
federation asked funds for SINH
lar clinic at the Lily Ponds low
cost housing development in
Northeast Washington.
DR.. Oppenheimer said she has
asked for funds to set up the
Park View clinic in schoolroom
that is available but that the
funds are not included in the
Commissioners budget request to
Congress.
Space also would be available
at the Lily Ponds development,
she said, where there are no clinic
facilities easily accessible to the
600 families living there.
Initial Expense Cited.
To operate the two clinics, she
said, would require an initial ex-
pense of about $6,400 for equip
ment and about S32, 200 for annual
salaries and supplies.
At the well-baby clinics, chill
dren receive immunizations and
regular examinations for the early
detection and treatment of illness.
Their mothers, at the same time,
get advice on infant care and feed
ing and on general health prob
lens.
Many of the children enrolled
at the Children's Hospital clinic,
DR.. Oppenheimer said, were
treated in past years at District
clinic at Freedmen's Hospital.
That was closed about three years
ago. when the Federally controlled
institution expanded It's own out
patient department.
"The only existing District
clinic in that area is at 1890 Ninth
street NV" she declared, "and
that is loaded to the gills"
With clinic at Park View
School, the child welfare director
said. there could be a general re-
shuff1ing of patients. The Ninth
street clinic then would be in po-
sition to take some of the nearby
residents who now are seen at
Children's."
Begged for Clinic.
In requests she has received
during the last few years, DR.. Op-
penheimer said, residents of the
Lily Ponds development have
been begging and pleading" for
clinic.
II hoped at one time we could
start a part-time clinic with ex-
isting funds" she added. "But |
there simply isn't enough money!
UCS officials conferred last |
week with DR.. Oppenheimer and |
Health Officer Daniel L. Seckin-
ger and plan to send official no.
tiflcation. of the Chest fund with
draWal in the near future.
The Chest organization served
notice at the beginning of this
fiscal year, however, that the sup
port would end June 80. For the
current six-month period, the
Child Welfare Society is receiving
about $4,000 in Chest funds.
The society will remain at Chill
dren's Hospital, officials said, to
direct the clinic under the limited
program.