Evening star., 1951-06-21
Nursing Homes
Facing Closure
Will Get Hearing
Operators to Outline
Problems Tuesday,
Before City Heads
By Harriet Griffiths

By Harriet Griffiths
The Commissioners today sched-
uled a public hearing for Tuesday
on the city's enforcement Of build
ing code regulations which has
closed a number of convaleScent
and nursing homes here, and
threatened others.
Operators of the homes par
ticularly are invited to attend the
hearing, to be held at 10 am. in
the District Building Board room,
and outline their problems.
The District Department of In
spection has begun a drive under
the revised building code which
went into effect last February /,
to bring the homes into compli-
ance with stringent fire protection
regulations.
Situation Termed Serious.
Twenty homes are on notice
that they must comply in order to
keep operating. and IL have al
ready turned to other uses. Homes
which already have occupancy
permits are not affected.
The city heads received a letter
from Lee D. Butler, president of
United Community Services of
Washington, declaring that "a
serious situation exists with ref
erence to the continued available
ity Of facilities to care for the
chronically Ill and aged"
Mr.. Butler said the UCS Health
Section had studied the problem,
and that it appeared most of the
existing homes under notice can
not reasonably comply with the
requirements and are being forced
to close.
Says Facilities Lacking.
Eve are seriously concerned
with the question of where the
patients now served by these
hom and those seeking such
service will be cared for" -Lr.
Butler wrote. 1--WE know of no
other existing facilities which can
meet this need.
I'VE are not proposing a change
or relaxation in the standards of
safety required for such homes.
We are eager, however, to explore
with you several possible plans
which will provide for continued
care for the chronically i'll and
aged needing such special serv-
ice" ,
A UCS study of IA homes un-
der notice found they now were
caring for at least IS i'll or aged
persons, some of them receiving
public assistance from the Board
of Public Welfare.
Zoo Patients Cared For.
The study indicated that the
convalescent and nursing homes
in the District care for a total of
about 200 persons. The survery
did not cover homes for the aged,
but it was estimated that there
were approximately 1000 beds in
such private institutions here.
I'VE have studied the provisions
of the building. code affecting
nursing and aged homes and are
aware that they are designed to
provide high standard of safety
and fire protection to the persons
served in these homes" the re-
port said.
I'VE support the need for such
protection. We have felt, further,
that there is also a need to provide
standards governing the health
protection and the personal serv-
ices aspects of their operation. We
think it unfortunate that such
standards do not exist. We are,
further. aware that many con-
valescent homes now operating do
not have occupancy permits"
Cost Held Prohibitiye.
But the report expressed serious
concern about the situation arising
from enforcement of the building
code requirements. The cost of
complying is prohibitive for most
of the homes, 1t pointed out.
Many of the patients involved
have neither homes nor families
and cannot reasonably be cared
for in hospitals, the report added.
The report urged that the Com
"give serious considera-
tion to the consequences of imme-
diate enforcement of the present
requirements" which include pro-
vision of front and rear inclosed
StairWays.