Evening star., 1951-11-18
vAProposes
$50 Beds for
Hospital Here
Budget Bureau Has
Revised Proposal for
Larger Facilities
By William J. WheotIey

ny VliiiuW >. VHeottSy
The Veterans Administration
has recommended to the Bureau
of the Budget that the proposed
hospital for former service men
here be increased in size from
500 to 750 beds.
Officials of the Budget Bureau
are studying the matter now.
preparatory to submitting the
question to the President for q
final decision.
In the meantime, plan for the
new structure, which is scheduled
to be constructed on a site in the
southern part of the Soldiers
Home grounds, are being held up.
Bids were to have been asked for
the 500-bed structure about this
time, but, the medical staff Of
the Veterans Administration has
pointed out an urgent need for a
larger institution here. With this
development, it was determined
to hold up the entire project until
the matter could be submitted to
President Truman, rather than
provide for an addition after the
original program had been put
under contract.
Although the project has been
held up by various obstacles over
"a period Of years, little delay is
expected if the President approves
the need. While awaiting the de-
cision of the budget bureau and
the President, the construction
division is studying standard plans
for a 750-bed hospital in connec-
ton with the site.
Speed Expected.
Budget Bureau officials would
not comment on the project, or
give any indication as to when
their recommendation will be
ready for submission to the Presi-
dent. However. the suggestion Of
the medical department of the
Veterans Administration that there
lis pressing need now for a new
institution and the fact that there
have been many long delays may
speed up the recommendation.
1t is within the realm of possi-
bility, spokesman indicated, that
the present Mount Alto Hospital
on Wisconsin avenue may have to
be continued, even after the new
structure is completed. That fa-
cility never was designed for hos
pital purposes. Most OF its build
ings we're used for many years as
a private school for girls. The
main administration building was
subsequently added and it is the
only section designed for hospital
IuSe.
Although the Veterans Admins
tration is closing a number of hos
Ipitals in various parts of the coun-
try as new buildings become avail
able, it is not because of the lack
but because of the inability to
properly staff them due, in many
cases, to their isolated location.
This is not the case with Mount
Alto, where the stafiing problem
is not too difficult.
Was Originally $50 Beds.
The proposed new Washington
hospital was originally slated as
a 750-bed hospital to be erected
on the so-called Nevius tract in
Arlington County. However, when
President Truman in his budget
message of January 10. 1949 an
nounced that he was cutting down
the hospital program from 53,-
900 beds to $1,000. the Washington
project was cut by one third.
But the growing veteran medi-
cal load here is said to be in
creasing to such an extent that
there is need for adding so per
cent more beds to the Washington
project. Although beds are being
withdrawn in other hospitals of
the Veterans Administration, it
was said that Washington can
handle the increase because of the
availability here of permanent
medical stats and consultants.
For some time it has been neces-
sary to send Washington area
patients to hospitals at Perry
Point, Md; Newport News and
Martinsburg, w. ", because the
local facilities are overcrowded.
Consideration is being given to
proposals to close the Martins
burg institution.