Evening star., 1951-03-06
Gen. Young Told
OF BottIeneckin
Medical Defense
Mobilization Center
Assignments Awaiting
Completion of Surveys

Assignments Awaiting
| Completion of Surveys
Medical civil defense officials
today hoped their direct appeal to
Brig. Gen. Gordon Young, Engi-
neer Commissioner of the District.
would eliminate a "bottleneck" in
their planning program.
In two-hour conference yes
terday, they told Gen. Young their
program was blocked because:
/. Mobilization centers for key
personnel in 81 locations through
out the city have not been as
signed.
2. Sufficient clerical help has
not been provided.
3. Funds are needed to outfit
emergency casualty teams.
To Speed Up Surveys.
Acting Civil Defense Director
John E. Fondahl told the group,
headed by DIR. Daniel l.. Seckinger,
District Health Officer, that he
would provide a full-time secre-
tary. He said surveys of public
buildings are under way but
pointed out that no space allot-
ments can be made until these
surveys are completed. No guess
was made when this would be
done, but indications were the
program would be speeded up.
Inspector Fondahl said, how
ever, that little could be done
under the present budget to supply
additional funds to the physicians.
The medical care services unit of
the local civil defense organization
is ultimately seeking between So
million and So million to outfit
emergency teams. stockpile medi-
cal supplies and purchase mobile
equipment.
To date, the unit has been given
$4,000, most of which has been
used to purchase equipment for a
blood plasma station at Gallinger
Hospital.
In addition to the specific re-
quests, Gen. Young said the closed
meeting was concerned with ques-
tions of Coordination" and
added that he hoped to make a
statement ''in a day or two" on
what is being done to work these
problems out.
Something Will Be Done.
Inspector Fondahl and members
of the unit complained that one
of their troubles had been diff
Guilty in obtaining definite COM
mitments from top officials.
Members of the unit said after
the meeting, however, they were
satisfied that something will be
done to help get their program
under way.
Inspector Fondahl said assign
ment of space for mobilization
centers throughout the city would
give the medical care services unit
an opportunity to 'get their per-
sonnel organized.
He said the physicians COM
planned they had been forced to
hold up their recruiting program
because they had no headquarters
units where they could bring their
volunteers together, or assign
their volunteers in case of an
emergency.
Another phase of the program
designation of buildings as emer-
gency hospitals in case regular
hospitals are destroyed-also is
awaiting completion of the space
survey. Indications are that even
after this survey is completed, it
will be some time before sites of
the emergency hospitals are
named.
oA ~ uSSs
Inspector Fondahl said there
had been some discussion of stock
piling enough critical drugs to
supply population of 800, 900 for
"a hours after a raid. However,
this is in excess of the amount
recommended by Federal civil de-
fense officials, and some physi-
clans said it was thought that
supplies which would last five or
six hours would be sufficient until
drugs could be brought in from
other areas.
Storage of blood plasma is an
other problem the unit hopes to
get under way soon on a greatly
accelerated scale.
Inspector Fondahl said some
physicians in the city are start
ing to lay aside small stockpiles of
drugs in their own Offices, bought
with their own funds.
Those attending the meeting, in
addition to Inspector Fondahl, DR..
Seckinger and Gen. Young, were
DR.. Oscar B. Hunter, assistant di-
rector of the medical care serv-
ices unit; DR.. w. Ross Morris, as
sistant to DR.. Hunter; DR.. Will
liam D. Claudy, chief of the emer-
gency medical care division; DR..
Alfred Brigulio, chief of the hos
pitals division; DR.. Cyrus H. Max
well, chief of the medical evacua-
ton division; DR.. A. Clagett Gray,
chief of the medical resources di-