Evening star., 1952-07-31
Quits
Giving Calls 10
Visiting Nurses
Fund Dispute Blamed !;
Mothers Fail to Get
Maternity Services

Gallinger Hospital virtually has
stopped referring maternity cases
to the Instructive Visiting Nurse
Society for home visits, ap-
parently leaving some mothers
without immediate care, it was
learned today.
The development followed q
protest by Health Director Daniel
l.. Seckinger over appropriation
|of $4,000 in the Health Depart
ment budget for nursing visits
made by the society.
The calls began dropping of
early this month, and now the
society is receiving virtually none.
Previously, an average of about
80 cases were referred each week.
Referred To Seckinger.
No official explanation has been
forthcoming from the Health De-
partment. Department officials to-
day referred inquiries to DR.. Seek
niger, who. they said, was making
a study of nursing needs. He was
reported out of town.
hTe nurse society, a privately
supported agency of the Commu-
nifty Chest, has received an esti-
mated 47 calls in the last two
weeks from mothers asking for
nursing service following discharge
from the hospital.
In two cases, it was reported.
mothers had to be returned to
the hopsital because of a bad cold
and high temperature.
The society has tried to visit
the mothers referred to it within
"a hours after discharge, it was
Explained. since Gallinger has been
releasing them on the third, or
even the second day, when there
were no complications.
Lack of Funds Cited.
The society was notified some
time ago by Commissioner F.
Joseph Donohue that tho, Com
missioners had to make some adj
justments in the nursing program
because of lack of funds" The
letter said that bedside nursing
care would be given by the Health
Department Nursing Bureau be-
ginning July !.
The cutback of maternity calls
ito the society followed q protest
from DR.. Seckinger over appropri-
alton of $25.000 in this fiscal
years District budget to pay for
calls by the society.
DR.. Seckinger contended that
his departments budget already
had been ''cut to the bleeding
|fingernails." The deletion Of the
$25, 900 from his funds, he said,
would mean curtailment of some
Health Department services.
The society had begun seeking
pay for its visits to city-supported
patients year ago. It estimates
that it makes some $4,000 calls
Ia year on patients receiving pub
lie aid.
This figure represents about
one-fifth Of its total case load.
which is made up also by referrals
from private physicians, volun-
tary hospitals, military hospitals
and other sources. Patients pay
full or part cost or nothing, &C
cording to their circumstances.
Fears Confusion. -
Mrs. Neville Miller, acting presi-
dent OF the society, expressed con-
Germ over a duplication of bedside
nursing service if additional serv-
ice is set up by the Health Depart
ment, and resultant confusion to
the public.
She cited reports that nurses
were badly needed in schools and
clinics as an additional factor to
be considered.
The society is seeking q meeting
with DR.. Seckinger to obtain q
definition Of "the areas of nursing
service which the Nursing Bureau
and the IVNS can best give the
citizens of Washington"
It's letter to the health director
pointed out that many mothers or
their neighbors had been calling
for nurse visits. Besides their con.
Germ about the new baby's care,
some of the mothers themselves
run into complications which they
do not know how to deal with, the
letter said.
The society also is seeking a
hearing on the release from the
home care program.