Evening star., 1952-02-15
.Donohue 10 Cite Case
For Private Hospitals
AT Budget Hearings
By Wallace {. Clayton

Oficials of private hospitals
here were assured by Commis-
sioner F. Joseph Donohue yester-
day that he is in sympathy with
the plight of the hospitals. which
he was told, need additional
revenue from the District to main
tain their standards.
He told representatives of the
hospitals and the District Medi-
cal Society he personally viii
plead their case" at congressional
hearings. However, he pointed
out, he could not speak for the
Board Of Commissioners, but
promised to bring up the hospitals
plight at the Tuesday meeting OF
the city heads.
The delegation, led by Charles
Is. Dewey, president Of Garfield
Hospital, called on Mr.. Donohue
to protest the Commissioners re-
fusal to increase payments by the
District to the hospitals for care
of INDECENT patients.
INDECENT Care SIashed.
Health Officer Daniel L. Seek
niger recommended an appropria-
tion Of $847. 500 in the fiscal 1858
budget to reimburse the eight
hospitals in the INDECENT care pro-
gram. at a rate Of $3.50 a day
for each bed patient. However,
this was slashed to 100000 in the
Commissioners budget recon-
mendations. This fund would re-
imburse the hospitals at the pre-
vailing rate Of 50 a day.
The $12.50 figure, still below
what it actually costs the hos
pitals to maintain bed patients
was settled on because that sum
is about what it costs the District
to keep a patient for a day in the
1.500-bed Gallinger Municipal
Hospital.
MIR. Dewey. a former Congress.
man and one-time Assistant Sec.
retary Of the Treasury, told Mr.
Donohue:
1--WE ought to get from the Dis.
trict what 1t costs us to keep 9
unsupported patient. But W,
can't hope for that. We only
want to get what Gallinger does
II don't know what's going tt
happen to the hospitals; we CAM
keep running with yearly deficits.
More Money for Animals.
MIR. Donohue, in reviewing sew.
|eral of the budgetary problems
facing the District. mentioned the
fact that the Zoo is slated fol
$615,000 under the budget esti-
mate.
Congress appropriates more
for wild animals, then, than /
does for sick people," Mr.. Dewey
said.
That's a good point" Mi
Donohue said. "Ill remember
that at the Congressional hearing
I'm glad you mentioned it,"
Or. j. Ross Veal, president o1
the Federation of Citizens Asso.
Iciation and former chief surgeon
lat Gallinger. said the private hos.
tpitals .are finding it impossible
to maintain their teaching stand.
ards" because they have had tt
Ireduce the number of INDECENT,
treated during the last few years
Recruitment Difficult.
Without interns. we can't run
a hospital" he said. Recruitmen
of interns has become o particu
larly difficult problem for man,
lpriyate hospitals. since there ar,
more internships available thai
medical school graduates. tn,
hospitals must have sufficient clin
ical material-patients. in othe
words-to offer an attractive
teaching program.
DR.. Crenshaw D. Briggs, chair
man Of the medical society's com
|mittee on INDECENT medical care
Ipointed out that the District tax
'|payer will lose In the long run,
1.-THE private hospitals are so cur
tailed they have insufficient hous
stats.
j Others attending the meetin
were Leo G. Schneider, admin
Iistrator of Garfield Hospital
James H. Lemon, president Q
Children's Hospital. and Waite
lTobriner, president of the Hos
Ipital Council Of the National Cap
lita1 area.
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