Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-02-16
Officials Reveal
Two Errors in
Hospital Report
Confusion on Intent
Of Citizens Group
Blamed for Mixup
By George Beveridoe

By George Beveridee
District officials made two re-
visions in q citizens committee
recommendation of municipal
hospital needs which misrepre.
sented decisions of the commit.
tee. it was revealed today.
The discrepancies in the re-
port, which was made public by
the Commissioners yesterday
were disclosed by Omer w. Clark
chairman Of the city heads Ad-
visory Committee on Municipal
Hospitals.
After a conference at the Dis
trict Building, however, Mr.
Clark said he was convinced that
the errors resulted from Con
fusion over the committees in
tent" and that the misrepresen-
tation was not deliberate.
The report, as published ir
newspapers yesterday, proposed
q 13-point improvement pro-
gram, at a tentative cost of $50. j
million. District officials were
to use the report in conSolidat-
ing hospital construction needs
into the city's proposed eight.
year public works plan to bt
handed Congress in q few
months.
Two Items Listed.
The two items erroneously
miSrepresented in the version
which District officials handed
reporters were:
l. That the committee pro-
posed eventual construction Of
an 800-bed addition at Glenn
Dale Sanitorium, which would
result in a net increase of 400
beds there. Estimated cost OF
the project was listed as $14.s
million. Actually, the group
urged only that a 40O-bed addi-
ton be built, Mr.. Clark said.
2. That the committee pro-
posed, as a long range project
construction Of four permanent
health centers. Actually, Mr.
Clark said, the group did not
consider these centerS. It's only
related proposal, he said, was
that space be found for a tenn
porary central clinic" to re-
place the inadequate tubercu-
losis clinic at 469 c street NV.
The recommendation, he said,
was that such a temporary
clinic would function only until
q permanent center is con-
structed.
Received Complaint.
Mr.. Clark conferred with
Schuyler Lowe, director of the
city'S Department of General Ad-
ministration, about the discrep-
ancies today.
He said he had received q
complaint from q committee
member about the published &C
counts Of the report, and that
he wanted the groups correct
actions to be understood.
At the same time Mr.. Lowe:
/. Announced he would ask
Immediately for a cost estimate
of a 40O-bed addition, plus adj
junct utilities, at Glenn Dale
and would represent this as the
advisory groups proposal.
2. Said he would delete from
the report the health center pro-
posal, which was the 18th item
in the 13-point program as an.
nounced.
Basis For Errors.
The conference between Mr.
Clark and Mr.. Lowe, mean.
while, brought out that the er.
rors were brought about by these
circumstances:
Earlier proposals for a 400.
bed increase at Glenn Dale con
templated that an S00-bed ad.
dition would be built. Under
these proposals, however. ar
existing 350-bed building woulc
be converted to q nurses
quarters, making a net increaS'
of something over 400 beds
Other service buildings alst
would be constructed.
But the Clark committee pro.
posed only a 400-bed addition
It did not consider the con
version, or additional utility o.
dwelling buildings.
District officials, however, in
terpreted the Clark committee
400-bed proposal as embodyinl
the earlier recommendations
Therefore, they revised this sec
ton Of the report without clear
ing the change with Mr.. Clark
Mr.. Lowe said inclusion Of thu
health center item also resulted
from a misunderstanding Of thu
committees intention. He sale
he had instructed that inclusion
of the items be cleared by tele'
phone with Mr.. Clark. but tina
the clearance request apparently
was not understood by one Of
his aides.
Drafted by Aide.
The reviSionS were made II
Mr.. loves Office. First draft O
the report also was prepared
there. by an aide who attende'
on the Clark group discussions
This first version was cleare'
last week by Mr.. Clark. The tw'
reviSions were made later.
Mr.. Lowe and his Stah ais
added to the report cost eSti
mates based largely on earle
studies of similar proposal!
These cost figures were include
In the draft first cleared wit
Mr.. Clark, but he stressed tina
4. - LII