Evening star., 1953-06-11
Seckiinger 0ks.
RevampiingP|an
For Department.
Single Director
Rather Than
Board Proposed

The Health Department reor-
ganization program has been
announced and Health Director
Daniel L. Seckinger today regis
tered complete contentment with
it.
This is the first complete
accord between DR.. Seckinger
and the reorganizers since the
latter began surveying his de-
partment. A chief oStensible
explanation is that the reergan-
izers favor a single director
rather than a board to head
public health affairs.
Dr.. Seckinger has been, and
still is, explosively resentful of a
proposal to shift his bureaus of
health engineering and food in
spection into a new licenses
inspections department. Schuyler
Lowe, the Districts general ad-
m1niStration director, has offered
a compromise here, by which the
two bureaus would be CONSOLE
dated under the. Health Depart
ment. While the health director
has not yet committed himself
on the compromise, it is believed
that he approves.
Even as the reorganizers were
releasing their plan for a "pyra-
midal pattern" Of organization
with a single director at the top,
members of a citizens commit
tee were beseeching the District
Commissioners to establish a
health setup governed by a nine
member board.
Cool Toward Idea.
But the city heads seemed
chilly toward the latter proposal.
Mr.. Lowe urged upon them the
position taken before Congress
by a previous Board of Com
miSsioners, that policy-making
boards generally should be abol-
ished in favor of single depart
n1ent heads.
In total effect, the reorgan-
ization of the Health Depart
ment, as proposed, would involve
a reshuffling of present divisions
from the present % to nine or
possibly 10.
The idea is to separate pro-
fessional operations and plan
ming from administrative func-
tions. This would mean set
ting up an office Of administra-
tion under the health director.
In this Office would be divisions
to handle budget and fiscal mat
ters, planning and coordination
of personnel and management
problems and central organiza-
ton Of statistics and records.
. Control Efforts Grouped.
Regrouped under a bureau of
disease control would be present
functions like cancer and tu-
berculoSis control; mental health,
alcoholic rehabilitation and psy-
chiatric treatment and divisions
Of chronic and preventable all
ments including venereal dis
eases.
Other separate bureaus would
be maternal and child health,
public health nursing, laborator-
les and pharmacies and dental
health.
AS part of the same program,
a central purchasing system for
all drugs and pharmaceuticalS
should be established. Eligibility
of out-patient and hospital care
should be reviewed. Billing and
collection methods should be
studied for possible economies.
Installation of a modern records
system should be considered, and
attention given the methods of
ascertaining the actual cost of
accommodating hospital cases
and of establishing q modern
records system. as well as the
possibility Of locating health Of
fees, as close together physically
as possible.
Other Units Independent.
While these realignments would
take place, the present coroner's
Office setup. and the police and
fire surgeons board would re-
main unchanged and independ-
ent. The existing anatomical
board would be merged with the
newly y-formed Health Depart
ment. ,.-
An innovation proposed is for
nation of a public health ad-
visory council, to report the COM
munity's needs and wishes to the
health director.
The reorganizers also would
change the name of the two mu-
nicipal hospitals, from Gallinger
to District of Columbia Cen
eral" and from Glenn Dale San
itarium to Glenn Dale Hos
pital."
Rockefeller Confirmed