Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-31
s.. E|izabeths
Plan MdyCost
DC. s. Million
Welfare Unit Asks
City to Share in
Hospital OutIuys
By John w. Stepp

Oy JUN W. SAGPP
A request that the District
share future construction costs
of st. Elizabeths Hospital could
mean well over So million addi-
tional expense to the city In the
next few years.
The proposal appears In the
fiscal 1855 budget estimates of
the Federal Department Of
Health, Education and Welfare.
which has jurisdiction over the
hospital.
It simply specifies that the
District pay for major repairs
and improvements and new con-
struction" in amounts proper
tionate to the number Of local
residents under treatment at
the huge institution for the
mentally deranged.
Works Cost Listed.
Because "a per cent of the
hospitals population are District
residents, the city would be pay
ing nearly three-fourths the cost
Of:
Major repairs and build
ing slated for fiscal 1855 total
ing 100000.
"A new maximum security
building that would also house
woman patients. earmarked by
Congress itself as a vital" need
at nearly So million.
Even without that added ex-
penSe, the municipal govern
ment lacks enough money to
build any new health. welfare.
school or correctional inStitu-
tionS Of its own in fiscal 1855. In
fact, if the city is to get any new
construction of this sort in the
next 10 years it must depend on
the $305 million punlic works
improvement program now be-
fore Congress for financing.
District Budget Ofncer Walter
L. Fowler placed the st. Eliza
beths complication before the
ouSe-Senate District fiscal sub
committee hearing the works bill
last week.
New Funds Refused.
Mr.. Fowler pointed out that
the hare-the-cost provision sp-
peared in the Health, Education,
Welfare Department budget as
the result Of a congressional
mandate last year. Committees
Of both Houses refused to ap-
propriate new construction funds
for st. Elizabeths since barely
one-quarter Of the patients are
Federal Government charges.
The Senate Appropriations
Committee went even further.
''The committee" its report
stated, will expect the officials
Of st. Elizabeths Hospital to
begin negotiations with the
agencies for whose patients care
is furnished on, a reimbursable
basis to effect some cooperative
arrangement" for sharing con-
Gtruction costs.
Or. Winfred Overholser. hos
pital superintendent, conferred
with the District Commissioners.
The city's very tight financial
situation" was explained to him,
and his best assurance was that
the Commissioners would state
the problem to the District fiscal
subcommittee.
The District already pays a per
diem fee for local residents at
st. Elizabeths that is expected
to total $9.7 million in fiscal
1855. The amount will cover an
estimated 5.425 District patients.
= $3.50 Daily Per Patient.
The per diem rate 10 years ago
aggregated a $3.2 million budget
item for a District inmate popu-
lation Of $500. Rates then were
about 81 per day per patient.
They are now $3.50.
When the hospital was founded.
nearly 100 years ago by the Fed
eral Government, the District
bore none Of the upkeep, con-
struction or patient costs. In
1877, however. the city began
paying toward the care Of local
inmates and in 1912 began shar-.
ing the cost of building repairs,
roadways and walks. This share
was incorporated In the per diem
patient charge.
Throughout the history of the
institution. whether the District
has paid for its inmates or not.
the local Government has had
no authority in the operation of
st. Elizabeths. AS city officials
interpret the new share the-cost
provision. that status would re-
main unchanged.
EAarR Sad Si1ua%;~n