Evening star., 1955-06-21
Sweeping Shifts in Care
Of D. c. INDECENT Asked

Sweeping changes in the Dis
trict's program for care of the
medically INDECENT were advo-
Gated today by two medical Of
|flcials of D. C. General Hospital.
The doctors, Joseph F. Faze-
kas. chief Of the medical staff
and Elizabeth Hill, chief medical
officer, feel there is no 'satis-
factorily comprehensive pro-.
gram" for the medically INDECENT
at the present time. They add a
revamped program is actually
imperative"
Their remarks were contained
in an editorial appearing in this
months issue of the Medical
Annals, official publication of the
ID. c. Medical Society.
AS to changes proposed in the
past in the INDECENT program, the
editorial states:
There have been several at
tempts to formulate pro-
grams (for the medically indi-
GENT. but these have been uni
formly unsuccessful primarily
because of lack of coordination
or because the interests of the
INDECENT patients were actually
If secondary consideration"
d. C. General Treats Bulk
Medically INDECENT patients
are those persons who can't pay
their hospital bills-without the
help of taxpayers. District Cen
eral Hospital treats the bulk of
these patients but eight hospi-
tails, under contract with the
District H alth Department,
handle indigents in their out
patient departments or II they
arrive at the hospitals door as
emergency" cases. Indigents
are needed by every hospital to
maintain training programs for
intern and resident doctors.
The editorial says:
1.-THE municipal hospital --
D. c. Generals grossly over
crowded in certain areas, so that
it is exceedingly difficult to con-
tinue to offer medical services of
the highest quality. On the
other hand there is a paucity of
INDECENT patients in private in
stitutions, and house physicians
(interns or residentS) are not
receiving the experience and
teaching they require"
This "inequity" between pub
lie and private facilities reflects
a lack of coordination which is
evident in other areas, says the
editorial.
Lack Of Data Cited
The doctors feel "only lip serv-
ice" is being given by various
public agencies responsible for
INDECENT care to the concept of
total patient care" They also
speak of a lack of essential sta
tistical data" in the medically
INDECENT program which has lin
tied any development Of an ideal
program.
Some Of the program changes
described in the editorial include:
/. There should be a specific
allotment of beds always avail
able for the INDECENT in private
hospitals.
Q. One or more diagnostic
screening centers should be es-
tablished to estimate diagnostic
and therapeutic requirements of
the INDECENT.
3. An "evaluation board" COM
prising representatives of the
health and rehabilita-
tion departments should be set
up to determine the needs of
each patient, his family, the
proper facility for his care and
mis- rehabilitation potentialities.
4. 1t is essential that a unit
.ecord system be established so
hat various agencies contribut-
ng to the care of the INDECENT
can be adequately in
'ormed of his status at points
llong his return to health. i
The editorial hints at a sort
,f haphazard arrangement at
present under which patients
Who have been visiting outpa-
lent clinics at private facilities
must go to D. C. General to re-