Evening star., 1955-05-19

Freedmen's Hospital and the
Medical School of Howard Uni
versity was unrolled today.
Drawn up by a citizens COM
mission, appointed by Secretary
of Welfare Hobby, the plans
carried recommendations that
would entirely change the
character of the 90-year-old
hospital and greatly strengthen
the machinery used to train
colored physicians and nurses.
Ask New HOSPITAL
Salient recommendations made
by the 12-member Freedmen's
Hospital Study Commission
asked that:
l. A 4OO-bed, So million hos
pital be constructed on the
grounds of Howard University,
using the present 130-bed tuber-
culosis building and replacing
the present hospital. The new
plant would have facilities COM
parable to those of the hospitals
of George Washington and
Georgetown Universities.
2. Ownership, control and
supervision of the hospital be
removed from the Department
of Health. Education and Wei
fare and vested in the Howard
University Board Of Trustees.
8. Cost of the new hospital
be borne entirely by the Federal
Government-but afterward the
hospital would work toward
financial independence as its
private" status is gradually
achieved.
4. Congress enact during the
present session legislation in
cooperating essential elements of
the commissions recommended
tions.
In its study of the future OF
Freedmen's, the commission said
1t recognized that, until the
doors of hospitals and medical
schools throughout the United
States are opened wide, both
Freedmen's Hospital and How
ard University must give primary
attention to the needs Of the
Negro"
The commission also "looked
ahead to that time when the
hospital and the university
will have become fully inte-
grated into American life" un-
der non-segregation.
Set Up After Civil War
Freedmens Hospital was sci
up to meet the health needs OF
the ex-slave population, which
came to Washington in great
numbers after the Civil War
It served, for many years, on q
non-segregated basis as charity
hospital and then, in 1912, was
authorized by Congress to admit
fee-paying patients. Its control
from time to time, has beer
under the War Department, In.
terror Department, District o1
Columbia and, today, HEW.
It has served, from the be-
ginning, as the teaching facility
for Howard University College
Of Medicine and has turned out
about half of the country's COL
ored physicians.
Until recently the hospital
had become, as the commission
points out, a virtually segregated
institution: The only institution
open to the colored patient ano
the only place for the colorec
physician to take his patient.
But with the administration
policies on non-segregation, Su-
preme Court decisions and re-
cent trends toward community
integration, question of the
Federal Governments relation.
ship to the hospital was raised
particularly with regard to finan.
cial support. the commission
said.
Finds Continuing Need
The commission was appoint
ed by Secretary Hobby this yea,
to explore the financial question
but also to determine if there
was a continuing and future
need for Freedmen's.
Unequivocally, the commission
said there was and based its
finding on a national shortage
of medical. nursing and alliec
professional personnel in gen.
eral and particularly in coloret
medical personnel.
The commission stated thai
Howard University could MOI
perform its teaching function ir
meeting these needs with thu
present Obsolete, outmoded anc
uneconomlcal general .hosplta
plant" 1t emphasized the "pri'
mary purpose of the new hos
pital would be to serve as {
teaching function"
! Observing that Providence anc
Sibley Hospitals will soon b'
moving to other sections Of th'
city, the commission felt therl
| was a definite need for the hos