Evening star., 1955-11-26
New Psychiafric Building
Plans Held Up by Lane
Again Demands
More Details on
Cost Increase

might held UP plans for the pro-
posed 205-bed psychiatric build
ling at District General Hospital.
lalthough his fellow Commission
ers said they were prepared to
go. ahead with it.
For the second time. Gen.
Lane demanded more detailed
Explanations to Justify q $780,
1000 increase In estimated cost
of the building. from $2.225.000
Ito $2.8 million.
He said he was not satisfied
with a report prepared during
1.-THE week and submitted to the
lefty heads late yesterday. On
Monday. Gen. Lane said, he will
TASK Director Archie G. Hutson
Iof the Department Of Buildings
land Grounds to prepare q new
report.
It should, Gen. Lane said.
compare the design Of the pro-
lposed building with similar hos
Ipitals to indicate whether the
proposed building is excessively
elaborate.
/ Declaring he was dismayed at
lthe delay in construction, Gen.
Lane insisted ''the comparison
should be readily available" and
ought not to take more than
"a couple Of days" to prepare.
/ He declared there are well
established standards for what
lis needed in mental hospital
land that the proposed building
should be designed to meet those
standards.
Different View
This contrasted. however. with
la statement by Commissioner
Robert E. Mclaughlin that psy-
chiatric units have to be tailored
to the cities in which they are
located. In Washington, he
pointed out, such q hospital
must provide for children, dope
laddicts and criminals, which
may not be the case in other
cities.
Last Tuesday. prodded by Gen.
Lane. the Commissioners called
for additional information to ex-
plain the 80 per cent increase in
the buildings cost and floor
space.
The l1-page document was
prepared by DR.. John D. Schultz,
ichief psychiatrist at General
Hospital. Yesterday, he took it
to Mr.. Mclaughlin. accompanied
by DR.. Daniel L. Seckinger, who
had been prepared. to ask for
bids on the proposed building.
Mr.. Mclaughlin approved the
report, as did Commissioner Sam
uel Spencer. Since Gen. Lane
had first questioned the cost in
crease. however. they postponed
decision until he had read the
report last night.
Climax Of Campaign
The report came at the climax
lof campaign started by The
Star in l947. which branded ex-
listing facilities for psychiatric
treatment as a disgrace to-
Washington"
Since 1888, there have been
flour studies Of existing facilities,
leach more critical than the next.
THE first was by the United
States Public Health Service,
1.-THE second by DR.. Winfred Over
iholser. director of st. Elizabeths
Hospital. in 1914; the third Dy
lDr. Samuel B. Wortis, head of
1.-THE psychiatric division of New
lYork's Bellevue Hospital. in I947,
land the fourth by G. Rowland
SHAW. president of District
Mental Health Association, in
1882.
The building was first formally
proposed in October, 1858. as a
i250-bed hospital This came
when Engineer Commissioner
bernard L. Robinson called for
jail departments to submit their
building plans for the next 10
years in putting together the
tcity's public works program.
No formal plans were made,
Iand cost was estimated at 2.225.-
1000 on the basis of figures from
the Public Health Service that
800 square feet should be allowed
for each bed. This figure. how
lever. made no allowance for
treatment facilities for psychi-
tatric patients.
Decide on Treatments -
These include hydrotherapy,
lphysiotherapy and occupational
itherapy.
Later the District Commission
lers decided the city hospital
should become an acute treat
iment center. under an agree
lment with the medical schools
Iof Georgetown and George
Washington Universities.
AS a result. DR.. Schultz was
employed by the District some
l18 months ago to head the
ipsychiatric department.
| Also since then, congressional
passage Of three laws has added
Ito the burden of District faciliL
ties for the mentally i'll. These
permitted courts to order nom
criminal drug addicts hos
pitalized for treatment, provided
for hospitalization--ratlle than
jailing--of criminal suspects be-
llieyed to be mentally i'll, and
provided for treatment of
alcoholics.
In addition. there has been a
major effort to get mentally Ill
children out Of the District Re-
ceiying Home. In the past
fiscal year. % such children have
been sent to District hospital.
New Techniques
Another change since 1858 has
been development of new treat
Iment techniques, which permit
use of out-patient clinics which
were not contemplated in
original consideration of the