Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-23
Legislators Ask
Facilities to Aid
Mentally Sick
By SAM EASTMAN

Arlington legislators have
Icalied for establishment Of Q
separate State hospital to treat
mentally handicapped and emo.
!tionally disturbed children.
This recommendation was
presented yesterday to q SUBJ
Icommittee OF the Virginia Adyis-
Tory Legislative Council during Q
public hearing in Alexandria.
It was the third hearing held
lby the legislative group to give
Virginia residents the oppor-
Itunity to air their views on needs
for the handicapped and on how
the State should cope with the
lproblenns.
Appeal by Fenwick
State Senator Charles r. Fem
wick Of Arlington said that Q
hospital for mentally III children
lis something we should do
something about in the next
General Assembly"
He said construction Of the
hospital must be coupled with
the expansion Of facilities at the
ILynchbury colony to eliminate
ia two-year waiting list at the
institution.
White Children who are mem
tally defective or epileptics are
treated at Lynchburg. The Pc
|tersburg institution handles all
types Of Negro mental cases.
Delegates Harrison Mann and
Mrs. Kathryn H. Stone supported
Senator Fenwick's views, with
special emphasis on the hospital
proposal.
Mr.. Mann, who told the COM
mittee he was also speaking for
William L. Winston. a Demo-
cratic nominee for the House.
said:
Prompt establishment Of sep.
|arate hospital facilities for chill.
|dren would serve not only for
their better treatment but enable
the State to do q more adequate
job at the State colonies"
Mr.. Mann said these two in
|stitutions are neither stated
nor equipped to treat what are
properly disqualification cases"
However. he said, the colonies
are becoming increasingly over
crowded because of "a growing
|revulsion to the committing Of
children to our adult mental In
|stitutions."
Mrs. Stone said establishment
Iof the hospital should certainly
receive q high priority" from the
lcommtttee. She suggested that
1.-THE proposed institution should
be directed by an Ainterdepart-
mental board" and should be
located either near Charlottes.
Iville or Richmond to take adj
vantage Of facilities at the uni
lversity or the medical college.
Mrs. Stone also recommended
State support and certiflcation
lof school psychologists. She said
that Virginia's classroom pro-
gram for mentally retarded chi.
Idren would benefit by an id
Grease in the State staff so that
local Jurisdictions can be aided
lin setting up the special educa.
ton programs.
Regional Hospitals Urged
Establishment of at least four
regional hospitals, instead Of one
large center, to treat mentally
jill children was urged by Mrs.
Elizabeth Campbell of the Ar
|lington School Board.
Mrs. Campbell said these CEN
tiers would offer "short-term
treatments" and would not
handle extreme cases that re-
|quire cuStodial care"
DR.. w. Kuhn Barnett, who
heads the special education sec
ton Of the State Department OF
Education, said there are now
80 classes operating in Virginia
for mentally retarded children
on q State-local basis.
Others who spoke included
Richard Stands. Fairfax School
Board member; Arlington Jul
venile Court Judge Hugh Reid.
parents of mentally retarded
children and representatives Of
the Virginia League of Women
Voters and the Northern Vir-
ginia Health Society.