Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-09-16
Suburban Hospitals
Short 1857 Beds
District Report
Points Up Lag
In Construction
BY GRACE BASSETT

Hospital building in sur
rounding counties has Jagged
SO far behind District construc-
ton that the suburbs are short
3.057 beds for general patients,
a report in preparation at the
District Health Department
shows.
Four additions and one new
hospital are being built in ad.
jacent Maryland and Virginia.
Five wings are underway at
institutions in the District. Add
to these the big new Hospital
Center on Soldiers Home
grounds and the proposed $50
bed Southeast hospital, and
the area still falls short Of
Federal standards Of need UNI
der the Hill Burton hospital aid
statute.
For the District alone, how
ever. hospitals functioning or
being built will furnish 546
beds more than Federal stand
ards demand.
Four Counties Involved
Together. Prince Georges,
Montgomery, Arlington and
Fairfax counties and cities
OF Alexandria and Falls Church
miss the need by 3,O57 beds,
according to the report.
Statistics were gathered in
an independent survey and
from a drafted report to be
submitted to the District Hill
Burton Council within a month,
This council passes on finan-
cial aid to be allotted for new
hospital construction in the
District. Each State has its
separate council. Allotments
run up to a maximum of $780,.
600 for the District, SIS million
for Maryland and S3.1 million
for Virginia annually.
Under present law, only about
81 million Of Hill Burton funds
may be transferred across State
lines. And this money must be
Tor chronic illnesses. rehabilita-
ton centers. or diagnostic and
treatment centerS, according to
Henry Gavens, Health Depart
ment administrator preparing
the report for the Hill-Burton
group.
The overall metropolitan area
shortage is Of general hospital
beds.
The District
Eighteen general hospitals
exist in the city. The 8O0-bed
Hospital Center on Soldiers
Home grounds will incorporate
Emergency. Episcopal and Gar
field Hospitals. in its $22 mil
lion institution, due for a late
fall opening.
Just inside the District line,
a new Southeast Washington
hospital is planned. Raymond
j. McDonough. president of the
hospital planning board, said
yesterday he thought construc-
ton in Maryland was "out Of
the question"
Under way in the District
are:
Casualty Hospital-A 100
bed addition. the first major
building since 1928, to cost SIS
million at Massachusetts, ave-
nue. and Eighth street NE. It
should be completed in late
1858.
Columbia Hospital for Wom-
en-A long planned five-stoiy.
wing in the vicinity-of L and
oath streets NV. for which
building permit plans are sub
mitted. Building is due to be
finished in 1859.
Doctors Hospital-An addi-
ton to increase bed capacity
by 80 at 1915 street NV,
begun in July, to be finished in
nine months.
Georgetown University-A 50
million addition facing the
$500 block Of Reservoir road
NV. scheduled to start this
fall and be completed in 18
months.
Sibley HoSpital-A new 1885,
bed hospital to replace the old
2l4-bed institution at North
Capital and l. streets NV. The
location on a l2-acre tract at
the Dalecarlia reservoir still is
subject to the approval of the
Secretary of the Army.
Virginia
Only three general hospitals
are operating in Virginia. ac-
cording to Halliburton reports.
But hospital space for 90 more
beds in Alexandra. 70 more IN
Arlington and 300 more in
Fairfax County is we'll past t',e
planning stage. This puts Vir-
ginia ahead Of Maryland in
hospital building.
A 81 million Arlington Gen.
eral wing with 70 beds poened
this summer, with a new en-
Urgency room. maternity ard
childrens' wing the future goals
Of hospital sponsors.
Fairfax hospital promoters
are ready to begin in Novem-
Der on a S6.5 million center
with 800 beds, off Gallows road
near Arlington boulevard. And
Circle Terrace Hospital. at goa
Circle terrace, Alexandria. IS