Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-07-09
Groups Indorse
Bigger Budget
orHea|th Plan
70 Units Support
Finucune's PIeu
To Bolster Services

Finucane, head OF the District
Health Department. for a big
ger budget next year to remedy
the ''inadequacies" at District
General Hospital and to give
the city IAN honest-to-good-
ness" mental health program
was Endorsed here last night by
more than two dozen leading
groups vitality concerned with
the community's health.
The backing was pledged at
a public hearing on District
health needs in the Municipal
Center, where representatives
from % groups scored the Dis
trict Commissioners and Con-
gress for "penny-wise and
pound foolish" Health Depart
ment appropriations for the
past IL years"
The meeting was called by
the Public Health Advisory
Council to give District resi-
dents an opportunity to air
their views before the depart
ment submits its budget re-
quests to the Commissioners a
week from tomorrow.
DR.. Finucane, who was
among those present. had
termed District General and
the mental health program
"the areas of greatest need"
in the city's health picture.
Nurses, workers Needed
Next. he said recently, comes
the dire necessity for addi-
tional public health nurses and
more staff workers in the de-
partment's medical care or
assistance division.
His requests were Endorsed by
the spokesman without excep-
ton. Several termed the needs
alarming"
A proposal that the council
members look into the POSSIBLE
ity of acquiring an abandoned
hospital building here as a con-
valescent care center for the
aged came from DIR. Edward
c. Mazique, president of the
Medico-C hirurgical Society of
the District.
DR.. Mazique suggested the
Health Department might ac-
quire one of the buildings to
be vacated when Emergency,
Episcopal and Garfield Hos
pitfalls move to the new Hospital
Center.
DIR. william p. Herbst, chair
man Of the District Medical
Society's special committee on
the Health Department budget,
said the BADLY rundown plant
at District General is what
might be expected since nothing
much has been done to improve
it for several years."
Others called for additional
slum clearance and centralized
ambulance service. AS q group,
however. they hailed DR.. Finu-
canes stress on the four great
est needs" particularly in the
mental health field.
DR.. William B. Russell, of
the Washington Urban League,
said preventive work in the
area of mental health, a wider
use of public health nurses in
the school health programs
and establishment of a health
center in the far Northeast
section Of the city should be
cardinal consideration" when
submitting the. budget to the
Commissioners.
Aid Sought in Three Areas
Ralph circuit, of Help for
Retarded Children, Inc. said
he would like to see the de-
partment aid such youngsters
in three areas-diagnosis. home
visiting services and school
psychiatric services-some of
which have been sadly neg
lected."
DR.. Paul B. Cornely. of the
United Community Services,
urged the department to con-
centrate more on public health
education.
Dr.. Robert Nelson. of the
District Medical Society, said
! the District is in great need
of facilities for the care of new
mothers and women involved in
abortion cases.