Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-10-18
Health Chief Seeks
Rise Of So Million
Fund Increase
Would Enlarge
Hospital Stuff
BY JAMES @. DEANE

~ 0hHA6O Ne O6nAN1
The District Commissioner
were studying today q plea for
a 50 million increase in the
Health Departments tentative
1852 budget.
The extra money would pro-
vide for q stable increase in
staff and modernization Of
equipment at District General
Hospital. as well as increased
school and mental health work.
The original budget request
of Dr.. Daniel L. Finucane,
health director, was trimmed
$3.4 million by the District
budget Office. The office's rec
commended total was $30.617.700
In a meeting yesterday with
the Commissioners, DR.. Finu-
cane made an urgent request to
have most Of the cutback
Cancelled.
Inadequate Service
He told reporters afterward
that the department had been
giving inadequate service to the
public for years because Of
CONSTRUCTED budgets and that
the request for next year rep
resented an attempt to catch
up.
This is particularly true, he
said, at District General Hos
pital. There, he said. some
conditions. from the stand
point Of medical service. staff
and equipment, are now "un-
believable."
The hospital staff, such as
it is. is having to improvise
and make substitutions; pa
tients often have to wait
lengthy periods for needed
treatment. he said.
DR.. F1nucane proposed speci-
fically that 1000 be added
to the budget Offices allotment
to the hospital for equipment
and repairs and that another
81 $780, 84 be added to the rec
commended operating allowance
Of the hospital.
The latter sum, the health
director said. includes these
major items: S144.400 for ad.
ministrative personnel: $685.
976 for l64 additional practical
nurses. attendants, ward clerks
and other nursing service staff;
$265. 900 for so more interns,
pharmacists, social service
workers and other treatment
|stad. and $40,589 for IL more
x-ray staff.
Total for Hospital
With the total already rec
commended by the budget office
the added sums would bring the
total for operating the hospital
next year to $l0.69l, 53S, or al.
most s2.7 million more than
this year.
DR.. Finucane said he con-
sidered this budget boost for
the hospital absolutely essen.
tial" to carry on an acceptable
program. He pointed out that
survey after survey" had
shown the hospital in need of
more adequate budgeting and
that the department was ask.
ing for enough money to correct
the long-standing deficiencies.
As for other Health DEPART
ment activities, the director
listed these proposed additions
to budget Office allotments:
$2l9,778 for equipment and 81
staff members for an expanded
mental health program: S4l,l12
for staff members to check on
the eligibility of applicants for
medical charity help; S89.970
for added public health nurs-
ing stan; $34.810 for nine new
administrative staff members:
$5O,5l0 for bioStatistics and
health education: S35,7Ol for
expanding the school health
program; $26.6S9 for expand
ing the dental force and S26, ZOO
for clinic repairs.
The health director asserted
that mental health lis one of
the biggest public health prob
lens in the country" and that
there is also a crying need"
for a better school health
program.
The turndowns by the budget
office on DR.. Finucane's orig
inal estimates were assailed by
a number Of civic groups at
recent Olihlic has riY,oe