Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-29
.Finucane Given
Free Hand as
Health Director
BY CHARLES G. BROOKS


cane. who took Office on Febru-
airy /, will be allowed to run his
department without undue in
reference. The Commissioner
added, however. that he hopes
DR.. Finucane will feel free" to
seek the Commissioners help
and advice.
At the same time, DR.. P. A. E.
Stebbing, superintendent of the
District General Hospital, denied
charges of mismanagement and
inertia levied in the report re-
leased yesterday.
DR., Stebbing. one of the ajor
figures attacked by committee
investigators. declared that de-
Iflciencies at the hospital have
been known to him for some
time and that he could not get
the employees and additional
funds to correct them.
Staff Statement
Meanwhile. the medical staff
of the hospital issued state
ment declaring: The findings OF
the committee bear out the facts
and convictions which the medi-
cal staff have been trying fol
years to bring to the attention
of the responsible authorities
Walter w. Burdette, chief OF
the Health Departments Bureau
of Food and Public Health En-
gineer. department singled out
for a devastating blast in a Sec
ond report. said he is prepar-
ing an answer to charges of
poor administration, inconSist-
ency in the enforcement of reg
ulationS and lack of cooperation
with the Investigators.
The two reports, ordered last
summer by the subcommittee
headed by Representative Ra-
baut, Democrat of Michigan
were received as a sweeping in
dictment Of Health Department
administration over the past few
years.
DR.. Finucane declared that all
persons mentioned in the report
will be questioned extensively.
He would not. however, say
whether there will be any i'm
mediate vast administrative or
personnel changes. He is sched-
uled to confer with Mr.. Burdette
today.
He added that it will take
time to check on all of the
charges made in the two reports
OF the investigative team. Many
OF the charges. he continued,
were brought to his attention
and to MI. Karrick's attention
by conflicting statements over
the past month and a half.
The subcommittee has given
the Commissioners and DR.. Finu-
cane until next January | to re-
port back on steps taken TO rem
edy the confusion in the depart
ment.
DR.. Stebbing said yesterday
that he believes the investigators
made a strong effort 10 make as
impartial and objective a study
as they could from the infor-
nation that was furnished
them"
Criticizes Report
He criticized the report on the
hospital and related services.
saying that The report does not
point out we were we'll aware of
the deficiencies long before they
(the Investigators came and we
were making every effort to cor
rect them"
He added that I'VE were sty-
mied by a lack of personnel and
funds"
He declared that about ten
years before the District Man
agement Office sent a team TO
the Health Department to in
vestigate matters at the hospital.
Dr.. Daniel l.. Seckinger, former
Health Director who retired last
January, sent two people from
the Health Department to work
on the problems. But they
found 1t to be too big a job"
He added that number OF
studies have been conducted
there in the last two years by
the Management Office. They
were all requested by us and that
can be verified" DR.. Stebbing
said.
He declared that the several
improvements that the investi-
gators noted had taken place
since last summer were done only
because Congress had appropri-
ated extra funds which became
available last July /.
$4,000 Balance
DR.. Stebbing declared that two
years ago the hospital entered
the fiscal year with a balance of
only $4,000 out of a total appro-
priation OF SIS million. when II
Is borne in mind that when a
deficit is incurred the responsible
official is liable to a possible Jail
sentence, this is too close for
comfort" DR.. Stebbing said.
Last year we would not have
been able to meet our last payroll
without help from the Health
Department and Glen Dale" he
added. This year because Of the
committees generosity last year,
we feel that we can get through
the year safely" Congress had
appropriated an additional $43l.-
600 over what the Commissioners
allowed for the hospital.
DR.. Stebbing, referring TO The
investigators reports OF great
medical progress and large
amount OF research at the hos
pital, said he had something 70
] do with Il because he had IN