Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-05-25
D.C.HospitaIs,
Doctors Plan
INDECENT Plea
Seek More Money
From Congress for
Public Patients

washington's private hos
pitfalls and the District Medical
Society are planning 10 appeal
10 Congress over the heads Of
the Commissioners for an en-
Iarged increase In funds for
INDECENT medical care.
Closed hearings before O
House Appropriations subcom-
mittee on District health mat
tiers are scheduled 10 begin
tomorrow. Commissioner David
B. Karrick win appear 10 de-
fend his proposed Health De-
partment budget including the
medical. charities program.
The Commissioners cut In
half q Health Department pro-
posal for q medical charities
increase.
Representatives Of the WASH
ington Hospital Council and
the Medical Society have asked
TO be heard at public hearings
within the next two weeks.
They plan 10 ask q substan-
tial increase in funds to reiIm-
burse private hospitals caring
for the Districts indigents.
Medical Society Statement
Last night a medical society
statement termed "the pattern
Of insufficient appropriations
for the hospital care Of the
INDECENT who are the respon-
sibility Of the District Of Co
lumbia government" a long
standing situation that must
be corrected.
The statement followed news
Of a severe cutback Of District
financed INDECENT care pro-
grams in four hospitals. They
are Children's, Freedmen's.
Episcopal and the Hospital
Center.
Children's Hospital, In a
statement, said it would con-
tinue to care for indigents, at
least until a board meeting
Wednesday. The hospital,
which lost $250,000 over the
past two years, said the in
digent prograsm would have to
stop II the losses continued.
The Medical Society revealed
that the Commissioners re-
Gently turned down a request
by local hospitals for money
to cover losses amounting to
$1,545 in fiscal 1856 and $29,-
433 in fiscal 1857.
The deficits are for the care
Of patients certified as indi-
gents by the District. The
Commissioners are now gener-
ally following a policy against
supplemental appropriations for
the Health Department.
Department Request Cut
William M. Butcher, execu-
tive director of the Hospital
Council, said the current fiscal
years deficit is nearly $4,000
and could conceivably run to
500, 900 by June 80.
The Medical Society pointed
out that the Health Depart
ment last year asked 1,721 ,248
for the medical charities pro-
gram in private hospitals. The
Commissioners, however, re-
quested only $1,045,000.
After the Hospital Council
and the Medical Society APP
pealed to Congress, the APP
preparation was raised to ST.
$4,000 for the current fiscal
year. This, the society says, is
just about used up.
The Health Department last
fall requested an increase Of
$20S, 900 for medical charities
over this fiscal year for next
year. The Commissioners, how
ever, slashed this request to an
increase Of 100000.
The department asked for a
raise in the daily rate per in
patient from $18 to 1888. The
Commissioners cut the request
to 1855.
Mr.. Butcher said Congress
should take a hard look at
Washington's INDECENT care
program. He promised the full
cooperation Of the hospitals.
He said that requests made
by the Health Department and
the Council would not have
been sufficient to meet the pro-
grams needs. But even so. he
added, these requests have con-
Sistently been cut.