Evening star., 1961-05-19
House Group Backs
Shift of Freedmen's S
Benefits Seen
In Transfer to
Howard U.

A six-year-old proposal to
transfer Freedmen's Hospital
to Howard University was
unanimously approved today by
a House Education subcommit-
tee.
Subcommittee airma an
Green. Democrat, who opposed
the shift in the last Congress,
said she felt bipartisan support
would win the recommendation
of the full House committee.
She changed her own posi-
ton because of two major fac
tors.
The first. she said. was that
unlocking the doors of a previ-
ouSly closed tuberculosis annex,
with from so to 100 empty beds,
at Freedmen's showed hospital
officials determination to serve
their patients.
Second, both the new How
ard University president, DR..
James M. Nabrit, jr., and
Health. Education and Welfare
Secretary Ribicoff have shown
their strong desire and willing
ness" to protect rights of hospi-
tai employees at the university.
Ribicoff Testifies
Her subcommittee acted after
Secretary Ribicoff answered
charges that Freedmen's was a
segregated hospital. 1t is fl
nanced by the Federal Govern
ment.
Representative Quie, Repub-
lican of Minnesota, asked the
Secretary if the administration
favored the shift only because
it was embarrassed to be IL
nancing a segregated institu-
ton.
That is not in my mind at
all" Secretary Ribicoff said.
If the hospital is operated with
Howard University by the very
nature of the thing most pa
tients will be Negroes.
But I am sure that neither
Howard University nor Freed
mems Hospital would refuse to
take white patients"
New Hospital Urged
"Freedmen's, let's put it
frankly. is dump" Secretary
Ribicoff said. The Federal
Government should be ashamed
to sponsor an institution like
Freedmen'S today. 1t ought to
be torn down"
In response to Mr.. Quie's
query, the Secretary said he
would recommend that Con-
greSs appropriate money to
build a new Freedmen's Hos
pital whether or not the trans
fer is approved. And the
money should be freed this
session, he said.
The bulk of his testimony
was directed to the argument
that Howard cannot become a
great university without a
teaching hospital. The Fed
eral Government should be
interested in encouraging How
ard to continue to grow and
become a superb" university,
Mr.. Ribicoff insisted.
Registering the sole opposi-
ton today, Mildred F. Fearing,
head nurse at Freedmen's, tes-
titled that hospital employees
are promised pay raises, retire
ment and employment security
by civil service and do not want
to lose those projections by
working for Howard University.
Advantages Noted
After the session, Mrs. Green
said that the advantages of
having a hospital treatment,
training and teaching program
under one administration at
Howard far outweighs any
argument that individuals will
lose their civil service status"
The Freedmen's employees are
fully protected in the bill.
which expands retirement, in
surance and health projections
for the Freedmen's staff under
the transfer, she said. Also.
she noted that Secretary Ribi-
coff had pledged priority ham
ding of appeals of Freedmen's
workers who wished to take
other Federal jobs rather than
go to Howard.
Hospital construction was
recommended by an HEW
study commission six years ago.
Since then. Howard has dou-
bled its medical school enroll
ment. built new pre-medical
building and improved medical
training under a congressional
directive aimed at centering
activities in a modern hospital
plant.