Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-06-09
WON BY DEFAULT
Two-Year Miracle Wor ker
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She Delivers q Solvent Organization
By AMELIA YOUNG
Star Staff Writer

What she was taking on,
strictly by default she says,
was a UGF agency whose
money problems had become
q standing joke.
The Community PSychiat-
ric Clinic of Montgomery
County was sinking into
debt at a rate Of about $4,000
a year and the board mem
bers, feeling helpless, Sleep
lily went along with this. 'Ha.
ha. here comes April again
and no more money until
July That was the kind Of
thing we used to say" Mrs.
Eden recalled.
At that time the small,
dark haired matron, whose
husband is a pSychoanalyst,
was one Of two women on the
board. On election" day the
other wisely stayed home.
Mrs. Eden maintains she got
the job simply because all the
men turned it down, each
claiming some more impor-
tant demand on his time.
Finally they questioned
me-" she said, land I had
the least good reason why I
couldn't take it,"
The stopgap choice turned
out to be a miracle worker.
Friday night, at the boards
fourth annual dinner-dance,
Mrs. Eden delivered to her
successor Rufus King q SOL
tent organization that now
includes a women's board, a
speakers bureau and a busi-
hess manager for the clinic.
The pretty board president
has a modest explanation for
the turn Of events: THE
men who served before me
negotiated mainly by mail.
But I had time to go out to
the clinic and nosey around
a bit. I think before
long they were sorry they'd
elected me because I began
nagging everybody"
Falling Behind
Mrs. Eden discovered on
her early forays that patients
were allowed to fall far be-
hind In paying their bills,
five years behind in some
cases. The clinic is a low
cost, non-profit agency which
takes patients on a pay-as-
you're-able basis. Many are
charged very little, others
nothing.
The point was, Mrs. Eden
said, "the fees were fixed
carefully, III the fairest posi-
BILE way. Why then, shouldn't
we expect payment? We
were guilty Of, what would
you call it. terrible non
chalance. It just wasn't
business-like."
Fortunately, she said, she
had as board secretary Mrs.
Jack Silver, a woman with
business experience who's
almost as good a nag as l."
Early in her term, with the
agency webbing under its
debt, Mrs. Eden went to the
board and asked them to hire
q business manager for the
clinic MRS. Silver at a
salary of $4,000 a year.
"They must have thought
I was some kind Of nut to
ask for such an appropria-
tion," she said grinning, re-
membering the meeting, but
we put 1t on a trial, three
months basis and it worked
out very well. Since then
Mrs. Silver has not only
made her own salary but
very, very much more"
Another Problem
Mrs. Eden inherited an
other problem-the resigna-
ton of the clinics medical
director. With phenomenal
beginners luck, she found
the right man through an
ad, q Texan named DR..
Charles Simmons, lust as
things looked very black and
we thought we'd have to
make do with consultants."
Later the novice executive
established the women's
board to handle "leg- work"
assignments too time-con-
Stunning for the men, and the
speakers bureau to broaden
and improve community rela-
tons. THE clinic was the
best-kept secret in Bethesda"
she said.
Now located at 1909 Hamp-
den lane In Bethesda. In
rented quarters that are
something less than ideal,
the clinic needs a permanent
home. A good location on a
bus route is hard TO find.
Mrs. Eden explained, because
so many citizens mistakenly
believe the clinics patients
are dangerous" people, or
somehow undesirable, who
must be kept at a distance.
"A few years ago we found
q place In Kensington that
seemed Just right but when
we applied for a special ex-
ception 10 the coming rule.
the neighborhood turned out
In force against IT," Mrs.
Eden said. I'VE now think
our best bet would be 10 find
land and build. Our needs