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LARGER HOSPITAL FUND WILL BE RECOMMENDED
Under Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Nelson Rockerfeller told our Appropriations Subcommittee last week that the President would send a special message to the Congress asking that $75,000,000 be provided for, Federal aid to hospital construction in the riext fiscal year instead of the $50,000,000 proposed in the President’s budget message or the, $65,000,000 appropriated for this year.
The proposed increase would mean that Virginia’s allotment for next year would amount to $2,230,318 compared with $1,479,068 available under the budget figure but information given our „ committee by Dr. Cronin, Chief of the Hospital Construction Division of the Public Health Service indicated this still would fall far short of what would be needed to carry out the full program which has been proposed by the Virginia State. Health Department.
Dr. Cronin said the Virginia Department had reported twelve projects as eligible federal aid next year. These would provide _390 additional general hospital beds, 200 additional—beds for tuberculous patients and five new public health centers. The total cost of these projects was estimated at $8,460,000 and the federal government’s share of this, on 3 basis of matching funds on practically a 50-50 basis would be $4,653,000. That; is more than twice the allotment which could be expected under the President’s new recommendation. Neither the . House nor Senate committees have so far acted on the hospital appropriation item.
Desirable as it would be to get on quickly with the program of building badly needed hospitals, of doubling federal aid for highways and continuing all the other types _of aid to state activities, we cannot ignore an increasingly difficult budget situation, wherein the federal government will have to -borrowifor an indefinite period the
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