The Atlanta Inquirer

Public Rejects
Board's Plan
Of Integration

BY JOHN BRITTON

It is significant when a
beautiful, modern, four-
story hospital building
is converted into a mere "pay
ward" of a larger hospital
located nearby.

The Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority took that sig-
nificant step last week as it
voted, with only one dissent,
for the Authority to take over
the Hughes Spalding Pavil-
ion.

The resolution passed
called for the future opera-
tion of Spalding by the Au-
thority "as a pay-ward of
Grady Hospital."

The Authority announced
this plan as a step toward the
much agitated goal of comp-
lete desegregation of the
huge Grady Memorial Hos-
pital. Much of the public,
however, disagrees with that
interpretation of the resolu-
tion.

Continue to page 10
Board
Continued from page 1

The community most interested in Grady Hospital sees in the plan another attempt by the Authority to circumvent immediate efforts to fully desegregate Grady Hospital.

Six persons questioned in the Inquirer Sidewalk Census this week were unanimously agreed that the Authority had apparently not acted in good faith.

Atlanta's crusading dentist, Dr. R.C. Bell, interpreted the move as being preparation for the alleged arrival this summer of Grady's first Negro interne, now a Meharry Medical College student.

Now that Spalding is just a "ward"* of Grady Hospital, the latter hospital's administration could bring in a Negro interne and restrict him to the Spalding "pay ward."

Thus, they would have technically hired the first Negro interne at Grady Hospital. At the same time, they would have provided Spalding with an interne program that has been requested for years.

But, the latter implication won't be effective, since Spalding is now only a "pay ward."

At the meeting where the decision was made last week, Dr. Bell and four students from Committee On Appeal For Human Rights made an appearance to assert the public's right to observe the actions of public officers.

They had been barred from the Authority's last meeting last year.

As for the promise of a Negro interne at Grady Hospital, Dr. Bell referred to that proposed move as "tokenism" and a hush puppy.

He said the announcement was intended to silence further criticism of the hospital's racial policies.