Final answer:
The Cantonment Hospital at Camp Whiteside was established to provide medical care to the increasing numbers of former slaves and soldiers during the Civil War era, a precedent that led to federal efforts for improved healthcare infrastructure in the following years, including the Hill Burton Act.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Cantonment Hospital at Camp Whiteside was built in 1940 to provide medical care to a rapidly increasing population residing in military and refuge camps. These camps arose during the Civil War to house and provide for freed slaves, known at the time as 'contraband,' who sought refuge with Union forces.
The conditions at these camps led to illness and the need for dedicated medical facilities. This culminated in the establishment of hospitals like the Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D.C., later moved to the Howard University campus, that served the medical needs of these communities and helped to train Black nurses and doctors.
Similar motivations were behind the establishment of hospitals across the country, and the hospital construction was further bolstered by the Hill Burton Act in 1946, despite its initial support for segregated facilities. The Act was part of a federal effort to improve healthcare infrastructure, ensuring more hospitals were built and existing ones expanded to provide adequate medical care.