this is an american community as in most towns people of all of their daily activities with a feeling of confidence confidence in their business confidence in their school confidence in the general wellbeing and health of their and you assume that this animal is free of rabies and you feel confident that this boat has been prepared and served under sanitary conditions well of course our health department for texas from danger these but does it many americans live in communities whose help departments are neither properly equipped nor staff to do an adequate job and too many of us live in areas where there is no  time public health service at all you may feel that your home is safe you have taken every precaution to keep your family well but you don't live in isolation a neighbor stricken by an infection an sprayed breeding place for mosquitoes can bring disease and death into your home no matter what precautions you take your health is tied up with the health of the entire community and the best protection for everyone's health is a well functioning community health program let's see what kind of a job could be done in a community by a full time health department cooperating with local physicians and voluntary health agencies you will find that the health department takes an interest in your from the very start first you are identified as an individual with your very own footprint a report goes to the division of vital statistics your certificate of birth is secured and the world learns that it has a by keeping records of all births deaths and important diseases vital statistics keeps its finger on the health pulse of the community it is here that the first signs of an epidemic can be spotted and counter your health department thanks about you even before you come into the world in prenatal clinics such as this one mothers to be are taught how to care for themselves and how to prepare for actual birth what an expectant mother eats has a great effect upon the health of the infant developing within her soul a nutritionist from the health department helps the mothers plan a diet which is nourishing well balanced and economical at the same time after the baby has been taken home in many communities a public health nurse visits to offer some helpful suggestions on infant care mother is usually anxious to show that she has had everything all ready for the baby's arriv but there are some things that mother is eager to learn like how to say that the newcomer well youngster you're the actors in this thing so come on the main point of the nurses  is to teach mother how to help herself to give her self confidence the nurse establishes a friendly easygoing relationship with mother right from the start the sureness with which she handles the instant impresses the mother this is an opportunity for mother to ask questions about infant care about d d and other problems throughout the visit the nurse carefully sizes up the baby's particular condition and behavior so that she may detect early signs of illness or disorder in such cases she recommends immediate attention by the family physician in order to avoid any the good health department also provides child health conferences where mothers may take their children for monthly examinations the job of these well child clinics is not to treat sick children but to keep youngsters well by getting timely inoculations and regular checkups in order to reveal defects at their earliest stages while mothers wait to have their children examined help department nutritionists talk with them special feeding problems are often discussed at conferences such as this one children need regular checkups right through school a good school health program sees to it that all defects found in examination are corrected by either a private physician or a health clinic such a program is most successful when it is run cooperatively by the school the health department and the local medical and dental societ one of the most important jobs of a help department is to control communicable diseases at this community supported tuberculosis clinic chest x rays are offered all citizens a mobile x ray laboratory on wheels frequently co sponsored by local voluntary organisations takes this vital service to industrial plants and remote sections of the community work such as this has helped cut  past half century when arial disease too is being brought under control or cases of track down to prevent spread of the disease and break clinical examinations and treatments are offered in confidential surroundings records of those undergoing treatment are known only by the clinic staff thousands of dollars worth of livestock are lost each year because of rabies not to mention the menace to human beings to help combat this threat to animal in man voluntary neighborhood clinics for inoculation of pets are continually set up for the protection of the entire community all the private physician can do much to help protect your family's health he needs an organized health department back of him to combat the health hazards of our environment for instance it is the job of the department to see that food in restaurants is prepared how well is the food being refrigerated the patrons of this cafeteria can rest assured that the food they eat is safe and whole and sanitary cups are a further protection against bacterial contamination milk is one of the most nutritious foods which man consumes but if not for fairly safeguarded it can be the carrier of many diseases under unsanitary conditions such as these the mill cannot help but become contaminated by dust flies and filth due to the vigorous efforts of health department officials raw milk retailing practices have been virtually eliminated in most communities and experience shows that farmers in the long run benefit financially by adopting sanitary methods milk and milk products should be pasteurized every step from milking to bottling should be done under the most sanitary conditions here under the watchful eye of the sanitary and the and attached to others which have also been washed with a chlorine solution to protect against contamination the milk cans and other utensils must be properly cleaned and stored pasteurization machines give us further assurance that our milk will be safe even after the milk has been packaged and is on its way to the consumer a public health inspector checks its temperature and collect samples for laboratory analysis these are the results of tests with two samples are high bacterial growth here indicates unsafe milk while this sample shows milk which is safe to drink the sanitary and looks after your health at every stage of milk production and covers every type of milk product as well with these precautions you can be sure that the milk you drink is safe but what about the water you drink in rural areas sanitary engineers supervise the installation of wells to make sure they come up to standard and are not likely to become contaminated someday times this means eliminating unsanitary privies which may manage the water supply farmers find that installation of properly constructed sewage disposal units saves them money in the long run not to mention the health protection it affords their families those of us who live in cities have less direct control over our water supply we depend upon purifying plans to keep our water cleansed of harmful material in this plant a sample of water is taken every fifteen minutes of the day and night for chemical analysis so that impurities twice a month samples are sent to the city or a state health department laboratory for further examination at the laboratory many types of specimens are received daily not only from health department officials but from private physicians and hospitals to a staff of skilled technicians conducts microscopic examinations and numerous other tests in their relentless search for disease organisms here a bacteriologist pipetting extract into a blood sample will show at the end of her daily run which of the specimens show evidence of syphilis on the tube on the left is positive such findings are quickly relayed back to the physician or person requesting the service public health laboratories have proven themselves indispensable in protecting the health of the community with communicable diseases on the decline attention today is being turned to the increasing problem of chronic diseases cancer which continue to take a tremendous toll among older people is diagnosed in modern clinics often sponsored by a voluntary agencies for children who have been perfectly handicapped by polio club feet policy and other crippling maladies many communities operate rehabilitation centers supported by public funds and voluntary agencies here they are given medical care training appliances and braces necessary for their cover youngsters education proceeds uninterrupted while convalescing cell that they may return to society better adjusted to normal living this is a sign of progress a sign which points to a new broad avenue not many years ago all these parents who were brought their children to this mental health center might have felt they had nowhere to turn their boys and girls have behavior problems but today in many communities parents teachers and doctors can call on help department or privately supported clinics where the staff are trained to understand why children act as they do and to deal with underlying causes of behavior for example the psychologist here observes mary in a play room where she feels free to do things she's not allowed to do anywhere else but which are meaningful to the psychologist meanwhile the psychiatrist listens to the mother's side of the story play therapy helps tell the psychologist what is behind the child's behavior for instance thing or painting can be a delightful way for a little girl to let go when mother is too fussy about neatness at home an adolescent considered a failure at home and express herself creatively through metal tapping go away feeling better able to cope with her world a mental health clinic also helps parents and schools discover what children can do best through special psychological tests here a grade schooler reveals her ability to coordinate hands and eyes and even a baby's intelligence can be determined at an early age i think what this knowledge can mean to parents who are worried about a child's development bank what all these services of a mental health center in maine to a community industrial areas present another challenge to the community health program public health officials regularly inspect factories to try to eliminate hazards which would otherwise cause crippling accidents in this work they receive wholehearted cooperation from plant managers will realize that safety keeps workers on the job and results in greater productivity in the coming years more and more attention will be given to problems in diseases of the aged or here is an increasing segment of our population that counseling centers run by community health agencies their problems are analyzed and the program that activity is developed in an effort to prevent illness medical care and health lectures are frequently given somehow you don't become as depressed with your problems when you understand them and can discuss them with other program of arts and crafts sponsored by a local social welfare agency serves to keep minds active a man whose skills are no longer accepted in the commercial world find fulfillment in learning a new and useful occupation under sympathetic gu recreational centers old bald can again gain the peace and joy which comes from liking and being li to do a real job a community health program needs the interest in the help of a lot of people so health educators upon request visit schools clubs churches and other groups to assist in their health promotion efforts educational materials such as booklets  films are provided without charge arge with the active cooperation of local newspapers radio and t v stations the health message is brought before the public affectively you have seen some of the ways a well functioning community health program operates are you receiving this health protection in your community many communities are not is it fair for you and your family to be without the best health services available this problem concerns every citizen it concerns you your neighbors the teachers the privatization the dentist the school principal what can you do about it well before you go off the deep end better get all the facts find out what health services if any are available in your area then compare these with health services enjoyed by other communities if you find great differences then you ought to get together with other interested people in your community to discuss the problem invite representatives of local organisations which may already be working for better health services a local health officer members of the medical society terri health agencies and other community groups from this meeting may develop the beginnings of a community health council a group which will set out to find the answers often the first job of the council is to determine the community's major health needs are all type unsanitary privies still being widely used is unpasteurized milk still causing underland fever among the people are careless disease breeding garbage disposal methods still in use is your local health department unable to cope with these problems because of a lack of funds and workers these or other conditions may exist in your community once your council has the fact your community is well on its way to better health services you'll find that the people and their public servants are rarely if ever opposed to improving local health services if only they can clearly see the need the job will not be easy but it can and should be done your state department of health will be glad to help you in your efforts when your community is aroused to its health needs you should take specific steps to improve the situation you can see to it that old unsanitary milk is replaced by clean carefully inspected milk production all disease inviting sewage disposal methods replaced by sanitary methods which are best suited to your area of disease bearing parasites barred from access to homes by affected  careless garbage disposal practice is replaced by sanitary methods at home a sanitary landfill for city garbage disposal to deprive marauding rats and flies of a primary source of nourishment in existence and most of all of bali staffed bali equipped local health department to look after your vital needs the job never as our communities grow our health needs change and increase with the rapid growth in population the dangers of disease and injury become greater overcrowding often results in a breakdown of health standards until conditions like these develop it is to the interest of all in the community that housing like this be condemned and eliminated and that new and better homes be built in a well planned community a dynamic community health program physicians bollen terry agencies and the health department working together can do much to ensure your wellbeing and that of your children it can provide the kind of environment which is essential to good health and wholesome living but a modern full time health department cannot exist without active citizen support it up to you