The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-09-10

Carrying out its announced policy
of Capitalization, the State Board of
Health has moved all of its various
departments to Jacksonville that they
may be under the close direction Of
State Health officer Ralph N. Green,
and work in coordination with each
other.
With the establishment of the Or.
thopedic Service at st. Lukes Hos
pital, under DR.. ]. Knox Simpson, and
the transfer Of the veneral disease
and child welfare departments, under
DR.. H. o. Snow and DR.. Grace Whit.
ford, from Tampa to Jacksonville, all
divisions of the State Board of Health
have been gathered at one point.
While regretting that it was neces-
sary to change the headquarters of
three departments, which have Just
completed removal to Jacksonville,
the members of the board felt that it
was only through Capitalization that
the institution could be made one
hundred per cent efficient
Our first consideration declares
Joe l.. Earman, president of the State
Board of Health, was the best in
terests of the people of Florida. We
realize the infinite opportunities for
service in the hands Of the State
Board of Health and we intend to
work with but one thought in mind,
the achievement of these opportuni-
ties.
ITO this end our efforts must be
given to building up the strongest
possible health machine. We did not
feel that we could do this with one
department at one place and another
in some other section Of the state.
in the first place the different de-
partments have varied opportunities
of working to gether. The vital sta
tistics department can apd should
work with every other department of
the state board, the sanitary depart
ment expects and must have the co.
operation of the other divisions, the
meteorological department can assist
the other branches Of health work,
and the same thing holds true
throughout the institution.
This cooperation and unity of eff.
fort is possible only when all depart
ments are at one point
One Directing Head
Another point, continues Mr.. Ear
man, THE members of the State
Board Of Health, Mr.. e. M. Earnest,
of Palatka, Mr.. J. e. Graves, of Hos
ford, any myself are fully in accord
in the belief that there should be one
directing head Of health activities.
"This policy was announced when
the board was recognized and we
stated at that time Major Green would
be that head. He is a man of sea-
soned experience and one who, we
feel, is fully capable of measuring up
to the big task that lies before him.
Major Green cannot direct the activ.
tiles Of the board of health EFFECTIVELY
unless the headquarters of each de-
lpartment are where he can be in daily
touch with the heads of the various
divisions.
while we do feel that the differ
ent departments can be more econom-
ically administered in one building,
our policy of retrenchment would not
have decided the concentration of
headquarters here unless we had felt
that the best interests of the state
were being served.
"The State Board of Health is out
of politics for all time," Mr.. Earman
\ concludes. "Our creed is service to
the people of Florida, and 1t is that
creed that we will keep before us in
administering the activities of the in
| %