Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-07-29
HEALTH DEMONSTRATION
Vermont District Selected as nm En-
ample in Rural Sanitation

The Vermont State Board Of Health hal
Just completed arrangements whereby tn,
United States Public Health Service vii
begin work in Sanitary District No s &c
demonstrate what can be ACCOMPLISHED
along public health lines in district stat
fed with additional personnel District No
includes the following towns: Barnard
Bethel, Braintree, Bridgewater. Caven.
dish. Granville. Hancock, Hartford, Hart.
land. Ludlow, Norwich, Pittsfield, Pom.
fret, Plymouth, Randolph, Reading, Ro-
chester. Royalton. Sharon, Shelburne
Stockbridge, Tunbridge, weathersfield
West Windsor, Windsor and Woodstock
DR.. Charles W. Kidder of Woodstock is
the district health officer.
For several years, the United States
Public Health Service has been making
demonstrations of whole-time health Of
ficer service in selected counties but the
work has been done entirely in the South
and West. Nothing of the kind has pre-
viously been attempted in New England,
or. in fact, any of the Northern States.
The usual requirement for service of
this kind is that the county or district
raise money to at least duplicate the
amount furnished by the federal govern
ment. This is usually simple matter in
the South where the county form of gov
eminent is in force, but it is quite another
thing in New England under our town
form of government
On invitation of the State Board of
Health, DR.. l. IL: Lumsden, assistant
surgeon general in charge of rural SAM
tation, and DR.. W. F. Draper, field su =
pervisor, came to Vermont to study the
situation. and to determine whether such
cooperative effort could be made in this
State. When the Vermont public health
system was explained to them, showing
the State divided into ten sanitary dis
tr1ctS, or workable size, each one with a
full-time district health officer, whose
salary and expenses are paid by the State.
they found that Vermont has already in
statewide operation the very plan which.
the public health service has been irving
for years to introduce in Individual coun
ties and the only aid necessary was an
augmented personnel. They accented the
money already being paid by the State as
sutficient to cover the requirements of the
service and at once agreed to furnish
Iunds Tor the additional employees. DR..
Lumsden who has charge of this work
IN the entire country, informed the State
Board Of Health that, to his knowledge.
no such arrangement could have been pos
sible in any other State
District No. has at present five public
health nurses, whose salaries are paid
Jointly by the Red Cross and the towns.
Three other towns have funds in hand to
install nurses as soon as they can be
secured A sanitary inspector and A health
nurse VIII be engaged so as to start the
new work August l, and a program of
progress has been mapped out The Uni
ted states Public Health Service exer-
clses no authority over the health en-
p!oyes OF the district. the entire work be-
.nG zone under the supervision of the
STATE Board of Health and District Health
otficer. The demonstration in this State
therefore, being entirely unioue will he
watched with interest by the whole conn
try.