Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-11-23
Established Center at
County Seat First Year
FIRST HEALTH CENTER MEETING
AT COURTHOUSE TUESDAY
NOVEMBER 2a

In furtherance of state and federal
plans to reduce the infant and mater
nifty mortality in Wisconsin, Miss
Anna H Mccarthy of Madison was
here today comforting with officials
and welfare workers. Miss McC arthy
is public health nurse for maternity
and infant health centers in this dis
trict, one of which will be established
where it will reach the largest num-
Der of rural children and mothers.
Under the Sheppard-Towner act
this work will be pursued ir every
county in the state, which guarantees
to provide quarters, equipment and ac-
tive assistance for maternity and in
FAINT health center All other eynenses
are paid from Sheppard-Towne funds
The work is under the supervision of
the State Board of Health
This service will be for the distinct
Iy rural population, embracing the
small towns and the farming districts,
where health center facilities usually
are lacking. In these areas the infant
mortality, as a direct result of this
lack of skilled attention for mothers
in the prenatal stage, and for infants
in their first months of life, has be-
come abnormally large. Most of these
lives could be saved if conditions fav-
orabIe to health were insured
In Wisconsin in 1920 there were 3d.
269 births. There were also 1855
deaths of babies under one year, and
of these, 2,613 were under one month
Three hundred thirty-eight mothers
died from causes incident to child
birth
Because the same conditions which
causes this mortality lead also to i'm
paired vitality and physical handicaps
of the children who live, the need for
reducing these hazards for the rural
population becomes doubly important
The states plans for utilizing the
funds under the Sheppard-To law
call for remedial measures. Chief
among them is the establishment of a
maternity and infant health center in
every county providing headquarters
for one The State Board of Health
will furnish the physician and nurse
for these centers. The physician for
all centers is Dr. Mildred Van Cleve
of Madison. A board of managers for
each center will be formed from all
welfare organizations in the county.
Expectant mothers will be given
complete first examination, urinalysis
made, and the, findings sent and the
mothers referred to the family physi-
clan for regular examinations and sup
ervision before confinement The
work is principally advisory and educa
tional Medical and nursing care will
not be given.
At these centers, also, children I'M
der school age will be given complete
physical examinations, referred to
family physicians when defects are
found, and parents given advice on
general care and hygiene of The chill
dren. All service of this kind is free.
One day month will be set aside as
Center Day, when the state physician
and nurse will be present. 1t is plan
ned to change the location of the
county center from year to year, in
order to give the entire county easily
accessible service for the five-year
program.
Volunteer woman's organizations
have made possible a Maternity and
Infant Health Center for Villas County
It is planned to locate the Center for
the first year at least in Eagle River
The first date will be next Tuesday
November 28th