Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1922-02-24
STATE WILL RUN
WELFARE SPECIAL
Health Truck Will Visit Rural
Communities To Aid
Children
(By Ruth Pfeil, County Nurse
Rural Health Work

Rural Health Work
In 1922, Wisconsin will undertake to
each many of these rural families by
neanS OF Il movable cn.ld-welfare sta
lioll This viii consist of complete
Y equipped covered truck atfording
accommodations for conferences with
,arents. weighing and measuring ply
seal examinations, and imparting OF
Instruction on general care and ny
Gene referring all children needing
MEDICAL attention to family physicians.
Funds for this object were provided by
he 1921 legislature. The truck is now
being built according to plans outlined
" the State Board Of Health. 1T will
De routed and conducted under the di
rection of the Bureau of Child Wei
fare and Public Health Nursing. The
director of this bureau, Mrs. Mary Il.
Morgan, has long aspired that Wiscon-
sin adopt a practical program for
reaching the rural sections with a
modern presentation of the health idea
based on successful practice with the
the Childrens Bureau has used in Hi
nois and southern states. The Wis
consin truck will be similar in design
to the children's bureau vehicle. Sim
liar travelling dispensaries have been
used in Cleveland, Ohio, and by the
states of Ohio. Connecticut. Vermont,
New York, and Michigan.
Health Conference On Wheels
Wisconsin is taking advantage Of
the experience Of these agencies III
equpping the Badger truck. The prob
lem today is to bring to the mothers of
the country children, a reasonable
amount of help and of insuring the
boys and girls in rural areas a fair
chance of living healthy, useful lives.
The very isolation which theoretically
protects rural children from many ills
renders difficult and expensive that
skilled advice which every mother
needs in the rearing of her family. The
staff to operate this truck Will be
small 1T will comprise Il woman ply
sician skilled III pediatrics, eXper-
fenced in social service and public
health methods. and with a practical
working knowledge Of rural people and
conditions; nurse, who will conduct
the interviews with parents. do the
weighing and measuring OF babies, and
otherwise help i'll examinations anu an
expert chauffeur, capable of repairing
the truck and keeping it in good OPP
Grating condition. of running the pro-
iecting machine and making himself
useful generally. Dr. Blanche W. Hor-
ner, of Flora Indiana, formerly in tray
cling dispensary work with the Misslss-
ippi State Board of Health, has been
secured TO direct the trucks field work
as pediatrician. Local physicians Will
assist where possible for them to at
tend.
Assurance of Cooperation Necessary
to Secure Special
For the first year it is planned the
truck shall visit six or seven distinctly
rural cOunties-twO of these to be nor
thern. On file with the Bureau OF
Child Welfare are applications from
several counties for first visits by the
special No selection has been made,
but the choice will depend largely up
on the evidence of desire shown by the
counties. Those providing the BEST
field. Offering the most cooperation ana
arranging the best facilities for It's
stay. will receive most consideration IN
determining where the truck goes. me
cooperative activities OF local physl-
clans, welfare workers, public health
nurses and public health committees
in planning for the trucks coming VIII
count on behalf of any county desiring
visit from the states health truck.
A county having public health nurse,
at, work long enough to have become
familiar with the cOuntrys needs, Will
be favored over counties not provided
with one. The county nurse Will be eN-
pected to spend several weeks with the
health truck in her county. The SER
vice performed by the health truck
staff is in no sense a medical one, the
state board of health makes plaln. lis
mission is entirely educational. DEM
onstrations will not be of the clinical
kind. and no treatment nor prescr1p-
| tons will be given. Sick children are
not to be brought, and those showing
the slightest symptoms of communlca-
ble disease. will be debarred-even
severe cold disqualifying child. tx
aminations will be limited to children
of pre-school age. Each parent VIII
he given a written record OF the child $
condition, with any recommendation
the physician may see fit to make.
advice Given
In addition to the detailed informa-
tion secured on card kept for statis-
tical purpose, a record will be given
| the parents, checking defects found III
each child, with written suggestions FOR
/ improved hygiene, or when Indicated,
with recommendations to seek skilled
assistance. Each mother will be given
practical, helpful literature. Where
there is county nurse, it will be pos