The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1922-03-08
BRYAN LAhIBASTS EDUCATOR CRITICS lin SCATHIG ARTIC
SUPERVISION
OF HEALTHFO
CITY SCHOOLS

A new department has been created
in the Hammond city schools. the de-
partment OF Health Supervision. It
consists at present of a school physI-
clan. DR.. II S. Kuhn from Chicago, and
school nurse, Miss Lula Cook. AS
the need arises for 1t TO increase It's
staff this will be done. 1t is of vital
Importance that the exact purpose and
aim Of this department be known to
the people whose children are 10 nene
tit by II. Cooperation with the par
ents IS essential to the success Of this
work There are seven thousand chI-
dren in the schools of Hammond and
all of them are In the most precarious
years of their lives, the years where
their proper physical development their
fundamental healthiness determines
their whole future usefulness and hap
ptness. It Is impossible for parents to
know by simply watching their chill
dren at home, or teachers to know by
watching the children in school hours.
whether a child is normal or whether
he or she has some serious defect that
is invisibly undermining its physical
we'll being. For this reason the first
task to be undertaken by the Depart
ment viii be the careful and accurate
physical examination OF every child IN
school TO determine the exact physical
condition of each child. If defects or
ailments are discovered, as will be in a
large number of cases. the parents Will
be notified and will be asked to take
their child to their family physician
for care. The physician is asked TO
report back TO US on a card, enclosed /
with the parents report what his treat
ment or advice was. All cases where
the family is not in a position to af@ |
ford a physician should report to ths
Supervisor Of Health and II after in
vestigation. is found to be In genuine
need OF care and unable 10 pay for the
same. will be taken care or by the
Hammond physicians anyhow AIT ex-
aminations. advice. etc, are strictly
confidential and no one but the child's
parents Will be allowed access to our
records.
After the completion of these ex-
aminations at which the. parents are
urged to be present, those children
needing attention will be followed up.
Nutrition classes for those under
weight Will be established, those hav-
ing lung disease will be given the
benefit of a special school designed to
cure them while teaching them, those
having faulty postures will be turned
over to the department of physical
education for correction, those having
poor eyesight will be referred to an
occulist. those with defective teeth win
be referred to a dentist. those with
other ailments will be referred to the
proper physicians.
There are many other problems con-
fronting the department such as the
control OF infectious and contagious
diseases from spreading their distsater
through the schools. the elimination OF
school accidents and Illness, the sur
veyfng the vaccina tions, the protection
Of the child from the dread scourga
diphtheria. the proper instruction of the
child in the rules Of health and hygiene,
the grading OF gymnastic exercises to
meet the physical condition OF each
pupil and the organization of the Par
ent-Teacher associations in each school
for the study of the health of the chill
dren.
The department has been gerry for
tunate in securing the aid Of the State
Board OF Health in getting the exam
inations started and under way. Their
staff will come to Hammond on the
18th of March, when the examinations
are scheduled to start Wallace school
VIII be taken first, then haywood and
then Lafayette and so on as announc-
ed from time to time. Everyone is
looking for hearty response from the
parents of Hammond in this work and
the Supervisor of Health is avilable
at any time for consultation in her Of
fice in the high school building.