The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-08-24
KANSAS cHILDREN's CODE
Sheppard Towner Act

islature which will secure the max
imum federal allotment under the
Sheppard Towner Act. Unfortunate
Iy Kansas can at present qualify to
receive only $7,5OO.OO of the federal
aid, the total Kansas appropriation to
its Division of Child Hygiene. The
maximum allotment to Kansas, on a
basis of population, is $16,922.51,
which is granted on condition that a
similar sum is appropriated by the
state. $4,000, the fiat sum appOr-
toned to each state, has recently
been received by the State Board of
Health. 1t is hoped that the next
legislature will make the necessary
appropriations so that the entire fed
eral allotment can be secured.
The Kansas State Board of Health
has just added four public health
nurses to its staff, one state supervis-
ing nurse, and three advisory nurses,
as the first step in the development of
the Sheppard-Towner program. These
advisory nurses, trained in maternal
and infant hygiene, will organize the
work of the state by assisting and
training the county and municipal
public health nurses already in the
field in maternity and infant work.
There are now over 80 public health
nurses working in the counties of
Kansas.
Kansas Activities Outlined
l. Educational. This educational
work is carried on through the dis
tribution of literature, making of
public speeches to various groups of
people, particularly mothers and ex-
pectant mothers, the showing of NOV
ing picture films obtained from a
loan library to public health workers
and nurses, and the use of exhibits
and posters.
2. The Public Health Car war
rem" This is a pullman car donated
in 1915 by the Pullman Company to
the State Board of Health, which has
been fitted up as a demonstration car,
with health exhibits of all kinds. This
car carries a personnel of two nurses
1t serves the following purposes:
% 1t brings the staff closely in
touch with the mothers of the com
munities, in order that the problems
of maternity and infancy may be dis
cussed with them personally.
~ 1t asks for close cooperation
with the schools. The entire school
has an opportunity to visit the car,
by classes, after which every pupil is
required to write an essay on the
meaning and value of the things he
saw on the health car. This might
be called the ''rubbing-in process. 4"
90 1t holds mothers conferences
and children's clinics, and if possible
promotes some permanent sort of an
organization, under local or commun-
ity supervision, through which means
clinics, conferences and lectures may
be featured at stated periods. In the
past these conferences have been so
well attended that it has been neces-
sary to place chairs on the outside of
the car for the mothers with their
babies while they were waiting for
an examination.
3. Study of Maternal and Infant
Mortality. The report of the vital
statistics bureau of Kansas for 1921
shows GA infant deaths per 1000
births. In the cities the death rate
runs higher than the state rate, 80
deaths per 1000 births in Topeka,
and 76 in Kansas City in 1921.
Already a start has been made by
the Division of Child Hygiene in a
study of the cause of the 1889 still
births in Kansas in 1921. In the
city of Topeka and Shawnee county,
which IS the departments headquar-
tiers, an intensive study is being made
of the cause of all infant and mater
nal deaths and the cause of all still
births occurring in the area in 1922
This study Will be in cooperation with
the attending physician. The study
unit viii include the city of Topeka,
with population of approximately
$4,000 and of Shawnee County, the
rural community Immediately sur
rounding the city, with population
of $4,000.
4. Miscellaneous. 1t is planned
to make an intensive campaign fol
the purpose of increasing birth reg.
istration. Counties and municipal.
tiles in the state that do not show
what is considered a normal birtl
registration viii be carefully checked
by a representative of the division Of
vital statistics. Birth registration il
of vital importance to research WORK
as It gives the figures and the dat