Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-01-25
DENTAL. CLINIC
IS CURTA|LED
Half Day Sessions to be Held
by the Board of
Health
NURSES ARE DISCUSSED
Need of Funds for Other Work
of Department is Point
ed OIt
NURSES ARE DISCUSSED

The $4,000 appropriation made by
the Board of Aldermen for the pur-
F.. pose of running the dental clinic
here on full time has been found by
the Board of Health following re-
view of the expenses, to be made
quate for that purpose. The clinic
activities which have continued only
through two half days a week for
! the past year, have assumed such
| proportions that the health commits
! sioners pointed out the necessity OF
| having dental treatment available for
| the children of the city at all times
and with this in view made the re-
quest of the aldermanic board for
an additional appropriation.
While it was finally decided that
six day week was to be held begin
ming with the new year, the radical
change was claimed to be beyond the
| powers of the Board of Health be-
cause of the lack of funds. Hereto
| fore, several agencies have sub
scribed to the upkeep of the insti
tuition but these, only in order to start
| the movement going for it was gem
! orally recognized=that- clinic is 81
| pure u Board of Health matter.
For the time being, at least, the
| clinic activities will hold forth only
six half days. or half of the time
originally intended, but the health
| commissioners say they can see no
! other method of carrying on the
work at present unless it were run
on full time with the certainty of
! being forced to close entirely before
| the year is up.
1t was stated at the last meeting
| of the board that an operator work.
| ing full time can be procured for
not less than $500 year. The
nurse who is always attendant dur
| ing clinic hours would have to be on
! duty throughout the week. allowing
no one to do the field or follow up
work which is essential in this ac-
tivity. The one nurse, at $1,000
year, would already bring the
amount to $1,000 or $500 within
| the appropriation allowed for the
entire work. This $500 would have
| to cover all the minor expenses, and
there would still be no nurse follow
ing up the cases for the operator.
| Careful supervision is necessary, it
was stated. Many of the children
do not return for final or renewed
treatments unless urged or remind
ed by a nurse in the field. Thus,
| the services of an additional nurse
would make the salaries amount to
| $4,000 themselves.
For these reasons it was deemed
| advisable to carry on the clinic Tor
| half time which is three times long
I, than it has been functioning, and
allow the assisting nurse to continue
in the field.
The commissioners, however, are
Ioathe to waste their time on half
time clinic when the continued ser
vices of the department are 50 great
ly in demand. The record of tine
two half day dental clinic of iaSt
year is one that shows the great
need of one here. and proves the IN
bounded success OF the venture. Just
what action will be taken in the mat
ter is not known.
Last year the state department of
health, the MiddleseX County Dem
tai Association, the Red Cross, the
Board of Education and Board of
Health all assisted in making the
clinic possible. This year the Board
of Health stands alone.
1t is not only in this work that
funds are short, the board members
point out. Practically no allowance
was made, it has been shown, for any
new procedures in behalf OF the
health of the community. The new
toxin anti-toXin innoculations,
which, it was decided is essential,
must be financed to the amount
ranging from $500 to $1,000 the
first year The child hygiene de-
partment which has been financed by
the state board OF health, because
of the withdrawal of the support OF
that organization, must now be IL
nanced by the local board 1t was
lclaimed that, although this phase OF
1.-THE work has proved a great success,
it may have to be discontinued as
far as a nurse is concerned.
A new automobile for the depart
ment is among the many other items
that were mentioned. 1t was said
that the present machine is in di-
lapidated condition, is three years
old and would cost q large sum to
repair without any insurance of
lasting service,
The need of new nurses in the
field was also mentioned but not dis
cussed at length.