Daily Kennebec journal., 1925-03-13

Prevention and Education
"Our real effort of the year has
been that of prevention and edu-
cation. Your nurse has tried to
teach wherever she went the prin-
ciplcs of good health and it's pre-
Servation. She has at the same time
when the good health has been
lacking cooperated with patient and
physician to make that possible. 1t
has also been her aim and endeavor
agencies and the city authorities to
bring about improved and healthier
home conditions. Possibly the num-
Der of visits made a year ago with
the number of patients cared for
compared with that of today may
give some idea OF the increase and
the demand for such instruction.
Last years annual report at this
time showed the number of patients
to be 80, this year 416. The number
of visits made HOO compared with
41l3J today.
EARLY in the year plans were
formed for a Crippled Children's
Clinic to be held in this city with
Hallowell and Winthrop taking part.
Much time was spent to discover
children so defective. The clinic
was arranged for by general COM
mittee of representatives of various
interested organizations. With the
work of discovering cases your
nurse supervised the clinic when it
was held August md. DR.. +. G. Alb
bott of Portland and DR.. Allan
Woodcock of Bangor examined with
all the local physicians visiting the
clinic at some time during the day.
Follow-up work was left to the Au-
eusta Public Health Association.
Data for the clinic Is as, follows:
Number of patients examined at
clinic, 80; number recommended for
treatment or care 81: number of
cases spoken of as hopefully remed-
ial SO; number of cases referred to
the Children's Hospital in Portland
Is; number of cases referred to ply
sician Z: number being treated by
physician 3.
applications for fifteen children
were filed at the Children's Hospt
tai. Four have been accepted and
are now there receiving care. One
child Is n patient at the Augusta
General Hospital. Arrangements are
being made whereby it is hoped that
some children may receive treatment
at the new Shriners' Crippled Child
ren's Hospital in Springfield, Mass.
Two children are leaving March II
for Boston where they will be taken
care Of at the Massachusetts
homeopathic Hospital. Your nurse
is accompanying them, expenses be-
ing paid by the Augusta Rotary
Club.
June II the first Augusta Public
Health Association Well Baby Con-
ference was held in the North End.
This conference is for French moth
erS and babies, it is attended by the
local French doctors who are ap-
proved as clinicians by the County
Medical Advisory Committee. 1t has
continued weekly, with an average
attendance of -. We have reached
13J babies. In the ten months of its
eXistanCe two babies out of the 100
have died.
Early in the fall similar con-
ference was organized in Hallowell.
through the Child Hygiene Division
of the State Department of Health.
Through these conferences we are
advising fifty babies.
November 1J the Association un-
der the auspices of the Maine Pub
lie Health Association held Tuber-
culosis Clinic with Drs. Welch and
Sylvester of Portland attending. 46
cases of either chronic pulmonary
tuberculosis, active tuberculosis or
cases having come in contact with
the disease were examined. Out of
the six urged to have Sanatorium
treatment four have gone either to
Fairfield or Hebron and one is
awaiting admission.
During the summer months some
time was spent in health supervision
OF the children at the Macomber
Playground. Here some corrective
work as well as education was ac-
complished. Seven children were
helped to have tonsil and adenoid
operations. A Health Club was or
ganized where over thirty girls re-
Baby, their brothers and sisters and
| the care of their own health.
I'VE are able to assist the local
Salvation Army Corps in helping to
| secure children for the two weeks
vacation given by them. If this was
of any help to the Army it was of
greater help to us in meaning care
for many children who SO sadly
needed it.
"To so on further is to repeat as
I may already have done activities
with which YOU arc all very famil-
Jar. In closing let me say that 1t has
been a very pleasant year for your
nurse. The response to my visits
has been very gratifying and the as
sociations generous cooperation with
all of my efforts has done much to
make that response possible. May J
thank You all, officers, members and
friends of the Association.
"Respectfully submitted,
Nr,HN