Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-02-26
INFANT AND MATERNAL DEATHS
REDUCED BY HEALTH AGENCIES
District Workers Have Made Progress in
12-Year Efort-Chnics and Nurses
Aiding in Work.

and through the Visiting Nurse Society
nicipal Health Department Clinic
(Freedmen's Hospitall furnished pre-
natal care to less than l per cent OF
the women for whom births were re-
ported In the District in 1926"
Child-hygiene centers for babies and
preSchOol children in Washington are
conducted under the auspices of the
District Health Department and the
Child Welfare Society," private organi-
cation. The Health Department and the
ducts 10 centers throughout the city.
having taken by request five centers
from the Child Welfare Society in 1923
and two more in 1925. In July. 1925.
two new centers were opened and in
July. 1927. the tenth center was organ
lied. These are scattered In various pre-
cincts of the city. but there are no
municipal or private child-hygiene CEN
tiers in the first. second. sixth, thirteenth
or fourteenth precincts.
Clinics Are Numerous.
The Child Welfare Center retained
the center at Children's Hospital. This
center is now known as the Cushman
Memorial Center
The Health Department and Child
Welfare Society also Conduct number
OF clinics and the quarters vary some
what, but are declared on the whole to
be excellent.
For the calendar years. 1925 and 1926.
a slightly larger proportion of colc'ed
children attended the clinics conducted
by the Child Welfare Society than at
tended the municipal clinics. AT the
latter the white children averaged more
visits annually.
Infant welfare .centers for medical
examination and health supervision of
infants and young children, operated
by salaried physicians and nurses and
including so per cent of the infant
population. are considered an essential
part Of city public health program"
the report states. The centers OF
Washington have not had SO large q
registration as this of the infant popu-
lation. The number of visits made by
the nurses to the homes OF the chill
dren is also below the standard set for
such visits to infants and pre-school
children by the American Public Health
Association. The average attendance
per child per clinic more nearly APP
breaches the standard set by this ASSOC
ciation.
Dr. Mendelhall concludes her cx-
haustive report on conditions in the
District with the following recommen-
dations:
/. Cnild-hea!th centers---
ta) Establishment or expansion OF
municipal child-hygiene clinics in
precincts most needing improve
ment as shown by: % High in
FAINT mortality rates and ~ high
still.birth rates.
tb) Establishment of child hygiene
centers in all precincts having
500 or more births annually
(c) Special effort to be made through
the centers to reach every infant
under / year of age not under
regular supervision OF private
physician.
I'D The training of new" mothers
women who have not previously
cared for child to be empha-
sized by physician. nurse and nu-
triton worker
(e) More home visiting by nurses to
be carried on in connection with
both prenatal and hild-hygiene
clinics.
~ Two Cor more) full-time. paid
pediatrists to be employed by The
Department OF Health to work
under the present director. The
medical staff to be sufficiently
large so that one physician shall
not have more than 80 children
at a clinic.
(g) A sufficient number OF nurses to
be employed by the Department
OF Health SO that the ratio OF
number Of children attending
centers 10 nurse may be reduced
to not more than 800 to !.
tht A iull-t!me nutrition worker to
h. A,. r. 80
OF Health TO conduct the nutri-
ton clinic and to give food dem
onstrations TO mothers attending
the child-hygiene clinics.
ID Full records TO be kept for In
fants attending child hygiene
centers 50 that mortality rates
can be computed.
2. Habit clinics
ta) Instruction In habit formation To
be given TO mothers OF infants and
preschool children In connection
with the child-hyglene work.
(b) Employment OF part-time psy-
chiatrist experienced In the prob
lens connected with the young child
TO direct these clinics.
3. Prenatal center,--
ta) Department Of Health TO estab-
lish prenatal clinics In connection
cinctS showing large numbers OF
maternal and infant deaths, es-
pecially stillbirths and deaths UNI
der one day Of life.
tb) The prenatal clinics how In exist
ence at the three hospitals. George
Washington, Georgetown and
Freedmen's. TO be maintained as
teaching centcrs for medical stu
dents.
fc) The standards OF prenatal care at
these centcrs and others MAIN
tanned at hospitals or elsewhere I'm
regard 10 examination routine,
visiting the center early In prcg-
nancy. and home visits by nurses
10 be- those used at the best ma
ternity centers now operating In
the United States.
Id The records OF all prenatal cases
10 be fully and adequately kept. so
as TO be quickly available when the
mother enters q hospital for con-
finement or the infant is referred
to chiid-hygiene clinic.
4. Obstetrics---
ta) Freedmen's Hospital to have an
appropriation sufficiently large to
permit the following expansion and
improvement:
Establishment OF out-paticnt
service for the teaching OF
medical students.
Use OF prenatal clinic To be oper-
ated In connection with this de-
livery service.
improvement OF hospital OBJ
stetrical service TO conform 10
the best obstetricai standards.
tb) The establishment OF n maternity
hospital In Washington taking
only Obstrtrical cases.
tc) Increase In the ratio OF free To
pay beds for 0bstetricai cases In
Washington hospitals.
5 The District Of Columbia through the
Department Of Health, In co~opcfa-
ton with the District Medical So
ciety and other organizations work.