Smyrna times., 1936-04-16
MENTAL CASES
SHOW INCREASE
State Hospital Will Resume
Its Hygiene Service By
Opening Clinic Units
BY MAY Is OR JUNE 1

Mental hygiene service to the
school and pre-school children and
adults of the state will be resumed
by the mental hygiene clinic of the
Delaware State Hospital at Farm
hurst. This was decided at a meet
| ing of trustees of the institution to
try and check an increase in the
number of mental cases that would
come under this service. The trus-
tees announced that they will ap-
point a committee to meet the
authorities of the State Board of
Education, as well as the Whining
ton Board of Education to work
out a plan by which, through CO.
operative means. many duplica-
tions can be omitted from both de-
partments. DIR. M. A. Tarumianz,
superintendent of the State Hospit-
al and director of the clinic, is also
authorized to endeavor to open the
new units of the clinic by May Is
or not later than June 1. The
promise for resuming the activities
of the clinic, according to the trus-
tees, is "the recognition of the i'm
portance of preventive work in the
mental field in the state of Della
ware and because of the fact that
it (the board of trustees) has de-
finite knowledge through informa-
tion gathered by its own several
departments that the number of
mental deficient malajusted pre-
school and school children as well
as adults, is rapidly increasing due
to conditions created by our eco
nomic distress and due to the lack
of understanding of the parents of
the problems of their children"
The authorization for the continu-
ance of the previously curtailed
mental hygiene work was set forth
in a resolution unanimously adopt
ed at a meeting of the trustees of
the hospital. The resolution went
further than authorizing the con-
tinuance of the work. 1t provided
for the enlarging of the clinics
work by including in its work a
child guidance department, as well
as the department for adult and in
stitutional care. While the Legis-
lature had not specifically appro-
rated funds for tthe operation Of
the mental hygiene clinic which it
had created by an act several years
ago, the State Hospital has been
and will finance the clinic through
the continued efforts of the auth
critics of the hospital to save suf-
ficient funds in all of their different
departments" the trustees stated
recently. DIR. Tarumianz has been
authorized to employ the necessary
qualified personnel. such as an ad-
ditional psychiatrist, an additional
psychologist, an additional psychi-
atric social worker and clerks to
establish additional clinics which
will give service to pre-school and
school children, as well as to adults
referred by the physicians, social
agencies and schools of the state
1t is also the aim of the board of
trustees to notify, through the
practicing physicians in the state,
as well as school, and agencies, as
to the time and place of meeting
of each clinic in each district. Each
will be supplied with necessary ap-
plication blanks which will be sent
to the clinic as requests for exami-
nation, on the reception of which
an appointment will be given for
the examination. Members of the
trustees present at recent meet
ing were Fred H. Gawthrop, presi-
dent; DR. Rowland c. Paynter,
treasurer; DR.. @. j. Prickett, sec
retary; Warren G. Newton, Hervey
P. Hall, Captain Harry V. Lyons.
DR.. Lewis Booker and Willard
Springer, Jr. The activities of the
mental hygiene clinic were greatly
curtailed last fall by order of the
hospital trustees on the grounds of
lack of funds. Immediately after
this announcement, school and ju-
venile court agencies sent letters of
regret to the state hospital, hop
ing that some way might be found
to continue the work but stating
also that because of insufficiency
Of their own funds, these agencies
could not very well contribute to
the support of the clinic. i.