Evening star., 1938-08-09

OOC An L..
for public health does not frighten
business. The annual toll ol
preventable illness measured in terms
of money runs into billions. Progress
sive business will regard an adequite
health service as subsidy to industry,
not a burden"
Personal Experience.
Other speakers brought testimony
of the health needs Of the poor based
on personal experience. A young
woman from a steel workers family
made her first trip out of the Chicago
area to tell the conference what sick
ness meant to workers in the stee'
mills and the stockyards. We women
who are relatives OF industrial work.
ers." Miss Grenberg said. know by
bitter experience that poverty anc
sickness go together. = We fee
that this program of Government.
supported health gives us the alter.
natives as to whether the American
workers family is to be healthy o.
sick"
Walter N. Polakov. director of the
engineering department of the United
Mine Workers Of America, spoke ir
behalf Of some 100000 miners ane
their families. He pointed out the
fact that the productivity of the mines
had nearly doubled since 1900, but
the miners had paid the price in in.
creased physical strain and nervous
tension. DR.. Polakov had observed the
medical situation in mining camps ir
a recent survey. and he brought q
graphic report of unmet needs which
he said, lis not statistics, but i.
reality"
But these speakers did more thar
recite well-known needs Many o.
them emphasized that the greatest
need was a program of action, ano
many came prepared with resolution,
supporting certain of the Technica
Committees recommendations.
Rural Hospitals Favored.
For example, representative Of q
large farmers organization said, I'VE
indorse policies leading to the estab.
lishment Of rural hospitals the
principle Of Federal grants-in-aid t.
the States pledge ourselves tt
work for the enactmene Of health in.
surance laws extension of al
forms Of preventive medicine
recommend a greater appropriation ol
funds under the Social Security Act
for rural areas"
The president of the National Con-
gress of Parents and Teachers told q
delighted audience. I'VE are awfully
anxious that something happen soon
because our children grow up 50 fast
and we are afraid they will grow into
an unhealthy adulthood before many
more researches are completed.
At the end of this session . delegate
arose to ask significant question
The question was: Does any one here
seriously challenge the statements o1
need that we're made in the papers
this morning and amplified this after.
noon?"
There was a two-minute pause
during which no delegate arose to
challenge the statements Of need. The
conference moved on next day to
consider the programs Of action sub
mitted by the Technical Committee on
Medical Care.
Five Proposals Offered.
Five recommendations were pre-
sented by members OF the committee
in three sessions on the second day
of the conference. These proposals
were "for meeting with reasonable
adequacy existing deficiencies in the
Nations health services"
The first recommendation proposed
the expansion of our existing Federal.
State program for public health.
maternal and child welfare services
under the Social Security Act.
The services which public health
work brings you are of two kinds.
First, those which come without any
effort on your part. Pure water sup
plies. proper sewage disposal. pure
milk, the discovery and control Of
epidemics are this kind Of service.
The second kind of service is much
more personal and requires your
active cooperation. Every one must
do something" to take advantage Of
it. This kind of public health service
is found in the maternal health CEN
ters. where mothers are observed and
guided throughout pregnancy so that
they may have an easier time at child
birth and bring healthy babies into the
world. 1t is found in the clinics where
people with venereal diseases are
treated in order to prevent the further
spread of these plaques: in industrial
hygiene services, tuberculosis centers,
school and dental health services. In
child health centers, mothers are
helped to keep their babies well, and
children are vaccinated for smallpox
and immunized against diphthria and
typhoid fever.
Statewide Programs.
1t was recommended that all these
services be extended, for
it has been shown that many commu-
mites have no health department., or
have only inadequate, part-time serv-
ice. The committee stressed in par
ticular the need for providing full
time, well-organized health depart
ments, with professional trained stats,
including medical officers, nurses and
other workers.
Statewide programs in which
health departments would assume
more responsibility for the fight
against tuberculosis, venereal disease,
and cancer were recon-
mended. These diseases, no less than
epidemic diseases, are community
problems In the sense that they are
widespread IN the population, serious