The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-07-19
HEALTH Group
MAKES REPORT.
Vast Problem of Medicine
for Public Is Laid
Bare

WASHINGTON, July l8. CUP
President ROoseveltS committee
to coordinate health and welfare
activities yesterday recommended
TO the National Health council eX-
penditure by state and federal
governments of $3.50, 100000 an
nually in waging war on all fronts
against forces and conditions
which menace the public health.
Miss Josephine Roche, chairman
of the committee, submitted the
program at the opening session oil
the councils annual meeting. She
estimated that nations annual
economic loss from sickness at
$4,000, 100000 and observed that
1--WE can not attack successfully,
with small change, a multl-bllIlon
dollar problem. She said the pro
gram should extend over period
of at least 10 years.
The report, read before 200 So
cial scientists, physicians and rep
resentatives of industry, labor and
agriculture, made no mention Of
sUcialiZed medicine, long a bone
of contention among medical
practitioners, but recommended
that the campaign against enc
mics of health be financed through
general taxation, special tax as
scssments or specific insurance
contributions.
Earlier the delegates heard Miss
Roche read u message from Pres
ident Roosevelt in which he call
ed for 4 comprehensive" long
range program, providing for the
most efficient cooperation Of fed
eral, state and local governments,
voluntary agencies, professional
groups, mediums of public infor-
nation and individual citizens"
Specifically, the report stated:
/. That preventive health ser
vices for the nation are "grossly
insufficient" and should be eX-
banded by an additional expend'-
ture Of $200,00O,000 annually by
federal, state and local govern
ments. The money would be used
to eradicate tuberculosis. veneral
diseases and malaria, control
pneumonia and cancer mortality.
This part Of the program also pro-
vides for better medical and nurs-
ing care of mothers and infants,
medical care for children, special
services for crippled children, con-
Sultation services of specialists
and better postgraduate training
Of professional personnel.
Gradually increasing expendi-
lures for this phase of the pro-
gram, to total $l65, 100000 an
nually by the tenth year, were
recommended for the latter part
of the preventive medicine sec
ton. Maternity care and care Of
Infants would be allotted $685.
100000; medical care of children,
$60,000,000, and services for crip-
Piled children, $4,000, 900.
2. That hospitals and other m
stitutionul facilities are made
quate in many communities, that
! financial support for hospital care
and for professional services III
hospitals is insufficient and preca-
riouS.
In hospitals offering general
care, the percentage Of beds sup
ported by patients fees was found
to be out of proportion to the
ability of the people to pay. Con-
versely, there was said to be a
shortage of low cost or free beds.
! Thirteen hundred counties had no
hospitals at all.
3. That one-third of the popu-
! lation is receiving inadequate or
no medical service. This group
was found to have a higher rate
of sickness and disablement than
persons with larger incomes, and
present facilities were termed
mot equal to meet the need" ,
The committee recommended
that the federal government, thru
grants-in-aid to the states, help
provide medical care for those al
ready aided in some degree under
the public assistance provisions OF
Before he left New York, he