The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-09-27

The Waterbury Visiting Nurse as
ISOLATION, faced with a shortage of
funds that threatens its citywide
health program, today appealed to
authorities for financial aid from the
City of Waterbury. The association
seeks city funds for it's immediate
needs, and will ask for an appropri-
alton from the city in the 1910
municipal budget.
Mrs. Roger S. Sperry, president of
the v. N. A., and Miss Alice G.
Peake, supervisor, conferred this
morning with DR.. Edward j. Cod
frey, city health officer. DR.. Cod
frey promised every possible aid, de-
claring that the association does
wonderful work" in the city through
its program. Should the association
have to halt its activities, he said,
the work will have to be taken over
by the city at heavy cost.
Mayor Sympathetic
Mayor Patrick M. Perriello ex-
pressed sympathetic interest in the
v. N. A., and said he would give the
request careful study. The matter
may be taken up by the board of
finance tomorrow afternoon.
Mrs. Sperry today issued the fol-
lowing statement:
Because believe the welfare of
the Visiting Nurse Association to be
the concern of all the people of Wa
terhury, and not alone the few hun
dred who support it, should like
to give progress report of our drive
last spring and consider the un-
fortunate possibilities that may re-
suit from it. The amount necessary
to collect from private contributions
was $4,000. The amoune received so
far has been $14,854.60, making us
short some $1145.00. Many organiza-
lions who have never given before
have contributed this time, and
there were many new contributors,
but they were not enough. We are
not making any further appeal to.
anyone for funds this year because
we know from last years experience
that 1t will hurt next years drive,
which comes early. There are some
pledges still not filled, but even so,
as Tar as we can tell, we shall be
probably about $4,000 in the red at
the end of the year. We spent
$48i.00 more on printing, postage,
etc. than we ever have before in the
frantic attempt to put the drive
over. A quasi-tragic result from our
drive was that the wonderful pub
Lefty which accompanied 1t resulted
in our being known to lot more
people who became patients at once
and the extra cost of these people,
who could not pay, was $25000!
Truly we welcomed the new patients
but 1t was disconcerting result of
our drive. AS you know, our Finance
Committee, anticipating the short
age that we had this year, at first
rejected our budget to the amount
Of $2500.00 They were shrewd guess
ers. begged them to reconsider 1t
because it seemed to me so very I'M
fair to reduce any health service in
Waterbury without fair warning to
the public, and at that time I was
convinced that once the facts were
known, the public would respond
sufficiently. Newspaper men say that
the momentum of publicity builds up
slowly, and will perhaps be more eff
fective next year than this, but
that isn't helping us now.
Funds Small
Since the capital funds of the
Associs ton are very small and it is
evident that we shall have to draw
upon them this year, is 1t not fair
TO arrive at the conclusion that the
time has come for Waterbury to
choose? This situation can not go
on Indefinitely. The thing that puz-
zles me now is-should the Board
pass q budget of the same size an
other year? don't know. This cry
ing wolf, WOLF" all the time is
very wearisome. We have as many