The Wilmington morning star., 1947-01-06

IL also recognizes the need 1Or
more doctors, nurses, and techni-
clans and proposes to expand the
States two-year school into a
standard foud-year school. It has
been dramatically illustrated that
We must have facilities in the
rural areas or OUR efforts to get
doctors located there will fail. And
we must have more doctors, nurs-
es, and technicians or the facilities
will be useless. We have a serious
shortage of personnel to operate
our present facilities. We cannot
expect to operate the larger pro-
gram without more trained per-
sonnet.
Two common questions about the
Good Health Plan I shall now seek
to answed as follows:
/. Can we afford this program?
The state built its school and
highway systems when finances
were limited. Our people ~recogniz-
ed the need and met the challenge.
Those expenditures were invest
ments and no one questions the wis
dom Of that action by our people.
We have a cash surplus in the
State Treasury, which will amount
to 70 or 80 million dollars by June
80, 1947. We can we'll afford to
use some of these funds for the
Improvement of health conditions
throughout the state. 1t will be an
investment that will return big
dividends. Failures in the school
system for physical reasons that
could be corrected is costing the
state than ST. 500. 900 annually.
The state expense for operating
the schools exceeds $50 per pupil
each year, and DR.. Reynolds says
that one-half Of our 100, 900 repeat
ers. or $4,000 could be eliminated
by correcting the physical handi-
caps. We can reduce the days lost
by our workers from illness, in
crease school attendance, reduce
the number of school failures, and
we can increase the income of our
citizens. Men like Irving Carlyle
and Thomas ]. Pearsall on the
States Advisory Budget Commits
sion say that we can carry out the
Good Health Plan without sacrifice
ing any essential service in the
State.
2. Why do we need to expand
the University Medical School?
The shortage of doctors, nurses,
and technicians is nationwide. All
states will have hospital construc-
ton programs so that we cannot
expect to get these workers from
other states. We must train more Of
our own. Every committee and
commission has said that the state
should supplement the work OF
Duke and Bowman Gray by ex.
banding the University Medical
School into a standard four-year
school. This conclusion was reach
ed by the Poe Commission, the Ma
tional Committee for Medical
School Survey, the Medical Society
of the State, the Legislature in 1915,
and a committee of five past Presi-
dents OF the Medical Society; and
has been endorsed by both political
parties, together with practically
every profes sional, civic, religious,
women's, business, labor, and agri-
cultural organization in the state.
1t is an essential part Of the plan.
1t will not solve our health prob
lem any more than building hos
pitfalls alone will meet our needs.
We must have them both.
CONCLUSION
We can afford the Good Health
Plan for North Carolina! Studies
reveal the need and our ability to
finance the cost involved. Nothing
is closer to us than our health. Men
spend the accumulations of a life
time and mortgage all that they
have to regain their health once it
it gone. What will we do about this
program? It's up to you and the