Arizona sun., 1949-11-11

every Guy, LOWu VI AuA al OASIA ~
in this country. For in more ways
than one, the work of a health de-
partment touches the life of every
man, woman and child living with
in the community.
Unfortunately, only compara-
lively few communities have any
thing like well-organized and eff
ficient public health department.
There are some 100000 people
more than a quarter of our entire
population-living in areas which
cannot, or do not, support either
a full-time public health officer or
a health department. In the vast
majority of our towns and cities,
the public health department is
badly housed, often in the basement
of the courthouse, tragically under
stated and lacking in most of the
essentials of modern medical equip
ment. In a dozen fields of opera
ton these health departments are
literally hamstrung in their efforts
to do job.
Like any other state and local
problem, the big question mark is
money. The spirit is willing but
the local tax-returns are weak.
The President sees clearly that
without Federal aid we shall never
correct these situations. And as
fundamental approach to this whole
problem of health, he is urging
Congress to appropriate substantial
sums of money to the states to
strengthen our whole public health
department system.
The same reasoning applies to
our Federally sponsored special
services-our mother and child care
services, our services for crippled
children and other activities that
are channeled through the local
public health departments. Those
of you who live in communities
where these services are in opera
ton know full well their value and
Importance.
We have also our school health
program which among other things
provides medical examinations for
school children. Last year nearly
100000 children were given a
thorough checkup by public health
doctors or private physicians. And
I don't doubt that most of the
mothers wound up in the local
drugstore with doctors prescrip-
ton Of one sort or another to be
filled.
Beyond this, in cooperation with
the Department of Agriculture, we
are attacking the basic problem of
nutrition through the provision of
school lunches for some 100000
youngsters. And this certainly is
an important factor in our health
program.
There are also our Federal-State
programs of disease control-can-
Ger clinics, mass X-rays for tuber-
culosis, treatment Of veneral dis
ease and the various forms of car
diac disease. These programs have
already done much to cut the actual
disease rate in the various states.
Their practical value is known to
all of you.
In still another area of activity
we have our Federal-State pro-
gram of vocational rehabilitation.
Through this program thousands of
men and women who are disabled
Continued on Page y
because of accident, disease, or con-
genital defects receive not only
necessary medical care but also re-
training for a job which will en-
able them once more to earn a liv-
ing.
Yet on all these fronts we are
still meeting only a fraction of our
needs. We are doing a magnificent
job wherever these services are
available. But the sum total of all
this work touches only the fringe
of the problem. No investment
would pay greater dividends in
health than money spent in rein
forcing these programs and bring
ing them within the reach of every
community. And that is precisely
what the President is urging.
But the expansion of our public
health services is only part Of the
overall health problem. AS you all
know, we are faced with a very
serious shortage of hospital facili-
ties, particularly in our rural areas
and small towns. A sound start to
meet this shortage has already been
made with the Hospital Survey and