Evening star., 1949-07-15
Better Services
For Child Health
Urged in Survey

Improvements Needed
In Area Despite Good
Showing, Report Says
Child health services in the
District and nearby areas make
a good showing in the national
picture but still need major i'm
provement, particularly in train
ing for doctors, nursing facilities,
hospital distribution and mental
hygiene clinics. according to a
survey.
A committee of the District Sec
ton of the American Academy of
Pediatrics surveyed the situation
here as part of Nation wide plan
to obtain data on existing health
services for children.
The information about hos
pitfalls. availability of doctors and
nurses, vital statistics, and meth
ods of protecting and treating
children was collected between
March and September. 1916. The
recommendations and many of
the findings, however. apply to
present conditions. District Sec
ton members were told in the
report.
Infant Mortality Cited.
Covering the District, Mont
gomery and Prince Georges Coun-
ties in Maryland. and Arlington
County and the city of Alexandria
in Virginia, the report urged a
concerted effort" to reduce the
infant mortality rate. particularly
for premature infants and those
less than a month old.
While infant or maternal NOR
tality rates have had marked
downward trends, the report noted
a relatively high rate for Negro
women. 1t recommended greater
effort to Identify the causes" 1t
also suggested that a city-wide
program for improving the care
of premature as we'll as full-ter
infants "be developed jointly by
the Health Department. medical
societies and hospitals
The ratio of l physician to 1876
children in the District during
the period covered by the survey
was better than the ratio of / to
l68 for the adjoining Metropoli-
tan Area. and to 308 in the
United States as whole.
But only per cent of the ply
sicians in the District were pedia-
tricians, the report added. OF the
general practitioners. IS per cent
reported they had had no hospi-
tai training in pediatrics.
Instruction Opportunities Urged.
"Since general practitioners
care for a large number of chill
dren in the District and the ad-
joining counties, more opportunity
should be afforded for undergrad
uate and graduate instruction in
pediatrics," the report stated
The survey found the number
Of beds reserved for children in
hospitals in the District to be well
above the average for the country
These beds are largely concen-
trated in two hospitals" the re-
port continued. 1T is obvious
that, in the three counties. there
is need for more hospital beds for
children and particularly for Ne
gro children"
Social Service Inadequate.
Other recommendations includ-
ed these comments:
Social service is essential to
effective medical care and public
health programs. Such services
are inadequate in the District and
the reed to provide or supplement
them is urgent.
THE study shows that mental
hygiene clinic services for chill
dren should be developed further
There is need for more dental
clinics, particularly for Negro
children. >.
In regard to school health
services it appeared that the num-
ber of physicians was very small
in proportion to the number Of
school children.
More Nurses Needed.
ut is important that official
and voluntary facilities for care
of handicapped children be sup.
plemented and correlated in order
to provide a we'll rounded pro.
gram.
THE number of public health
nurses should be increased to meet
public health standards.
The committee that made the
survey was headed by DR.. Edgar
P. Copeland. vice chief of staff al
Children's Hospital. The com
mittee had the cooperation o1
the United States Children's Blu.
reau and the United States Pub.
lie Health Service, as well a!
medical and dental societies, anc
hospitals and community health
agencies, the report stated.
Baptist Hour Changed
The National Baptist Radi'
Hour, formerly heard at 9 am
Sundays, will be changed to 80