The frontiersman., 1952-10-30
Valley 10 be Without Public Health Nurse After This Week-End

fAHASB aaHS UuSSN Nhasa This week the Valleys public health nursing service will be interrupted for an indefinite peri cd as Miss Marjorie Myren, after three and one-half years of ser vice, leaves for a vacation in the States and a new assignment.
 No successor for Miss Myren has been announced. According to information revealed by Assis- tant Commissioner of Health Elizabeth Bishop here few weeks ago, no successor can be expected for two or three months, since there is no one available. At that time Dr. Bishop cited several Alaskan communities which have been without a public health nurse for periods vary ing from six months to over a year because of the lack of quail fled persons to fill the vacancies. Requests from the Alaska Depart ment of Health that local contri- buttons to the public health pro- gram be increased in conformity with those made by other com munities have been agreed to by the Matanuska Valley Health Council within the past month However, this agreement was necessarily contingent on the receipt of the Health Councils full budget request from the Com munity Chest and from the Wasil- la and Chugiak communities, which participate in the overall program.
 During the interim when the Valley will be without a nurse, the Health Council has decided to maintain the present Health Center and to retain the part time clerk, Mrs. Eileen Branton to take care of the routine ap- pointment and business of the Health Center. She will be at the Health Center for a short time each morning, beginning at g am. to make arrangements for 1 eye, ear, nose, and throat ap- pointments and also for the ortho- pedic clinic in Anchorage Miss Vera Johnson, new Alaska De- partment of Health physical ther- apist, was in the Valley Monday of this week to visit crippled chil- dren. She will return once a month. Anyone wanting to see her on her monthly visits may con- tact Mrs. Branton, who will help make out Miss Johnson's Valley itinerary.
 After the first of the year, Miss Myren will begin her duties as public health nurse for the high way, with headquarters at Tok Junction. Her new territory will extend along the Tok-cut-off sec ton of the Glenn Highway to Copper Center on the Richardson Highway. This area has been without a public health nurse for quite long period.
 Climaxing the scores of clinics and well-baby conferences Miss Myren has promoted in the in- terests of disease prevention was the diptheria clinic held Friday and Monday at the Health Center and in the school. At Palmer School, $50 students received dip theria shots. Few adults took ad- vantage of the clinic at the Health Center. For those who needed only a booster shot, no further shots are required. Those who needed the series of three will have to have the remaining two shots given by their personal physici- ans.
 In recognition of her common able record in raising public standards and service in spite of the Valleys rapid expansion, Miss Myren has been honored dur ing the past two weeks by the Valley Health Council, the Val ley Nurses Association, and by groups of friends who have taken sincere interest in her work.