Evening star., 1954-11-29
Prince { Georges
Looks for New
Health Funds
More Adequate
Program Pledged
By Democrats
By Ben Franklin

Prince Georges county nealLn
authorities, whose appropria-
tions in recent years under both
political parties have been the
smallest of any county in Mary
land based on population. are
looking forward to a roster
future under the Democrats,
who take over December Z.
The incoming commissioners
are pledged in their platform to
a more adequate" program Of
preventive medicine. g
Specifically, the Democratic
platform said the staff of the
county health department should
be brought up to the standard
recommended by the State
Health Department-one public
health nurse for each 5000 popu-
lation.
IA Full-Time Nurses Now.
DR.. Thomas s. Englar, health
director, said the department now
has IA full-time nurses. Based
on the one-for-5,0 900 standard.
the staff would have to be in
creased almost 800 per cent to
55 nurses to catch up with the
county's estimated 1854 popula,
ton Of about 278.000.
BY March, when the new COM
missioners will have their first
county budget taking shape, the
population estimate may have
increased considerably.
"We don't expect to meet
that standard over night" DR..
Englar said. But we need very
badly to improve the school
health program, and added per-
sonnel will enable us to do that.
School health is No. on our
list"
The health department got a
record appropriation of $130,000
in the current county budget.
The increase was earmarked
mostly for the salaries of five
new nurses. But DR.. Englar had
asked the I commissioners for a
minimum of 10 new nurses, in
cluding a supervisor, and that
still would have left Prince
Georges-30,00 ahead in popu-
lation-19 nurses behind neigh
boring Montgomery County.
"Corner Cutting" Seen.
The nurse shortage in Prince
Georges County's health depart
ment has resulted in continued
corner cutting" in the county's
health program, according to
Dr.. Englar.
We are not making the num-
Der OF visits we should" he de-
clared. with added personnel
we can begin to set up the
regularly scheduled visits to sick
persons at home and to schools
that the people of this county
certainly ought to expect as re-
sidents of d large suburban
county with a large population"
"Also, we get more money from
the State as we get more from
the county" he said. "I am
hoping very strongly that the
situation of the health depart
ment is going to improve.
The health department of
Montgomery County, which has
an estimated 248, 900 population,
has 38 full-time nurses and 10
registered nurses on a part-time, :
ool-seSsion basis to carry out
the county's school health pro.
gram.
School Program.
Prince Georges County has
depended almost entirely on a
nurse's-aid program in its school
health program, DR.. Englar said.
This program, utilizing trained
health workers-but not reg
istered nurses-is administered
by the school board.
Montgomery's health depart
ment appropriation from county
funds this yekr was $308 ,000-
more than twice the health ap-
preparation in the Prince Georges
budget.
An analysis by the State Health
Department of public health ac-
tivities in Maryland counties in
1858 contrasts the health services
available In the two counties.