Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1958-07-23

health problems of the nation
with arthritis and birth defects
as initial new targets, was an
nounced this week by the Nat.
ional Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis.
Basil O'Connor. president OF
the organization that made pos.
siblc 1.-THE Salk polio vaccine
Ioutlined its broad new program
of future attack on disease and
disability at a press conference
in New York on Tuesday, July
I22.
While carrying on the win.
ming fight against polio. the Nat.
ional Foundation. as it now will
be known, will continue its his.
ItOry-making virus research pro.
gram and Investigations of disrse.
orders of the central nervous
system, and will add research
and patient aid in arthritis and
birth defects tcougenital NAL
formations MIR. OConnor said
The expanded program will
be financed through the tradit.
ional March of Dimes conducted
] each January by volunteers in
100 county chapters across the
country.
Mr.. O'Connor said
This is our concept for the
future: The development of an
!. organized voluntary force in the
fields of medical research. pat.
lent care and professional edu.
cation. flexible enough TO meet
new health problems as they a
rise. with specific goals initially
., The heart of the new pro-
,. gram is research Research will
be expanded from where it is
nov. without the restriction OF
being confined in the future 10 a
single disease. Professional edu.
cation also will be expanded to
cover training of personnel both
=, for research and patient care
in all areas of activity
\. Freedom To follow research
clues wherever they lead will be
combined with necessary limit
atoms on patient aid in the be-
ginning, MIR. o. ConnDr explain.
ed.
I h Limitations result from
the enormity of the patient care
!, problem: At least l,000, 00O
persons have arthrItis and rheu.
, NATHAN: 100000 children are
. fects each year Excluding birth
/, born with. significant birth de,
injuries: an estimated 10000
!, persons who have had paralytic
polio still will require some as
distance in the years ahead.
5 1t is planned to offer patient
! aid at first only to arthritis pa
: ltient through 10 years of age
and to children sufferin from
/, malformations of the centra
nervous system also through ag,
10. he said. Some 10000 child.
hood arthritis sufferers can be
-expeGted to seektreatment each
: year and about 5000 patients
annually have birth defects OF
: the central nervous system that
: are treatabie. Among these con.
] ditlons are: spina bifida topcr
spme), encephalocefe open skull
: and hydrocephalus water on tn,
: bSain).
2 To shape a broad program il
: patient aid in arthritis and brit
e defects, much must be abou
a precise numbers of patients. tn,
! number and quantity of existing
d facilities and the availability o
: qualified personnel. the Nation
O al Foundation president said.
Our objective in patient car,
l. is to continue the polio job un
It'll il is finished" he explained
u I'VE have a moral obligation (,
do this and the American peopl,
expect us TO recongniize this re
sponibifity. We shall begin pa
tient care in arthritis and brit
Idefects, first, where II will d.
, the most good and. second. OF
scale commensurate with tn,
public's willingness to finance
it,"
n While IT is not planned in
italy to provide patient aid fol
children born each year will
congenitally caused mental re
tardation. Mr.. O'Connor said
q tn research program Of the Ma
tional Foundation may offel
new hope in prevention ant
a treatment of this problem.
h The new program was adopted
S after five years of unprcccdent
= cd investigation Of areas of nceC
in the health field and careful
el assessment Of the strengths o
the National Foundation tina
J. could be applied to other pro
blems. Conferences were held