Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1958-05-29
Letters
Polio PIoudit


Thanks for the splendid pub
licity which you gave to the
dollar-a-shot-polio immunization
program of the Rockville Junior
Women's Club and its "cancella.
ton" due to the opposition of the
Medical Society of Montgomery
County. This is just what was
needed to stimulate activity to get
persons under 40 immunized
against paralytic poliomyelitis.
AS Chairman Of Women's Ac-
tivities for the Montgomery
County Chapter Of the National
Foundation for Infantile Paraly-
sis, wish to extend my heart
felt thanks to the Rockville Jun
Tor Women's Clubs, and in
particular to two of its members,
Mrs. ]. f. McKeever and Mrs.
Alexander Carson, for their
efforts to establish a public polio
immuniZation clinic in the coun-
ty. Their efforts were not in vain
since the receipt by the Club of
over 1000 application for the
dollar-a-shot. vaccine in a little
over week clearly indicated to
our chapter, the County Health
Office and the Montgomery
County Medical Society the neces-
sity for reappraisal of the pro-
gram for polio immunization in
Montgomery County.
AS Polio Vaccine Chairman
for the National Foundation for
Infantile Paralysis in Montgom-
cry County it has been my privi-
lege to work closely with the
County Health Office and the
Montgomery County Medical So
ciety. / should like to praise
them again for their splendid CO.
operation in the Polio Vaccine
Field Trial Test, and in the
School Vaccination Program, for
Salk Vaccine, which was fur
nished without charge by the Ma
tional Foundation, was admins
tered to the children by the staff
of the County Health Office and
by volunteers from the Medical
Society.
1t was disappointing to me,
however, when in 1857 the Amer.
lean Medical Association recon-
mended that fee of So per Salk
vaccine shot be charged, that the
Montgomery County Medical So
ciety refused to accept this
recommendation 1t is true that
many local physicians We're al
ready charging reduced fees and
family rates, and where it was
indicated, furnished free polio
shots but 1 felt then, and have
continued to do so, that this
reached only a small number of
those requiring polio immuniZa-
ton.
The cooperative action taken
by the County Medical Office and
the Montgomery County Medical
Society in stating in a paid adj
vertisement tn a reasonable
fees" and family rates" will pre-
vail in physicians offices for
polio shots and that clinics where
the polio vaccine would be adj
ministered without charge is
gratifying and I urge every
county resident under 40 years
of age to take advantage of this
offer if he or she has not been
immuniZed.
The County Health Clinics
have been set up for May %.
June 3. June 25, and July 1 be-
tween 3 to 5 and anyone wishing
more information should call the
County Health Office at Poplar
2-2l21. This period allows for the
administration of only two of the
Salk vaccine shots and
l do not know what plans for
the administration of the third
shot have been made.
Again my thanks to your news
paper, the Rockville Junior
w m en's Club, the County
Health Office and to the prac-
ticing physicians, who become so
only after the expenditure of
many years and much money, for
all that is being done to eradicate
polio as an epidemic disease.
Lillian III. McNish.