The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1960-11-17
October Report of
Health Department

W ana one young man uled III q
Washington D. c., hospital of the
disease. The young man was not
reported in this county but prob
ably contracted the germ here but
was stricken with the disease
while visiting in Baltimore. A very
severe case occurred in a child
in Terra Alta, West Virginia,
which is only about nine miles
from Oakland and about four
miles from the Maryland state
border. The final advent of frost,
we hope, has closed the curtain
on polio season. Although there
is no way of determining what
might have been, it is thought by
local, state ana United States
Health Officials that this summer
and fall would have been a terrif-
ic epidemic of polio in this COM
munity were it not for the high
degree of immunizatiOn among
our younger age group.
Administration
Arranging for admissions to and
discharge from certain institutions
has demanded considerable atten-
ton from the Health Department.
A young child who was in the
Memorial Hospital in Cumberland,
one of this county's polio cases, re-
manned in that institution for a
period Of time considerably longer
than necessary because the authori-
ties there were unfamiliar with
proper procedure for moving him.
When the matter was handed to
the Garrett County Health Depart
ment it was handled with dispatch
and the patient admitted to Chill
drens Hospital in Baltimore. An
other polio case was also admitted
to Childrens. A very severe case
from this county who has been
in a respirator in Cumberland
now is able to be out of the respi-
rator for about one hour a day.
On the other side of the ledger,
difficulty was encountered in a
ten year old boy who had been
discharged from Childrens. This
lad had been a patient in Chill
drens for over a year and was be-
ing discharged wearing leg braces.
His mother who had seasonal
work during the summer, was
without income and ineligible for
welfare assistance since she had
a husband living somewhere in
West Virginia. Neither did the
mother have a dwelling suitable
for herself and the boy. Other
relatives of the boy living local
ly were unable or unwilling to
take him. Finally the mother was
given Welfare assistance, a small
conveniently located cabin was
improved to provide living space,
and the boy was delivered home
by the Baltimore Red Cross.
Total of nursing activities for
the month included, 81 Home
visits, 96 Office visits. 70 Consulta-
lions, 557 Injections and 50 Teacher
conferences.
Five clinics we're held with at
tendance as follows: Ear, Nose and
Throat, q; Maternity, IA; Pediatric,
8; Posture, 18; tuberculosis, 20.
Doctor Robert T. Ferguson,
Clinician for the Hearing Clinic
and member of the Otolaryoiogi-
cal Staff at Johns Hopkins Hospital,
met with the doctors Of the County
at 500 A NJ, in The staff room
of the hospital on October 25 and
presented some of the newer con-
cepts in, and advances in surgery
in ear, nose and throat.
Medical Care
Recipients of welfare assistance
automatically receive medical
care. There is a group in our popu-
lation however, whose income
meets daily need but who are un-
able to pay medical expenses.
These are known as the medical
iy INDECENT" Members of this
group must be considered indi-
vidually according to income,
numbers in the family, and medical
need. All authorization for medical
care must come through the
Health Department. All doctors
bills and prescriptions must also
be processed through the Health
d e p a + m n t. The totals Of
this Department are as follows:
Prescriptions, 642; INDECENT. 233;
Medically INDECENT, 50.
Since much OF the prosperity Of
the county depends on recreation,
1t is more important here than
in many other sections of the
state that we maintain an environ
ment attractive to visitors. This
is particularly true in our eating
and drinking establishments. John
Meadows spent two day this month
Iii. IL c...