A Bargain

Who would hesitate to spend $1.00 for a annually worth $10 if someone else agreed to pay the other $8.00. For an expenditure of $1000 per year, Rappahannock county could receive the benefit of a health unit which actually costs the state approximately $25,000. But it does not to refuse to appropriate the $10.00 is to refuse to take this benefit of what is typically given for the money that we pay to the state of Virginia is being used to support health units in other counties. Aren't we being "pancy wise and proud friends" not to take the required step to obtain our fair share of the program that our money supports?

As of March, 1949, there were 70 counties in Virginia and nine cities representing over 60% of the state's population, which had their own local health services. Of the 50 remaining counties, 15 have made the required appropriation and are waiting for health personnel to become available. Since March, 1949, four other counties are reported to have made the prerequisite appropriation to obtain health units. This leaves only 15 counties in the whole Commonwealth and participating in this program.

Health and human lives cannot be evaluated. Monetary figures do not properly and adequately express the worth of becoming pain and suffering or of becoming the danger of disease. Naturally none of us wants to have our taxes raised. But which one of us wouldn't be willing to pay for saving one of our children's lives? We pay for insurance on our homes, barns, automobiles, and even our livestock. Why shouldn't we pay for insurance on our health? An active health department in Rappahannock county would be one of the best types of health insurance available.

For the money, Rappahannock county would obtain the services of one health officer, one nurse, one sanitation officer, and one clerk.

The health officer, a licensed physician, is in charge of the entire program and has various duties including consulting with local physicians and working with them. He distributes to the local doctors the returns and other institutes provided by the state for the immunization of communicable diseases and helps establish methods to prevent their spreading. He holds claims, plans school health programs with school authorities and assists with any local or county health problem. Briefly, the health officer is a community physician, if the community as a whole can be considered a patient.

Each county has the services of a public health nurse. Her work is largely educational and consists partly in aiding physicians and doctors in school health examinations, in obtaining health programs in the school and homes. She reaches parents the necessity of early immunization and regular medical and dental attention and she creates with the family for healthful living. She helps to reduce the spread of diseases by locating cases and getting those treated, and her services are rendered to the individual always in the interest of the community as a whole.

The sanitation officer promotes and works to establish and maintain healthy public and private surroundings, safe water supply, clean and pure milk products, sanitary public eating and sleeping places and sanitary school environments. He organizes and supports programs for community control of mosquitoes, flies, rats, and other insects and animals that carry disease and interfere with healthier and better living. The clerk assists the health officer nurse and sanitation officer, keeps the necessary records and does the "beginner" control work.

For Rappahannock to procure benefit of this active health program and the services of the four personnel listed, the Board of Supervisors must also appropriate its share or about one-fifth of the total amount necessary for the establishment and maintenance of the program. Then upon request of the Board of Supervisors the State Health Department would allocate the remaining 100,000 lbs. and set up our local health department as soon as personnel becomes available. If the people of Rappahannock county must a local health department, they should be advise the Board of Supervisors.