The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

16 The Health Bulletin October, 1951of all ages from this section of thestate are admitted to the clinic forfree examination and advice. The StateBoard of Health, the State Vocationaland Rehabilitation Department, theHalifax County Health Department,Halifax County Welfare Departmentand the Northampton County HealthDepartment cooperate in the operationof this clinic.HEALTH EDUCATIONVI.Health Education of the General Publicconstitutes one of the biggest problemsin Public Health, in that advancesin Medical Science and Public Healthremain far ahead of the attitudes ofthe general public. For example, it iswell known today that diphtheria couldbe controlled among children of preschoolage, provided over fifty per centof this group could be adequately immunized;however, a large percentageof parents still neglect to have theirchildren immunized at the proper age,or even at all, for this dread disease.We know, too, that most of the deathsfrom cancer could be prevented if onlycitizens in the cancer age would submitthemselves to their physicians or to aCancer Detection Clinic for thoroughphysical examinations at least onceeach year. The same thing can be saidof tuberculosis and many other conditions.Therefore, public-health departmentstoday have a big responsibilityin educating the public to theadvantages offered by present day publichealth programs. The Health Departmenthas a speakers bureau, twomotion picture projectors, a slide projector,a record player and film stripprojector with loud speaker attachment,exhibits, demonstrations andliterature on all phases of Public Healthand related subjects, all of which areused for promoting public health education.VII.MENTAL HYGIENE ANDCHRONIC DISEASES1. Principal service in this field at thepresent time is a Cancer DetectionClinic which meets the first and thirdTuesdays of each month at 8:30 A. M.,Health Center, Halifax. This clinic issponsored by the Halifax County MedicalSociety in cooperation with theHalifax County Health Department,Halifax County Cancer Unit, and theState Board of Health. In this clinic,free examinations are offered to allcitizens forty years of age and older,and this service is available not onlyto the citizens of Halifax County butalso to citizens of adjoining countiesand Southside Virginia. In addition tothis detection clinic, a special project isnow being conducted in RoanokeRapids by the Cancer Mobile Unit,furnished by the State Board of Health,whereby free x-rays of the stomachare offered to all citizens thirty-fiveyears of age and older.VIII. ACCIDENT CONTROLPlans are now underway to set up aPilot Automobile Accident Control Programin Halifax County. This programwill be extended to home, school andindustrial accidents in the near future.September 25, 1951