A Traveling Clinic
By
ИМ.
Ku ril SAUNDERS
IK tin* people ran'» pet to a clinic.
I take a clinic to the people. Thai’*
the Intent maxim of public health
service, and one which is to 1h- put into
practice in North Carolina this full,
according to Dr.
Л.
C. Knox. Director
of the Division of Epidemiology ami
Venereal Disease Control, of the
North Carolina State Hoard of
lb.
There is proposed for the State of
North Carolina, in cooperation with
the
Г.
S. Public Health Service, the
use of a specially designed and
equipped truck which will sene as a
mobile clinic that can be used in
counties that could not otherwise af¬
ford a venereal disease program. This
truck will l>e given to the state b.v
the
Г.
S. Public Health Service,
which is now conducting an experi¬
mental project and study for the con¬
trol of syphilis among indigent peo¬
ple in rural areas.
Must Operate for Three Years
The only string attached to the
gift of the truck is an assurance that
the program will run for at least
three years. This assurance has been
given by the State Board of Health.
The state, however, lms agreed to as¬
sume the responsibility for the salary
and travel of the physician, nurse, and
driver, and any incidental expense*.
The |M>rsonncl for this unit will
consist of a physician who has had
special training in venereal disease
control work, n Public Health nurse,
and possibly
л
young man to drive the
truck and act as a clerk to help in the
operation of the unit.
The counties in which this mobile
clinic will operate have not yet been
selected, but it will not operate in
any counties that do not have full-time
organized health service.
Second Unit in the Country
This unit will lx- the second unit
in the
Г,
S. Public Health Service's
demonstration project in rural syphi¬
lis control. The first unit, which has
l-'cn in operation since last fall, is a
trailer which is being used in a joint
project of the Georgia State Depart¬
ment of Health, the Brunswick Dis¬
trict Health Knit, and the C.S.P.H.S.
This trailer operates in Camden,
Glynn, and McIntosh counties. Geor¬
gia. It reaches nearly 1,000 patients a
week, making *20 different stops at ru¬
ral schools, stores, cross road' or tur¬
pentine camps distant from any other
medical facilities.
The North Carolina State Board
of Health, when it decided to launch
a similar project, decided upon using
a truck rather than a trailer, a truck
ihaving been found to be more flexible
for an itinerary largely off the main
highway* and improved roads.
Because of the cost of setting up
and 0(4- rating venereal disease clinic,
it will probably be some year# before
|*-riiiancnt clinics will be provided
in most of the counties in the state.
So. in order to bridge this gap and to
reach indigent people in rural area»
far from any permanent vein-real dis¬
ease clinic. North Carolina is going
to send a clinic to the people.
The operation ami results of this
elinie-on-wheels will be watched with
interest by officials of the
Г.
S. Pub¬
lic Health Service and health officials
of this and other states. If the project
is successful, it is possible that the
program may later ho expands! *o as
embrace nearly all of North Carolina.
Contracts .Are Let For
City Hall At Wilson
Contracts totaling $107.268 were
awarded by the Board of Aldermen
Friday in a special session for the
building of the Wilson city hall.
Bids were opened in the presence
of the l»oard. Architect Frank
Benton and R. H. Stevens, agent
of the Public Works Administration.
Benton said today that the erec¬
tion of the city hall would start on
August 20. or possibly before. The
building will be built on the site
of the old city hall on Goldsliuro
Street, across from the county court¬
house.
The Ervin-West Construction
Company, of Statesville, was award¬
ed the General contracting bid.
Their bid was $91.459. R. K.
Deans, local plumbing contractor,
was awarded the plumbing bid for
the building. Deans' bid was $5.-
129. while the Bagwell Plumbing
and Heating Company, of Durham,
was awarded the heating contract,
which totaled $7.680.
Cnusual Way to
Dispose of Old Tires
Filling stations resort
»••
all kinds
of device* for attracting attention i<»
their various places of bu.hu--..
Driving along (lie highway, you
probably have «pen fancy sign* made
out of empty oil cans. Then loo we
recall of two or three station- which
have built fence* out of old tires,
neatly whitewashed. Bur the mo-t
unique device of all j. that which i*
employed by the proprietor of a station
on Highway No. 1. near Merry Oak-,
let ween Raleigh and Sanford. lie
ereeti-d a huge pole some 25 or
1Ю
feet in height and he put. dis¬
carded tire* on this polo. The above
picture give* you some idea of what
the whole business looks like. The
tires are now almost to the top of the
pole, and invariably they draw the
eve* of nutoist* who pas* by the place.
We’ll leave it up to you to figure
out how he get* the tire around the
pole*. Wp did think of asking the
proprietor of the station, but he was
busily engaged in waiting on a cus¬
tomer so we didn't like to interrupt
him. Personally, we haven’t been able
to figure it out.
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