TRENDS
By JOHN
P.
HUBBARD,M.D.,
Contributing EditorThis and subsequent descriptions of events and trends are intended to be unbiased and factual, presenting both sides of controversial matters so that conclusions may be formed from critical appraisal of things as they are. These statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the writer nor are they to be interpreted as oflicial opinion of the Academy.
AMERICAN
LEGION
PROPOSES
PROGRAM
FOR
IMPROVED
CHILD
HEALTH
D
URING
the
week
preceding
Labor
Day,
the
American
Legion
invaded
the
City
of
Brotherly
Love
for
its
3 1st
Annual
Convention.
During
the
shouting
and
tumult,
there
emerged
a highly
significant
proposal
for
improved
child
health.
The
Legion’s
Com-mittee on
Child
Welfare
presented
the
following
resolution
which
was
approved
by the
Convention:
“The children of America are its greatest asset and the Legion is interested in those children. Not only the children of veterans, but all children. We must make certain that every child has
sufficient food to be nourished properly daily and a suitable environment in which to grow into healthy and useful manhood or womanhood. We will not be discouraged by any temporary
obstacle that may be cast in the way. The command is forward and our efforts in conserving our country’s greatest asset will be the insurement of peace and prosperity for the future citizens of America.
“WHEREAS, The National Child Welfare Program of the American Legion has always been a
‘whole child’ program and has always been interested in child health, and
“WHEREAS, There is abundant evidence that all children are not receiving the health and medical services which they need, and
“WHEREAS, We believe the proper emphasis for improving medical care for children should come from the local community, now,
“Therefore Be It Resolved, That The American Legion cooperate with the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other reputable health and medical
organiza-tions and agencies in the development of a program for improved child health based on community action under community leadership.”
There
was
considerable
spontaneous
combustion
during
the
Convention,
but
this
was
not
a part
of
it. This
action
has
its
roots
in more
than
20years
of a liaison
relationship
between
the
Academy
and
the
Legion
and
had
recent
stimulation
through
the
joint
efforts
of the Committee on Cooperation with the American Legion and the Committee for the
Improvement
of
Child
Health
of
the
Academy.
Last
April
at the
Executive
Section
of
the
Legion’s
National
Child
Welfare
Commis-sion,
a report
waspresented
by Dr.
James
G.
Hughes
serving
in his
dual
capacity
of
the
Academy’s
Chief
Liaison
Officer
with
the
Legion
and
“Advisory
Member”
of
the
Com-mission.
This
report,
published
in
full
in the
proceedings
of
the
meeting,
is worthy
of
careful attention, and hence, has been abstracted as follows:
“The American Legion and the American Academy of Pediatrics share a common interest in the welfare of American children; both organizations have an enviable record of significant contributions in promoting better health for the children of the Nation. . .
“The possibilities for future action together are even more clearcut. This is true because now a
700
JOHN
P.
HUBBARD
very complete analysis of Child Health Facilities has been made and the needs of the future have been clearly charted. I refer to the recently published result of the nationwide survey just completed
and which has been released under the title ‘Child Health Services and Pediatric Education.’
“This survey was conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics in every state in the Nation. It is the first complete analysis of health facilities and health needs ever published and is a monu-mental document. I hope that each of you will obtain this book, for it contains the fundamental facts which permit one to appreciate the marked deficiencies which exist in child health in our country, and because it indicates the path for future action.
.‘The Academy of Pediatrics, being a progressive organization and one with a sense of duty
to the children of this country, appointed a Committee for the Improvement of Child Health whose function it is to seek ways to correct the deficiencies shown in the Survey. This Committee is corn-posed of outstanding pediatricians in many sections of the country.
“It is of the greatest significance that the first recommendation of the Committee was to take steps to improve facilities for education of physicians in the field of child health. The outstanding
need
is for
increased
opportunity
for high-quality
postgraduate
pediatric
teaching
for general
prac-titioners, since three fourths of the care of children is in the hands of general practitioners, and only 1 1% in the hands of pediatricians. Obviously, the place to get the quickest and most effective improvement in the quality of child care is by affording for the general practitioners of the Nation, especially those in rural areas, opportunities to increase their knowledge of conditions peculiar to childhood.
“It was also recognized that there needs to be a greater emphasis on the training of additional pediatricians, for the number of these child specialists is still far short of the national needs. Especially was it thought that young men with promise should be afforded opportunities to take training in the field of pediatrics. It was recognized that many young physicians are now kept from doing so because of the cost of such an education.
‘‘These two recommendations-that of more extensive postgraduate pediatric training for physicians
already in practice, and that of encouraging more young men to enter the specialty-were only a part of the recommendations of the Committee for the Improvement of Child Health, but they are among the first.
“The American Legion, with such a high proportion of the children of America now being children of veterans, automatically has a high interest in any plans for improving child health in the Nation and could give great impetus to the fruition of plans to carry out some of the objectives which have been pointed out as a result of the Survey.
(Dr.
Hughes
then
outlined
specific
ways
in
which
the
Legion
could
work
with
the
Academy
to
improve
the
quality
of
child
care
in
the
country
through
support
of
(1) postgraduate education of practitioners and (2) pediatric residency scholarships.)“In addition to these two proposals for postgraduate training and residency scholarships, I should like to suggest that a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics be invited to become a member of each of The American Legion Departments (State) Child Welfare Coordinated Corn-mittees. In this way a child specialist would be present to act in an advisory capacity when the State American Legion Organizations planned their programs for Child Welfare. The advantage of this arrangement is apparent when one considers how frequently in such planning matters of physical and mental health of children arise. Through such a working arrangement in each state it might be possible to decentralize more effectively the liaison between the Academy and the Legion
at the state levels.”
(Signed) JAMES G. HUGHES, M.D.
TRENDS 701
cooperation with the American Academy
of Pediatrics
contact in that State to put to work both organizations in a cooperative plan to gain results in the State on the recommendations made in the Academy’s State Report.”In June
further
progress
wasmade
toward
the
common
objectives
of the
Academy
and
the
Legion
in a conference
at the
ICH
offices
attended
by
Dr.
Hughes
and
Mr.
Shake.
Thus
