Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-08-22 | Page 18 | Lauds Health Work in Utah

LAUDS HEflLTH IBS II UTAH i Governor Sproul Tells of Fight on Tuberculosis in Pennsylvania. One of the busiest men at the conference con-ference of governors has been William C. Sproul, chief exr'euiive uf Pennsylvania. Pennsyl-vania. The Keystone state has played such a prominent part in the histury of the country during the last few-years, few-years, and is making such advances i in all lines of activity, that Governor Sproui is continually called upon to tell huw Pennsylvania has taken up this or that phase of work, and how it has resulted. One of the problems in which Governor Gov-ernor Sproul is interested is health and health work along all lines. The problem prob-lem of tuberculosis, especially, interests inter-ests Governor Sproul, and wherever ho goes he studies conditions in regard -to the fight on the plague, lie was agreeably agree-ably surprised to find that a former Pennsyhanian, John W. Jacobs, is executive secretary of the Utah Public Health association and specializes in tuberculosis work. "I am more than pleased to know that the people out here are getting after the tuberculosis problem,-'' Governor Gov-ernor Sproul said. "It is one which has worried me a great deal, and one of the biggest fights we are waging in Pennsylvania. Vet, thanks to the work of the Pennsylvania Anti-Tuberculosis association, which corresponds to your Utah Public Health association, and to several good laws put through largely by its efforts, we are not only holding our own with the disease, but slowly and surely are getting the better bet-ter of it. "By a state law every county has one or more clinics, maintained by the state, and these are becoming more popular. Thousands of men and women go jegularly for an examination, and the state and the Anti-Tuberculosis association as-sociation supplies nurses, who follow up the clinic work in the homes and do an invaluable service. The people would rise up in arms if we abolished our clinic service. Our appropriation for the tuberculosis work for the next two years is over three million dollars. "Then wo have six sanatoria within the limits of the state to care, for those in an advanced stage of tuberculosis, for our people and our legislature have realized that without proper sanatorium care the tubercular man or woman is a menace to the community and in tlie end costs a great deal more than sani-torium sani-torium care. We feared at first that many cases coming from outside our own state might flood us, but this has not been so, and our sanatoria have been decidedly a fine thing. "I am rather surprised to find that you have no state sanatorium in Utah, and from what 1 have learned no county sanatoria. FTom the number of reported deaths last year, as from the figures shown to me through your state board of health, I should say that you probably prob-ably have several hundred cases of tuberculosis in Utah at the present time. Even with that number the figures fig-ures are very low, as I know that in the annual reports Utah has fewer cases than almost any other state in the Union, but something, I believe, ought to be done for the ones now afflicted, no matter how strongly j-ou work along preventive lines. "I have been asking about your school program, and am strongly impressed im-pressed by the splendid plan which has been formulated, and which, by your special division of health education, educa-tion, will inculcate health habits in every school child, habits which will help, indeed, to build a sturdy manhood. Utah is making a distinct advance in such a program. "I trust that the people of this state, which to my eyes has such marvelous mar-velous possibilities, will go forward with the health work, and especially that they will stand back of all agencies agen-cies w-orking for the prevention of tuberculosis tu-berculosis and lend them hearty support. sup-port. ' '