Salt Lake Telegram | 1937-02-16 | Page 8 | Most of Utah Infant Deaths Are Avoidable, Report Says

Most of Utah Infant Deaths Are Avoidable, Report Says By JACK THOMAS Lives of most of th 800 babies who die la Utah annually could be saved. - From to to 68 of ths lives of mother lost incident to ohlldboar-lng ohlldboar-lng are due to preventable or controllable con-trollable cause. -With these challenging statements, Dr. Mildred Nelson, director of the maternal and child health division of the state health department, reported re-ported Tuesday to Allen T. Ban ford, Utah director, national emergency council, on development of a program pro-gram her to meet this situation. The nine months preceding childbirth child-birth are not without danger," Dr. Nelson emphasised. Prog res Cited "On of th major achievements of medical science is the progress it has made in giving mothers a better bet-ter chance of .bringing fin, healthy babies into th world and of maintaining main-taining their own health while doing do-ing It "One of th tragedies of our time Is that many thousands of prospective prospec-tive mothers will attempt to go ' ""isra i ; I x ' , through the period of pregnancy without taking advantage of the car and guldano which th physician physi-cian of today can give them.1' She stressed that a competent physician Is needed from th beginning begin-ning of pregnancy until th baby Is six weeks old. "Individuals and Tamlllss ire unable, un-able, without aid, to do all that needs to be don to protect the health of th people, and especially of mothers and children," Dr. Nelson Nel-son admitted. The state and community com-munity must help." , The federal government approved the Utah setup five months ago, and social security act funds are available to augment state money in financing th maternal and child health program being rounded out here. Objectives listed Objectives and activities of this work Include: Advisory and consultation consul-tation service for local health agencies agen-cies or groups; investigation of conditions con-ditions related to the health of mothers and children; education of lay groups through lectures, literature litera-ture and motion pictures; cooperation coopera-tion with th state tuberculosis association; as-sociation; supervision of county DR. MILDRED KELSON Many babes whs die should live." publl health nurses; employment of local physicians and dentists cooperating co-operating under th plan. Supervision of a "demonstration program", showing the value of pre-natal and post natal nursing cars; conduct of Itinerant pre-natal, Infant and pro-school health conferences; con-ferences; development of a dental hygiene program; Immunization against diphtheria, smallpox and typhoid fever; consultation to prevent pre-vent undernourishment and deficiency defici-ency diseases, and promptlon of publl health education in schools. Plans also are being laid for a post graduate course for doctors by specialists In their own field under auspices of the Utah Stat Medical association and th Stat board of health. Dr. Nelson pointed out that during dur-ing IMS a total of M Utah mothers died unnecessarily, and that In November No-vember ISM, Utah had its highest Infant death rate since ltM. Eighty-five Eighty-five bable died that month from causes which In most cases, Dr. Nelson said, might hav been prevented.