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Show SE Ulali Tuberculosis ProSjIeen To he Aired cf Hearing A hearinir on the tuberculosis tuber-culosis pi'ol.lein in San Juan t'ounly will be coii-diu"ted coii-diu"ted by the Utah Tuberculosis Tuber-culosis and Health Association Associ-ation Friday afternoon (July (Ju-ly HO), it. was announced by Lyman V. Smart, president of the association. The hearing will be held in the court room of the San Juan County court house at 2 p.m. The purpose of the hearing hear-ing is to ascertain the spe. cial problems of tuberculo sis in San Junn County by hearing witnesses who can give testimony of the problem, pro-blem, Mr. Smart explained. The witnesses will include tuberculosis experts, local citizens, patients and Indian Indi-an Health Workers. "The members of the board of directors of the Christmas Seal organization have expressed their concern con-cern for the present thrust and direction of the tuberculosis tuber-culosis program among the Indians. They recognize with satisfaction, the accomplishments ac-complishments of the state's tuberculosis program during the last decade. The TB Planning Conference in 19G0 paid off in handsome dividends for ten years," said Mr. Smart. A few years ago, San Juan County had a higher active TB case rate than did the state of Alaska, which had the highest rate in the nation. Through much effort by many agencies participating in the state tuberculosis eradication program, the rate has declined. de-clined. Even so, San Juan County, with one-hundredth of the state's population, has one-fourth of the tuberculosis tub-erculosis patients. "Today the tuberculosis program has been retrenched retrench-ed because of budget cutbacks cut-backs enacted by the state legislature. In addition, there are changing personnel, person-nel, new resources, a now TB drug, and other differing differ-ing circumstances. We clearly recognize the need for evaluation, perhaps new direction, and renewed impetus im-petus if progress in the Indian In-dian TB program is to continue," con-tinue," Mr. Smart said. The hearing will precede a planning conference convened con-vened by the San Juan County Commission under the direction of Commissioner Commis-sioner Marion Hazelton, Monticello. In an unprecedented action, ac-tion, the Utah Tuberculosis Tuberculos-is and Health Association will transport its board of directors to the San Juan hearing by bus. State and local government officials, planners, and health workers work-ers have bean invited to attend at-tend the hearing as an aid to their own planning efforts. ef-forts. Interested citizens are also invited to attend. "Science has provided us with the means and technology tech-nology to block the spread of tuberculosis. To fail to use the technology and rather to allow suffering, family disorganization, and enormous economic burden of tuberculosis to continue, scorns to us a tragic waste. We believe it is time to plan for the 1970's and that the place to listen to needs and problems of the Navajo Indians, In-dians, is where they live," Mr. Smart said. |