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Show How To Get Help From National Polio Fouiidation-If Polio Hits 4. Chapters pay for hospitalization, hospitali-zation, professional services including in-cluding nursing and physical therapy, transportation to and from hospitals, convalescent centers and clinics, treatment after hospitalization and appliances ap-pliances such as wheelchairs, braces, etc., as needed. There are no hard and fast rules. Each case is decided upon Individual medical and financial needs. Assistance As-sistance is given regardless of age, race, creed or color. More than 110,000 polio patients were directly assisted in full or in part up to the end of 1948. 5. In addition, your-Chapter can put you in touch with proper sources for nursing and physical therapy at home, can refer you to rehabilitation and vocational training agencies, will provide literature designed to foster better understanding of infantile paralysis so you will know what to expect and how to help your polio patient back to a useful life. THESE SERVICES ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY THE MARCH OF DIMES EACH JANUARY. 1. At the first sign of illness, call your own doctor. If he suspects polio he will report the case to the local Health Department De-partment an arrange for hospitalization hos-pitalization or home care, as in- icated. The National Foundation does not select physicians or hospitals. This is a family matter. mat-ter. If you have no family physician, physi-cian, call your City or County Medical Society, your Board of Health or the nearest hospital. 2. If your doctor says it is polio and requires hospitalization, hospitaliza-tion, the local Chapter of the National Foundation will help arrange for transportation to a treatment center. As soon as the patient goes to the hospital or if your doctor advises the rja-tient rja-tient can be treated at home get in touch with your Chapter of the National Foundation to arrange for any needed assistance. assist-ance. a) Most Chapters are listed in the telephone book under N for National Foundation, I for Infantile Paralysis an the letter let-ter starting the name of the county you live in, i. e., Washington Wash-ington County Chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Infan-tile Paralysis. If you can't find it check with your doctor, hospital hos-pital or Health Department. b) Your Chapter will get in touch with you as soon as it learns of the case through your physician, the hospital or the Health Department. However, late reporting or a heavy hospital hos-pital load may delay this Chapter Chap-ter contact. If you do not hear promptly, telephone or visit your Chapter representative. You can ease your own worries sooner by making the approach yourself. 3. The Chapter representative will notify the hospital that it is arranging with you for full partial par-tial payment of expenses for medical care. Adults are as eligible for help as are children. Discuss with your Chapter how much of the full bill the Chapter will pay. a) March of Dimes funds are used to help the medically indigent in-digent but this is not the same as "indigent"; it includes families fam-ilies of moderate income, who cannot meet the high costs of modern care of this expensive disease. The help is a gift not a loan.' While families that can pay are expected to do so, no family is expected to impoverish impover-ish itself to meet medical expenses ex-penses for polio. b) Even if you can assume full costs for initial hospitalization, hospitaliza-tion, it is a good idea to see your Chapter. If yours should be a patient who is severely affected and this cannot be determined in th first few days you may need help later on. Bills incurred in-curred in the weeks before your Chapter assumes financial responsibility re-sponsibility cannot be paid months afterward, . but the Chapter will step in at Whatever time you really need help. Have a frank, friendly talk wilh your Chapter representative at the beginning. |
