NEWS NOTESSource: Canadian Journal of Public Health / Revue Canadienne de Sante'e Publique, Vol. 58, No.2 (FEBRUARY 1967), pp. 89-92Published by: Canadian Public Health AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41984010 .

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

Alberta Division The Alberta Division has announced that

plans are well advanced for the annual meet- ing to be held on April 6 and 7 in Edmonton. Theme for the meeting will be A Century of Public Health in Alberta. The Hon. Grant MacEwan, Lieutenant Governor of the Pro- vince of Alberta, will be guest speaker at the annual banquet.

New Brunswick-Prince Edward Island Branch The Executive of the N.B.-P.E.I. Branch

of the Canadian Public Health Association has set June 6, 7, and 8 as tentative dates for the Branch's next annual meeting to be held in Charlottetown.

Saskatchewan Branch As a result of an Executive meeting held

on December 3, 1966 the dates of the 1967 annual meeting of the Saskatchewan Branch have been established as April 4, 5, 6. The meeting is to be held in the Saskatchewan Hotel, Regina. The registration fees are to be increased to $3.00 for members and $5.00 for non-members. It is hoped that this increase will result in more public health workers becoming members of the Association.

The program for the 1967 meeting is pro- gressing well. The Entertainment Committee has met and has plans well in hand and the Nominating Committee has also met and is preparing a proposed slate of officers for 1967-68.

NEWS NOTES

World Health Organization Professor F. D. Mott of the Department

of Public Health, School of Hygiene, Uni- versity of Toronto, has been reappointed by the Director-General to serve a fourth five- year term as a member of the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Panel on the Organization of Medical Care.

Department of National Health and Welfare Dr. W. J. Connelly and Mr. M. J. Corbeil

of the Emergency Health Services Division, Department of National Health and Welfare, recently returned from a two-month visit to South Vietnam. During this visit, advice and technical assistance were given to the Minister of Health for South Vietnam and other senior officials of his department on the disposition and operational use of the emergency hos- pitals which had been presented to South Vietnam under the Colombo Aid Program. Field trips were made to Quang Gnai, Bien Hoa and Phan Thiet. At Phan Thiet an emergency hospital was installed and set up for operational use in the provincial hospital of this coastal town. The second emergency hospital was to be installed at Quang Gnai where two Canadian physicians and two nurses are assisting the Vietnamese ministry of health with the operation of an anti- tuberculosis center serving Quang Gnai pro-

vince. Mr. M. J. Corbeil returned to South Vietnam on December 13 to assist in setting up further emergency hospitals.

On November 17, 1966, four officers of the Department of National Health and Welfare were invested at Government House in the Order of St. John, under the auspices of the Federal Government Special Centre (St. John Ambulance), administered by the Emergency Health Services Division. Dr. E. A. Watkin- son, Director General, Health Services Branch, was admitted in the rank of Officer Brother, Dr. W. J. Connelly and Mr. J. E. Matthews, of the Emergency Health Services Division, were admitted in the rank of Serving Brother, and Miss E. Robertson of the Child and Maternal Health Division was admitted in the rank of Serving Sister.

Miss Mildred I. Walker, Senior Occupa- tional Health Nursing Consultant, retired on November 30, 1966, after 17 years with the Department of National Health and Welfare. On the afternoon of her retirement a recep- tion, attended by over 100 of her friends and colleagues, was held in the Environmental Health Centre, at Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa.

Miss Dorothy M. Percy, Chief Nursing Consultant, Health Services Branch, retired on January 6, 1967, after 20 years with the

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90 CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH Vol. 58

Department. On the afternoon of January 5, 1967, Miss Percy was the guest of honour at a reception in the Brooke Claxton Building, Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, attended by Dr. J. N. Crawford, Deputy Minister of National Health, Dr. J. W. Willard, Deputy Minister of National Welfare, and many other friends and colleagues who took this opportunity of expressing their good wishes for her continuing health and happiness.

Dr. Paul C. Dubé, who recently transferred from the International Health Section to Immigration Medical Services for posting to the European region, sailed on December 15, 1966, for England. Dr. Dubé and family will reside in London pending his posting to the European continent.

Newfoundland T raining of Laboratory T echnicians.

An educational program to train laboratory technicians was undertaken at the Central Newfoundland Hospital, Grand Falls, late in 1966. This course will extend over an eleven-month period. Lectures will be given in a specially equipped laboratory located in the nurses' residence of the hospital. Both resident and visiting medical personnel will give lectures during the course. This pro- gram has been made possible through the support of the Provincial Department of Health and the Board of Governors of the Central Newfoundland Hospital, St. John's.

Workshop on Mentally Handicapped Children Miss Phyllis Reid of the Department of

Health Nursing Service attended a two week workshop on the mentally handicapped child and the family at the Children's Psychiatric Institute, London, Ontario from October 17 to 28, 1966.

Training Miss Ruby Harnett, Associate Director,

Department Nursing Service, attended a Federal-Provincial Emergency Health Service Nursing Conference at Arnprior, Ontario from November 7-9. Miss Ruth Pomeroy also attended representing the Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland. News Letter

Miss Elsie Hill, R. N., Inservice Educa- tion, Provincial Nursing Service, has recently published a quarterly news letter for nurses in Newfoundland. The first issue which was published recently contained greetings from Dr. L. Miller, Deputy Minister of Health, and Miss Jean Lewis, Director of Nurses as well as articles of much interest to nurses throughout Newfoundland.

Prince Edward Island The P.E.I. Department of Health recently moved into new quarters. The five storey

building is the latest to be completed of the new Provincial Building Complex. The new building brings together all the public health offices which for many years have been located throughout the city of Charlottetown.

New Brunswick Dr. Stephen Weyman, 44, was recently

appointed Minister of Health for the Province of New Brunswick. Dr. Weyman received his B.A. from the University of New Bruns- wick and graduated from McGill Medical School in 1945. He served in the Royal Cana- dian Army Medical Corps and subsequently took three years' postgraduate work at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, certify- ing as a specialist in paediatric practice. Dr. Weyman is an executive member of the New Brunswick Medical Association and a member of the General Council of the Canadian Medical Association. He is a past president of the Canadian Paediatric Society and has had active service for over 15 years with the Canadian Red Cross.

Dr. Weyman is also a past president of the New Brunswick Council for the Handicapped, a member of the Retarded Children's Associa- tion, a member of the Atlantic Development Board, and executive member of the Cana- dian Federation of Mayors and Municipalities, having served as mayor of the City of Saint John from 1964 until 1966.

Ontario The 65 full-time medical officers of health

and their assistant medical officers as well as a few part-time medical officers attended a two- day meeting January 17 and 18, held in the Ontario Department of Health's new labora- tory building on the Macdonald Cartier-Free- way at Islington Avenue. Dr. M. B. Dymond, Minister of Health, opened the meeting and Dr. K. C. Charron, Deputy Minister of Health, gave a progress report on the reorganization of the Department. The meeting allowed the medical officers and Department officials to exchange views on common problems.

Dr. A. F. Bull has been appointed Regional Medical Officer of Health for the regional office located in Toronto, effective January 1, 1967. Dr. Bull had been Medical Officer of Health and Director of the Halton County Health Unit from July 1, 1952 until his present appointment. He is also president of the Ontario Public Health Association for 1967.

One health unit switched its status from that of a health unit to that of a department of

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February 1967 NEWS NOTES 91

health in the political reorganization of Metropolitan Toronto which became effective January 1, 1967. The new Metro set-up in- cludes an enlarged City of Toronto and five boroughs.

The East York-Leaside Health Unit became the Borough of East York's Department of Public Health without any change of staff. Dr. William Mosley, the unit's medical officer of health, assumed the same position with the Department of Public Health. Under the reorganization the Town of Leaside and the Township of East York were joined into one borough.

In addition, the reorganization eliminated the positions of six part-time medical officers of health since the municipalities they served became part of either the City of Toronto or one of the five boroughs.

Fluoridation of drinking water supplies was approved in three Ontario municipalities in December 1966 municipal elections. Voters in Hamilton, London, and Smiths Falls approved of fluoridation while voters in King- ston, Hanover and Orillia vetoed it. In addi- tion the Waterloo city council approved fluoridation of that city's water supply early in the fall of 1966. No plebiscite was requested by Waterloo citizens. With the approval of fluoridation by the four municipalities, 500,798 Ontario residents will be added to the 3,042,749 presently already drinking fluoridated drinking water in the province. Thus, over one-half of Ontario's 6.8 million residents drink fluoridated water.

The Kitchener Department of Health plans to open a well-adult clinic in March 1967. Under the direction of the city's medical officer of health, Dr. G. E. D. Wilson, the clinic will carry out several medical tests on those who attend.

Dr. A. S. Taylor, medical officer of health and director of the Waterloo County Health Unit is a member of a county advisory com- mittee studying a proposed home care pro- gram to be conducted by the Victorian Order of Nurses.

Dr. A. E. Allin, director of the Public Health Laboratory in Fort William, died suddenly November 6, 1966 at the age of 60 after a heart attack. Dr. Allin had held his position since 1937.

Dr. D. M. Fleming has been appointed to the Ontario Department of Health as a medi- cal officer under special assignment to the Deputy Minister. Dr. Fleming is currently working in the Epidemiology Section of the Special Health Services Branch, Public Health Division.

The Northumberland-Durham Health Unit under its medical officer of health and director Dr. Charlotte Horner, recently sponsored two nutrition activities in Cobourg area schools. The activities received the support of the Cobourg area Board of Education and the Ontario Department of Health's Nutrition Service. One activity was a food consumption survey involving 150 selected students in two area high schools. In the survey the students were requested to recall a full day's food consumption including snacks. The results of the survey are to be used by public health and teaching personnel associated with the project in determining the trends in food con- sumption of students in order to plan more effective educational activities. The second activity is a nutrition poster contest in which the 30 best posters from the same two schools were selected and displayed in the school cafeterias on display platforms also made by the students.

The public health and welfare program for student nurses at the Brantford General Hos- pital was expanded in September 1966 from two days to two weeks to include trips to public utilities such as water works and to community agencies. All phases of a health unit are included in the expanded program.

The Brant County Health Unit is concen- trating on eating establishments as its cen- tennial project. When a restaurant reaches (if it has not already done so), a desired level of cleanliness it will be issued with two, 11 -inch by 7-inch cards for each washroom. The first urges patrons to wash their hands after using the washroom in order to reduce the possi- bility of transmitting diseases via unwashed hands. The second card asks patrons to co- operate with the management in keeping the washroom clean in order to protect everyone's health.

W. M. MacDonald, Senior Consultant and the five regional consultants in Public Health Inspection in the Ontario Department of Health, Local Health Services Branch under- went a three-week in-service training program in January. All six inspectors assumed their duties January 1, 1967.

Dr. L. M. Stuart was appointed acting Medical Officer of Health and Director of the Halton County Health Unit, effective January 1, 1967.

Saskatchewan A supplemental oral polio vaccination pro-

gram will commence late in February in Sas- katchewan. A mass adult program was considered earlier but was put off for this year.

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92 CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH Vol. 58

The department is considering the possi- bility of carrying out a continuous immunity survey of a random sample of the population during 1967. This would provide useful in- formation not only about polio but other diseases of epidemiological interest. It would also provide information for a mass adult oral polio vaccination program that is being considered for 1968.

Health Minister Gordon B. Grant and Deputy Minister J. G. Clarkson studied American hospitals during January to assist in hospital and health services planning. They visited Rochester, and Boston and conferred with John Thompson of Yale University on hospital planning. It is hoped that the knowl- edge gained will assist in planning a base hospital at Regina, Saskatchewan, similar in function to the University Hospital in Saskatoon.

A provincial grant of $21,000 has been promised for the cytology laboratory at Grey Nuns' Hospital, Regina. The laboratory studies Pap smears submitted from provincial doctors. It has expanded greatly since 1964 when it opened and now analyzes more than 3,000 specimens each month.

British Columbia Hereunder are a few highlights from the

Health Branch Annual Report for 1966: British Columbia's population is rapidly

approaching the 2 million mark. The esti- mated 1,862,000 is more than in 1965, an increase which in itself is more than twice the estimated total population of the Province at the time of Confederation!

The birth rate continued to decline, and the death rate, maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate rose slightly.

The accidental death rate of 72.0 per 100,000 showed no change from the previous year. There was a notable increase in motor vehicle accident fatalities, while the rate of deaths from other accidents decreased. The suicide rate dropped substantially.

The incidence of venereal diseases showed

improvement, especially in infectious syphilis. The decrease in gonorrhoea cases was not as satisfactory, the same high plateau of inci- dence being maintained.

The tuberculosis survey program, begun eight years ago, was completed; diagnostic examinations were given to 146,000 persons.

Amalgamation of the British Columbia and Vancouver epilepsy organizations promoted more efficient use of funds in the interests of the approximately 100 new patients each year. Air pollution conditions received increasing attention as atmospheric sampling stations were established in various parts of the Province.

Health services to the aging have been on the increase as is evident from the fact that 79% of the home nursing services were directed to persons over 60 years of age.

The Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Board of Health conducted a series of in-service education sessions during November. Three afternoons were spent discussing various aspects of aging - social, psychological and the physical problems of hearing and vision. Speakers were drawn from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Colum- bia, from private medical practice and from the teaching, nursing and social worker pro- fessions.

Beginning last November, field trials of a new killed vaccine for measles began in several public health areas; included were Victoria, 2 health units in Vancouver, the University of British Columbia Child Health Program and the provincial health units of Boundary and West Kootenay. The trials, which involve children over nine months old, will conclude in the early summer.

Staff Changes Miss Monica Frith, Director of Public

Health Nursing with the Provincial Health Branch, was married on December 10 to Mr. Brian Green of Victoria. Mrs. Green is con- tinuing in her appointment with the Depart- ment.

NATIONAL HEALTH WEEK

MARCH 12-18, 1967

Theme : Partners in Health

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