A PROGRAM FOR MENTAL HYGIENE IN CALIFORNIA

While the Department of Mental Hygiene cannot undertake to meet all the mental health needs of the citizens, it should make the best possible use of all its own resources, and at the same time help others to make the most of theirs. To these ends it should• Give encouragement and assistance to persons engaged in prevention of mental disorders, without trying to operate such services.• Encourage and help persons engaged in the preservation of the human strengths that increase resistance to mental breakdown, without trying to operate such services.• Encourage and help persons outside the department who diagnose, treat and rehabilitate patients with mental disorders if these services meet the requirements of modern psychiatric treatment.• Continue operating hospitals at current level of bed capacity, clinics and related services for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, moving toward levels of service in keeping with modern psychiatric standards and the growing population of the state.• Continue research and training within the Department and assist others in such programs outside the Department.     

INFORMATION: MATERNITY PRACTICES IN HOSPITALS IN CALIFORNIA

Many forms of therapy have been tried for aphthous stomatitis in the past without success. The effect of hydrocortisone was tested because of its anti-inflammatory and antiallergic action. Little benefit was derived from such therapy in a series of 26 patients as far as healing time was concerned but many were noticeably relieved of pain.     

PREPARATION FOR DISASTER IN CALIFORNIA

The operational plan for medical preparedness in California is divided into three main divisions, viz: Expansion of existing medical facilities, augmentation of practicing health personnel, scope of service expected.Medical and health personnel and facilities will be expected to modify and adjust their care of casualties according to the situation present such as strategic warning, alert signal (yellow), take cover signal (red), and the post-attack period.This service is concerned with conservation of resources (human) and must do everything possible to return people to a status where they can help rebuild our nation.Supplies already obtained and stored throughout the state consist of first aid stations, emergency hospitals, blood procurement equipment, sanitation units.Over a half million first aiders and more than 96,000 home nurses have been trained by the local chapters of the American National Red Cross.     

CONTROL OF DIARRHEAL DISEASES IN CALIFORNIA STATE HOSPITALS FOR RETARDED CHILDREN

The three California state hospitals for mentally retarded persons have been having a severe problem with amebic and bacillary dysentery and with other infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. At Sonoma, the oldest of these hospitals, this problem is known to have existed for many years. Improved medical and nursing staffing and the use of antibiotics and other effective drugs developed in recent years have greatly lowered morbidity and mortality rates in these institutions. However, in themselves these measures have not been effective in lowering the incidence of infection.Studies have demonstrated that mass treatment of cottage groups known to have a high incidence of amebic infection has resulted in control of this disease where such mass treatment was followed by adequate laboratory follow-up, with isolation and retreatment of treatment failures. Where mass treatment of such groups has been carried out without such laboratory followup, there was a rapid return to the previous high incidence of infection.Statistics show that these diseases are a serious threat to employees working in these institutions. Increasing attention is being paid to the potential threat to the surrounding communities and the state as a whole from the focus of infection present in these hospitals.