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49
Visiting Students and Staff
Health education and health visitor students have visited
the section during the year as part of their field training.
Student teachers undertaking projects come in for advice and
assistance. Medical practioners and professional staff from
other Authorities also visit this Department.
The Mass Media
The practice of distributing material to clinics, libraries
and Borough establishments and also to London Transport
underground stations and to general medical practioners, has
continued. Literature is requested from voluntary and youth
organisations. Topics of importance are dealt with by local
press coverage, which is one of the most valuable outlets in
communication.
Projects
From time to time, there are health topics which need to
receive special coverage. An example of this was the "teachin"
arranged as part of Mental Health Week which was a
series of talks by eminent speakers, discussion groups and
films, together with an exhibition.
Arrangements are in hand for the inclusion of health
education topics and programmes of the future, such as
cancer education, health of immigrants, and at the Health
Advisory Clinic at Heathcote Avenue. Another opportunity
for health education will be the creche for handicapped
children at Madeira Grove Clinic.
The notion of health education being a series of prohibitions
still prevails in some quarters, and it is our task to
give a lead in creative thinking. Not so much in imparting
information but more to teach the techniques and methods of
knowing where to look for it, and to help people solve their
own problems through discussions on the general principles
of healthy living and behaviour which are acceptable to society.
I should like to acknowledge the work of all staff who
carry out health education, particularly to the health visitors
who have always made a large contribution and also to the
technical assistant, without whom much of the art and display
work would not have been possible.
Home Safety
The Health Education Section in co-operation with the
Redbridge Home Safety Committee has been active during the