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75
HEALTH EDUCATION
In addition to the health propaganda inherent in the day-to-day activities
of the staff of the department, pamphlets on various aspects of health were
available for distribution to the public and talks on health matters were
given by members of the staff to organisations in the borough, The Health
Department has for many years taken a great interest in health education but
due to shortage of staff it has not always been possible to follow a fully
organised programme. Early in the current year I submitted to the Public
Health Committee the following report, which was approved and adopted.-
"A certain sum of money is provided annually in the estimates for health
education purposes. Health education is an important function of a sanitary
authority and more particularly a Metropolitan Borough with a large population,
I feel this activity of the Public Health Department should be organised in a
manner that will allow of the programme being on a more or less continuous
basis and not merely confined to occasional spasmodic effort,
The Department is in possession of a very fine food exhibit consisting of
specimens of unsound and diseased foods, disease-producing organisms, etc., as
well as models relating to housing and other matters, The film apparatus in
the Department consists of silent projector, lantern slide projector, film
strip projector and a dozen or so films and film strips, A sound projector
is borrowed from the Borough Engineer and Surveyor's Department when required.
Practically all the members of the staff do, in their ordinary daily
activities,, help in one way or another in this matter of health education I
have now arranged for a team from the Central Council for Health Education to
visit Hackney and give two-one-day courses of instruction in Methods and
Techniques in Health Education to sanitary inspectors and other members of the
staff of the Department These two courses will take place on Monday and
Tuesday, March 1st and 2nd next
In regard to an organised programme for the future I would put forward
the following recommendations for the Committee,s consideration:-
(1) A specific subject to be selected for each month of the year.
(2) A panel of speakers, members of our own staff as well as of outside
organisations, to be available to give talks to the public in the Town Hall,
and to organisations on their own premises on the particular subject for the
month in this connection film strips and cinema films to be made available
the necessary films are available for purchase or hire,
(3) As talks to members of the public, outside bodies, etc., would
normally be given outside normal working hours., it would appear reasonable to
pay appropriate fees to the lecturers be they members of our own staff or
other organisations for their services
(4), Regular advertising in the local Press and by poster will be necessary
to bring the topic for the month and the services available in the
Department to the notice of the public and various organisations.
(5) I very strongly recommend that permanent display cabinets be provided
in a fairly prominent position in the Town Hall. "
In the matter of health education, the decision of the University of
London Institute of Education to establish courses of full time instruction
leading to a diploma in the Content and Methods of Health Education is a
further recognition of the importance of this matter and should in due course
result in extended and more efficient activities.