AKE AM “you. t= NO. DR. GEORGE Cc. caine rin, CHATRMAN OF AREA V CARDIAC. COMMITTEE, : gives us this special . report ‘of ‘Dr. Michael DeBakey's addreas on September’ 10..0n The Significance of RMP's on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke in the Practice. of Medicine:.”. "Dr. DeBakey described the ‘original con- cept: of RMP. and admitted that. the Program has: been very slow..in moving toward its objective, He pointed out that the plan- ning for each Region is well developed ;, but. since funding has been slowed down, there has -been a: great decrease in the momentum of RMP..'.'I hope," said Dr. DeBakey,.'that. this slowing will not. mean a cessation of activity. Our objectives as a medical profession are to make every effort 'to.restore the cutback funds both .in tesearch and-in RMP, I don't believe ‘the public: would support: the rather dras- tic cuts now proposed. in Congress if it y-neré aware of the implications, If there -~8 continued: retrehchment, these cutbacks will ultimately have an adverse effect on our knowledge anda still more adverse “effect.upon. the ‘delivery of health care to all of our people.’ =, mn a personal talk luter Dr. Griffith says, Dr. DeBakey expressed the hope that RMP would not lose ite identity and thet there will not be a combination of many health programs into one large con- glomerate. ‘He also.urged that RMP con- tinue upon'ites established road with re- newed efforts in promoting further co- operative arrangements and ‘good commmni~ cations .so.that. when the present re-. trenchments end, there'can be a great thrust ‘ahead on; Plans. already estab- lished: " Michael DeBakey; ‘M.D. headed the special Commission. appointed .by the President ‘which resulted in Public Law 89-239, the legislation which created RMP. ot Our appeal for tutors in high school chemistry for the Mexican American candidates. for the LAC-USC Medical Cen- ter School: of Nursing brought DR.- GEORGE: C.. GRIFFITH to the rescue. Through him, an arrangement haa been made with Dean Paul A. Bloland, Dean of Students at USC for a special tu- torial program to assist these East Los. Angeles, students. oe : ROBERT HH, PUDENZ,°M.D., CHAIRMAN OF AREA V. COMMITTEE: ON STROKE, has been - named President of. the American : Academy of. Neurological Surgery: and on September 21, will host a dinner in New York: for the world meeting of the International Congress, of Neurological Surgery. - - minute news September 17, 1969 Key pergonnel from California RMP's and from Comprehensive Health Planning met in an all-day session in San Francisco on September 11, to discuss structure, func- tion and relationships of the two programs, with a view to developing ideas on future cooperation and coordination. WILLIAM A MARKEY, Deputy Coordinator represented AREA V. One item which has been occupying the time and attention of various staff members of AREA V recently is a 52-page questionnaire which ig to be completed by each RMP Region (and Area). The answers will pro- vide the principal source of information for a "national agseasment effort" initia- ted by Dr. Stanley W. Olson, Director, RMP Service, in preparation for the up- coming extension of RMP legislation. Plans for the Community Health Workshop te be presented by the RMP - East Los Angeles Steering Committee on Health Needs, are gaining momentum. The first session, scheduled for October 25, is intended to give the community an opportunity to react to a preliminary report of the Study on Health Needs which has been a joint project of AREA V RMP and the Los Angeles Welfare Planning Council for the past six months. The Study on Health Needs will provide data for the study area for the years 1966, 1967 and 1968 for population, mor- tality and morbidity rates, incidence of tuberculosis, venereal and other diseases, Special attention has been given to the availability and utilization of the com- munity's clinics and medical facilities and the cost of, medical service. A one- month hospital discharge study for the State of California conducted by Regional Medical Programs is being analyzed to find where Mexican Americans from East Los Angeles go for service, as well as why, and a special inquiry is being initiated to eatablish how many Chicanos use Mexican health facilities and how much use is made by the community of the psychiatric ser~ vices for children and adolescents avail- able at LAC-USC Medical Center. The first session of the Workshop will give the com- munity a chance to see if it "telle it like it is," to. supplement the findings of the Health Study and express their views and opinions. The second session of the Workshop, ten- tatively being planned for late November, will present decision-makers in the health field with some of the problems and solu- tions identified by the commmity with the objective of opening new lines of commini- cation and negotiating for change. CALENDAR STAPF MEETINGS ARE SUBJECT TO SUDDEN CHANGES--PLEASE CHECK WITH OFFICE FOR LATEST INFORMATION ALL MEETINGS ARE IN CONFERENCE ROOM UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED erence 24 Ue Commission Nurse Tas s = COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN'S MEETINGS - October 10 os November 7 - SPECIAL MEETINGS ~- Fr San Franc LAC-USC Med. Center Force December 5 19 October 18 Symposium on Early Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease . October 25 RMP.- East Los Angeles First Session Community Health November 5 Conference on Commmity Health Resources ~ Sportsman's Lodge REPORT OF AN EXPLORATORY MEETING TO DISCUSS AN INSTITUTE FOR ‘ CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR NURSES’ . A summary of nearly 400 questionnaires returned from a'poll of hospitals in the eleven Western states confirms a great need for continuing’ educational opportunities, particularly in clinical prectice for RN's and LVN's in a number of specialty areas. Training in care of the acute coronary patient was rated the greatest need. “ : The results of this survey, recently completed by MISS EVELYN M, HAMIL, RN, ~ Director of Nursing Services and Edu- cation at LAC-USC Medical: Center, (and AREA V ADVISORY. MEMBER) were revealed to an interested group September 4 when Miss Hamil proposed that LAC- USC Medical Center: assume a leader- ship role to’ meet this need in the Los Angeles area.” The development of an institute for continuing edu- cation, under the auspices of the Medical Center and working in close collaboration with the Nursing De~ partment of Cal. State College, has the endorsement of Medical Director, Robert E. Tranquada, M.D. : It was agreed that the first step should be the employment of a quali~ fled, full-time nurse coordinator to organize the proposed program. This position is to be created within the Department of Nursing, said Miss (continued next column)” Hamil, and recruitment will commence immediately. Urs. Joan Cobin, RN, Acting Chairman, Division of Nursing for Cal State College, offered the opinion that such an institute would be of great benefit to the community since, in her opinion, many nurses primarily interested in improving their nursing skills, are obliged to enroll in formal academic programs because no comprehensive, coordinated program of continuing education is available to them in the Southern California area. The problems of funding and faculty were also explored and the meeting adjourned on an optimistic note, with the full cooperation of all present promised. Attending for AREA V were WILLIAM A. MARKEY and MRS, KAY D. FULLER, RN} from USC School of Medicine--Stephen Abrahamson, Ph.D. Division of Research and James Dooley, M.D., Director of Programs for the Postgraduate Division; from LAC-USC Medical Center--FOTINE O'CONNOR, RN, Director, Nursing Services (and CHAIRMAN, AREA V NURSING COMMITTEE) Esther Rinalducei, RN, Director In-Service Education and Betsy Clark, RN.