Health Camp Again Open With Full Quota

Chronicle (Levin), 9 April 1948, Page 2

Health Camp Again Open With Full Quota

Closed since the infantile paralysis epidemic began in December, the Otaki Health Camp opened on Weilnesday with a full nuota of j children from the Wellington, Hutt and Palmerston North distiicts enrolled. The 66 children from Wellington and the Hutt travelled " to the j heath camp escorted by a group of St. John Ambulance women. The Palmerston North children arrive'd today. Though most recommendations for children to entcr Ihe camp i come from thd Health Depart- 1 ment's school doctors, parents mayj On their own initiative apply to I have a child admitted. Forms ofj application are obtainable from the | Health Department and from the! camp secretary.' Children arei admitted without discrimination ! from both . public and private schools. Each, is medically examined before going to the camp. ! The new group of children, the i ttrst to enter the camp tliis year, 1 will stay. therc for eight weeks. A | staff of 20, headed by a matron,: who is a trained nurse. and an assistant matron, iook after the ; children. With threte teachers attdched to the camp, nonnaJ j school work continues all the liniej the children stay there. 1 The children are under constanlf supervision. Strict regularity is j observed in all daily routines, and ! rest periods in the afternoon are i insisted on. !; Ninrty-nine per cent. of the chil- (' dren who enjoy a stay at the Otaki i health camp put on weirht, the' records show. Of 10 childrensl weight charts selectcd at random, 1 tliree had gained 8 lbs. each by the : time tliey' were ready to go home,! two had put on 5 lbs. apiece, two 1 had gained 4 lbs. and 3 lbs. respectively, nnd tbree showcd a gain ofj 2 lbs. cach. . Provisions, which are needed in eonsiderablc quantities. are boughtwholesale and sent from Wellington to the camp. Meat is obtained i loc.ally, and pasteurise'd milk is used. In an average month 100 children will consume something ' likc 670 gallons of milk. Funds for maintaining the camp are subscribed by public donation. This year more than £5000 will ber received';from healLh stamp saies, as the Otaki health camp is assigned onc-tliird of the £16,000 raised. The Christchurch art union's net proceeds, which were j divided among all the Dominion' health camps, provided another sum, and a a street day appeal was j held recently. It costs £11,000 a year to run the Otaki health camp, Parents are ' asked if they are prepared to con-'j1 tribute toward the cost of maintaining their children in camp, and most do' so. Last year an appeal realised the sum of £500 from New ' Zealand school. children's small contribu- , tions to help in running health . camps.