The Hastings Banner — Thursday, April 8, 2021 — Page 7
Massachusetts.
Duffy called rural public health “a step-
child of public health.”
By 1919, the U.S. Public Health
Department had 467 health units but still 77
percent of rural residents had no public health.
Sanitation of milk and water supplies and
slaughterhouses gained attention in the first
rural public health attempts. In the South, the
focus was on hook worms.
Before effective county health program
were implemented, Dr. Duffy noted, private
agencies like the Red Cross and the National
TB Association made significant contributions.
Although Michigan was one of the
hardest-hit state in the Great Depressions era,
the economy did not affect rural health, Duffy
said. The state had four units in 1930, but had
25 (one of which was Barry County) by 1932,
as a result of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s
work. Will Keith Kellogg contributed heavily
in the areas of improving education, public
health and agriculture.
In concluding his remarks, Duffy said,
“One of the tragedies of public health is that
the more success it has, the less recognition it
gets.” This is because when no health crisis is
brewing, taxpayers are reluctant to want to
pay money to fund public health, he said.
Dr. Larkin spoke about the past and the
future in his remarks following the luncheon.
“There are mountains to move,” he said in
reference to today’s prime causes of death.
He suggested the public health
department’s mission should be to invest its
resources in combating heart disease, cancer,
strokes and accidents.
Heart disease is on the top of the chart as
the prime cause of death. Larkin said heart
disease has increased by 50 percent in the past
50 years. Cancer-causing deaths have nearly
doubled in that time, as well.
Larkin also noted the tremendous past
progress public health has made in the
maternal and child health category, pointing
out a tenfold reduction in birth-related deaths
in the past 80 years. Eradicating widespread
communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis
and diphtheria, have been undertaken, with
tremendous success, too, he said.
One of the examples he gave illustrated
the decline in deaths from TB. In 1930,
Michigan had 2,443 reported deaths from TB.
That figure was reduced to 67 deaths in 1977
and continues to decline by a rate of five to 10
per year.
“Public Health Projections” was the topic
discussed by Bailus Walker Jr., Ph.D., director
of the Michigan Department of Public Health.
“Public health practice remains always in
a state of flux, changing with the demands of
society,” Walker said.
He noted that the local department’s 50
years of growth paralleled health issues of the
times. Barry County was fortunate, he said, to
be part of a governmental unit that received
its start from both private and public sources
of funds, with the common attainment of
achieving physical, mental and social well-
being of the population.
Today, “of the 20 leading causes of death,
only a few are sufficiently understood to
allow a prudent attack,” Walker said.
It is clearly a national and local goal to
reduce cancer, he said. Three types of cancer
account for two-fifths of all cancer deaths.
Many of the health hazards faced today
are personal issues, not scientific debates.
But, he said, the public today is somewhat
confused about potential cancer-causing
substances and charged that the media is to
blame.
“The public wants simple, unexaggerated
truth ... we must help the community get this
information” Walker said, noting that banning
all cancer-producing agent is not probable.
Occupational conditions also have some
bearing on cancer, and, he said, “we cannot
afford in the future to relax conditions in theworkplace.
“We can’t wait until scientists provide all
the answers. We should act and not duck
behind the cloud of uncertainty,” Walker said.
A needed future thrust, he said, is for
public health to develop a new approach to
encourage health persons to avoid health
hazards.
Following the luncheon program in
Middleville, many went to Hastings to tour
the health department. A room for a new
library of medical and public health history
was dedicated in the building that day in
memory of Dr. James Stuart Pritchard, who
served as the president and general director of
the W.K. Kellogg Foundation from 1930 until
his death in 1940. Commissioner Gordon’s
paternal grandfather was the uncle of Dr.
Pritchard.
Handsomely framed photographs of Dr.
Pritchard and W.K. Kellogg have been
donated by Gordon and grace the walls of the
new library room. Gordon also has been a
principal donor of books to the library. Old
medical tests and scrapbooks of news
clippings about the beginning years of the
health department are part of the collection of
material placed in the library.
Saturday, the health department’s golden
anniversary celebration featured a public open
house at its new facility on the corner of
Jefferson and Court streets. It was also the
time set aside to ceremoniously dedicate the
new building at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Dr. Larkin and Kenneth Radant, chairmanof the county board of commissioners,
officiated at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Radant said he “was reminded at the 50th
anniversary banquet at the creation of the
health department passed by a 11-9 vote [May
1, 1931] by the board of supervisors.
“I think this is indicative in every age that
there are those of vision and those who have
to wait to be shown,” Radant said. “Fortunately,
throughout the 50 years, the [county board]
and others have increasingly seen the
tremendous service to the citizens of Barry
County provided by the department of public
health.
“I’ve seen the health department expand
in a series of building and facilities, and today,
on behalf of the board of commissioners,
which has come to appreciate the importance
of the health department, we are very proud to
see our Barry-Eaton District Health
Department housed in this handsome and
adequate structure,” Radant said.
He also expressed appreciation to the
WKK Foundation for the early nurturing of
the entire concept of public health in the
county.
The celebration of the department’s 50th
anniversary actually began Thursday, when
the historical society had its meeting in the
health department building and heard an
interesting talk by Andrew Pattullo, senior
vice presidents of the WKKF. [April 1 Banner]Social News
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Barry County is accepting sealed bids for the following:
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Barry County reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any irregularities in any
bid, and to award the bid(s) in a manner that the County deems to be in its best interest,
price and other factors considered.
All sealed bids must be clearly marked on the outside of the sealed envelope as follows:
Barry County Administrator
c/o 2021 April Surplus Auto Auction
220 W. State St., Hastings, MI 49058
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The new facility of the Barry-Eaton District Health Department in Hastings is official-
ly dedicated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Snipping the ribbon is Kenneth Radant
(right), chairman of the county board, assisted by Dr. Edwin Larkin, medical director at
the health department.
The Barry-Eaton District Health Department moved to 110 W. Center St., Hastings,
in 1981.This room in the Barry-Eaton District Health Department in Hastings has been ded-
icated as a library of medical and public health history in memory of Dr. James Stuart
Pritchard, president and general director of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation from 1930 to- On hand for the dedication were (from left) Commissioner James Gordon, chair-
man of the health department board; commissioner Albert Bell, who serves on the
health department board; Dr. Edwin Larkin, BEDHD medical director; and Eaton
County commissioner Edgar Fleetham, vice chairman of the board and former acting
director of the department.
Esther Kreider (left) a counselor at the Barry County Health Department from 1938
to 1945, and her sister, Sue Kreider, enjoy viewing the many informative displays on
exhibit during the 50th anniversary open house at the new health department facilities.
Health department was
model for rest of state
Conclusion
The Barry County Health Department,
later merged with Eaton County, is reaching
its 90th year this year. Before its 50th
anniversary in 1981, Barry County Judge
Richard Loughrin, who also served as
president of the Barry County Historical
Society, wrote a series of articles on the
creation of the local health department and
the people behind its success. Those articles
have been featured in this column over the
previous seven weeks.
This article, by Elaine Gilbert, and
published in the Nov. 24, 1981, Reminder,
focused on the 50th anniversary events.
The three-day commemoration of the
Barry County Health Department’s 50th year
contained all the ingredients of a memorable
anniversary celebration – a time for pride in
accomplishments, a time for reflecting about
the past, and a time for looking to the future.
The anniversary events, held Thursday
through Saturday, were co-sponsored by the
Barry-Eaton District Health Department and
the Barry County Historical Society.
Seventy-five persons attended the
anniversary luncheon at the Middle Villa Inn
in Middleville. The event was highlighted
with reunions of former directors and staff, as
well as awards and speeches.
State Rep. Don Gilmer presented two
legislative tributes – one to retiring public
health nurse Louise Odrzywolska in
recognition of her 40 years in nursing and
another honoring the Barry health department
for its 50 years of service.
Louise’s tribute made note that she always
maintained the highest degree of
professionalism during her career.
In praising the health department for its
continuous excellence during its 50 years, the
legislative tribute commended the generosity
of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the
courage of the [1931] county board of
supervisors for its establishment.
V. Harry Adrounie and Commissioner
James Gordon, chairman of the district health
board, received special awards for their
contributions in planning the 50th anniversary
celebration and made mention of their
valuable roles in the department. The awards
were signed by Dr. Edwin Larkin, medical
director, and Judge Richard Loughrin,
president of the historical society.
Speaker John Duffy, Ph.D., professor of
history at the University of Maryland, took
the audience on a historical journey, back to
the days before and during the development
of organized public health units.
He reminded the group of the previous
mass-killer epidemic diseases, like diphtheria
and others, which often claimed the lives of
all the children in a given family long ago.
Duffy talked of the past ways in which the
medical profession dealt with disease, such as
quarantine of enforced isolation, a method
dating back to the 14th century. In the 1850s,
when an epidemic would strike, he said, folks
literally cleaned the town’s streets in hopes
that their action would eradicate existing
germs.
His speech contained documented
statistical figures and dates as he traced the
beginning of organized public health units,
which first sprouted in large cities, usually in
the wake of an epidemic or other health crisis.
Louisiana was the first state to have a
public health board in 1855, after 11,
people died of yellow fever in New Orleans.
However, he noted, the first effective health
board was established in 1869 inWorkers in the home and additional responsibility
Vonda Van Til
Public Affairs Specialist
Do you plan to pay a cleaning person,
cook, gardener, babysitter, or other household
worker at least $2,300 this year? This amount
includes any cash you pay for your household
employee’s transportation, meals and housing.
If you will pay at least that amount to one
person, you have some additional financial
responsibilities.
When you pay at least $2,300 in wages to
a household worker, you must do all of thefollowing:- Deduct Social Security and Medicare
taxes from those wages. - Pay these taxes to the Internal
Revenue Service. - Report the wages to Social Security.
For every $2,300 in wages, most household
employees earn credits toward Social Security
benefits and Medicare coverage. Generally,
people need 10 years of work to qualify for
retirement benefits (as early as age 62),
disability benefits for the worker and the
worker’s dependents, survivors benefits for
the worker’s family and Medicare benefits.
You can learn more about reporting
household worker income by reading
“Household Workers” at ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-
10021.pdf.Vonda Van Til is the public affairs
specialist for West Michigan. You may write
her c/o Social Security Administration, 3045
Knapp NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525, or via
email to [email protected].