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TABLE 6.-Family planning services, United States, 1966: stated purpose of services, services rendered, service statistics, and other data [Areas for which additional information is given in table 7 are italicized. Column numbers of the table are repeated in the text of the documents following relevant passages. An "X" in a column indicates that additional information may be found in the documents]

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TABLE 7.-Family planning services, United States, 1966: sources and amounts of funds, information and research on programs, training programs, data on results, and procedures, records, etc.

[Column numbers of the table are repeated in the text of the documents following relevant passages. An "X" in a column indicates that additional information may be found in the documents]

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ALABAMA

STATE OF ALABAMA,

GOVERNOR'S OFFICE,

Montgomery, June 28, 1965.

Hon. ERNEST Gruening,

U.S. Senate,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR GRUENING: This will acknowledge and thank you for your letter of June 4, 1965.

The Bureau of Maternal and Child Health of the State Health Department of Alabama [8] established a family planning service in 1938, [3] following the unanimous approval of the State Board of Health and subsequent to the approval granted family planning by the American Medical Association_in_1937. The program has operated on a statewide basis since its inauguration. [11]

The attitude of the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health is that spacing is for only one purpose; to improve the health and well-being of mothers and babies. [13] This Department does not attempt to act as either economists or sociologists. Spacing is simply a part of the Department's complete maternity care program and is but one facet of service offered in the care of indigent mothers. The spacing services are operated by and offered only at post partum clinics. [15]

Family planning has come a long way in Alabama over the last two decades. Great momentum in the spacing of children, however, did not occur until about 4 years ago. Since that time the caseload is double. At the present time about 10,000 [18] indigent patients are offered service through the facilities of the State Health Department. Philanthropists are interested in this endeavor and recently a grant has been accepted from the Sunnen Foundation for hiring of personnel and purchase of materials for family planning. [22] Also, at the present time in cooperation with the University of Chicago and under the direction of Dr. Donald Bogue, professor of sociology, a motivation study is being conducted in 13 of our black belt counties. [25] This activity is supported by grants from the Population Council. Funds to this council are made available through appropriations from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations. [22] This study offers health educators and spacing materials for use in the study group.

In 1963 the white birth rate in Alabama was 20.1 as compared to the national rate of 20.7. The non-white birth rate was 27.9 in Alabama as compared with the national rate of 29.7. Thus it will be seen that both our colored and white birth rates were lower than the national average in the year 1963. In the past 10 years the colored birth rate has been reduced from 32 to 27.4 and the white rate was reduced from 23.5 to 20.1. [27]

It is estimated that the cost to the taxpayers is some $2,500 for each child on the Aid to Dependent Children program. [27]

The Bureau of Maternal and Child Health of the State Health Department of Alabama offers to each of our clinics consultation for nurses and physicians, inservice training for nurses and physicians, financial support, and other assistance. [26] An enumeration from local county health departments is forwarded to this bureau each month.

There are 67 counties in the State, each having a local health department. [9] Each of these health departments offers prevenceptive consultation and materials. [4] A specific policy for the referral of women in need of family planning service has been established in each county. [15] Each local health department provides health education for the medically indigent population of the State which includes information on "spacing." [23]

The total amount of funds expended by the bureau of maternal and child health, excluding those derived from private sources such as grants and from Planned Parenthood approximately amounts to: Nurses' services, $120,000; physicians' services, $1,000; MCH clinic nurses, $1,000; supplies, $23,500. [21] These figures do not include the amount of services used in family planning in the Tuskegee-Macon County Medical Care program, nor the administrative cost involved. The office equipment item is not included. Sources of private income are estimated to be $40,000 for the University of Chicago study program, and about $2,000 which Planned Parenthood offers in supplies. [22] These figures are compiled from expenditures occurring in 1964.

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