Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 12, 1991 TAG: 9103120330
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By KATHY LOAN/ NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
The city's infant-mortality rate is 12.7 per 1,000 live births, second only to Floyd County. The state average is 10 infant deaths per 1,000, Dr. Margaret Rose Robinson said.
Programs offered by the New River Valley Health Department are aimed at reducing the number of infants who die before their first birthday, but full-time workers are needed to see more results, she said.
The health department would like to employ a full-time clinician for area health clinics and also wants a full-time nutritionist.
Part-time contract workers now work those programs, Robinson said. Local doctors are helping at the clinics and two contract workers help provide nutrition services. A full-time nutritionist would help the health department in a BabyCare program for pregnant women and infants up to 2 years old, she said.
The high infant-mortality rate is attributable to several factors, the director said, including inadequate prenatal care and poor nutrition.
Parents report transportation problems as a major reason for not taking advantage of prenatal care programs, Robinson said.
The health department would like Radford and other New River Valley jurisdictions to help with funding the two positions, but have not included the positions in its budget requests for 1991-92.
Instead, increased costs for postage, telephone, and supplies, and the rising cost of employee health care benefits, meant the health department was unable to hold to a level-funding directive from the city of Radford.
Monday, Robinson asked City Council for $69,344 as Radford's share of the health department budget, an increase of more than $10,000 over the current year funding.
"If we did not include those, we would have to lay off workers," she said. And, she said after the meeting, it would "become very, very difficult" to continue providing the same level of services next year in Radford.
"We feel very, very strongly about it. We're not padding our budget," she said.
Other New River Valley local governments are also being asked for more money to cover increases in operating expenses, Robinson said.
City Council has not taken any action on budget requests. It will meet Monday at 7 p.m. to begin acting on the requests it has heard in four work sessions since March 4.
Councilman Guy Wohlford said the request for $10,000 more than this year represents about a 15 percent increase.
"You're the only one that's come in with anything like this," he told Robinson.
by CNB