TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service of the United States
A WORKING PLAN FOR COLORED
ANTITUBERCULOSIS LEAGUES
BY
C. P. WERTENBAKER
Surgeon, United States Public Health and
Marine-Hospital Service
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1909
A WORKING PLAN FOR COLORED ANTITUBERCULOSIS LEAGUES.
Reprint No. 39, from the Public Health Reports, Vol. XXIV, No. 36, September3, 1909.
By C. P. Wertenbaker, Surgeon, United States Public Health and Marine-HospitalService.
There was published in the Public Health Reports of May 28, 1909,Volume XXIV, No. 22, a plan for the organization of colored antituberculosisleagues, which contemplated the organization of aleague in each State, with a branch in every colored church.
Experience has shown that after such leagues are formed difficultyarises in getting to work in an effective way, because the work isnew in character and those engaged in it have had but little, if any,experience. It is to meet this difficulty and supply a practical guidefor the work of the leagues that this is written.
ORGANIZATION OF A STATE LEAGUE.
The object of the state league is to organize the church leagues,to bind them together and render more effective their work. Thecaring for patients and work of a similar character are properly thefunction of the church leagues.
There need be but little ceremony in organizing a state league.A few leading colored men and women, preferably from differentparts of the State, but not necessarily so, meet and proceed to organizethe state league.
The constitution and by-laws for state leagues should be adopted,followed by the election of a president, a secretary, and a treasurer.
It is desirable that the constitution and by-laws recommended in“The Plan” be adopted in all essential particulars, so that there willbe uniformity in organization and work. They have been adoptedin all the States that have organized thus far, and it is believed futureorganizations should also adopt them.
The president then appoints a committee, the president andsecretary being members of it, to select a vice-president for eachcounty in the State. (The plan contemplates that there shall bea vice-president for each county, whose duty it is to organize a branchleague in each colored church in the county.)
The selection of the county vice-presidents should be made witha good deal of care. Suitable persons who will actively carry on thework should be chosen for these positions. The vice-presidentsshould be authorized to appoint one or more representatives in eachcommunity to help them organize the leagues in the churches andarouse interest in the work.
It can not be impressed too strongly on the vice-presidents thatthe success of the church leagues in their districts will depend uponthe amount of attention given the work. The organization of abranch league in a church is merely the starting point; the real workis done after the organization is completed.
The president and secretary of the state league should ca