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During World War Two, North Carolina led the nation
in men rejected for medical reasons.
The state’s health problem was pervasive:
though the 11th most populous state,
North Carolina ranked 45th in number of physicians per capita.
It was 37th in infant mortality, and 40th in maternal mortality.
A third of the 100 counties had no hospital.
Of those that did, nearly half did not treat African Americans.
In 1944, leaders of the North Carolina Medical Society
approached Governor J. Melville Broughton.
On their advice, Broughton created
the North Carolina Hospital Care and Medical Commission.
Chaired by Clarence Poe, editor of the Progressive Farmer,
the Commission’s report identified the key healthcare imperative.
North Carolina must ensure greater access to quality healthcare
throughout the state.
They called for significant new spending
to grow the healthcare workforce and establish medical facilities.
The Good Health Campaign was the first large-scale approach
by state government to address issues of public health
in cooperation with businesses and other individuals.
To build popular support, billboards were put up,
political and business leaders made speeches,
and Hollywood celebrities, such as Ava Gardner,
did radio spots and barnstormed the state.
Thanks to collaboration and investment in key infrastructure,
the outcomes of the Good Health campaign were impressive.
The campaign initiated rural clean water construction projects
and urban neighborhood clean-up efforts.
It spread medical information in poor communities.
New professional schools helped reduce shortages
of doctors, nurses, and dentists, and moved North Carolina
toward the leading edge of practice.
Following Poe Commission recommendations,
state and federal funds were used to complete
hundreds of projects.
By the mid-1960s, they included scores of public health
and mental health centers, and new hospitals in 62 counties.
Many decades later, North Carolina is again grappling
with the challenge of ensuring that access
to quality and affordable healthcare
is available to all.