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Part: 12 Session: 145678910111213141516171819202122 Page 599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663 of 999
between '73 and '76, in a seven percent decline in heart deaths and a fourteen percent decline in stroke deaths, and it means a total saving of a hundred and forty-seven thousand lives in those three years. Now that's just the beginning of what can be done.
And Senator Pepper has held a hearing for his committee on -- Select Committee on Aging, on high blood pressure in older people, over sixty-five, and he is thinking about writing some legislation that it would make it possible for Medicare to pay for drugs and patient's visits to doctors, on an out-patient visit for high blood pressure. At present, there's no such --
Proviso?
Provision, yes. And if this can be done, it would be -- it would make a great difference to the death rate. Many people over sixty-five are poor, can't afford the medicine, can't afford even to go two or three times to a doctor, or don't, and if they were able to easily, they would be able to survive.
This is a prime illustration then, the success of this media program in publicizing the thing? A prime illustration of the effectiveness of combining medical techniques with publicity?
Absolutely. It's a prime illustration, because without this, even though they put out numerous pamphlets and publicized their efforts to medical groups, very little would have happened without the --
Were the medical people heavily involved in this publicity? I
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