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Mary LaskerMary Lasker
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than in the rest of the nation, and nineteen per cent higher than it is in the rest of the state, and it was largely the lack of high blood pressure treatment, a lot of it.

Q:

Poverty and ignorance?

Lasker:

Poverty and ignorance. It's a scandal.

Well, we had a meeting with the new (New York City) Health Commissioner, (Dr.) Reinaldo Ferrer, on the 20th of June; and he is totally a bureaucrat who is not the slightest bit interested, and although the health budget of the city is a hundred and eight million dollars, he couldn't find a cent to do anything about any hypertension clinics.

I did, however, go with Anna Rosenberg (Hoffman) to see Dr. Frank Stanton of the American Red Cross. The Red Cross is already --

Q:

Now, he was the former head of CBS, wasn't he?

Lasker:

Yes. The Red Cross has already been active in screening blood pressure patients and has screened five million this last year in their blood services, but I'm interested for them to do it in every single chapter, and they have thirty-two hundred chapters. The people on the lower echelon seem to be interested in this, and Mr. Stanton seemed interested, but was going to inquire among his Red Cross troops as to whether, to what extent they could enlarge the program.





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