Page images
PDF
EPUB

corrected by passage of the legislation now before you. I offer this committee my fullest cooperation so that H.R. 8546 may be enacted this year and prospective students of optometry may be assured they will have education loans when they need them. I trust that you will take prompt and favorable action on this bill. Thank you for the opportunity to provide this statement in support of the visual welfare of South Carolina and our Nation.

Mr. ROGERS of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Ashmore.

Next we shall hear from our friend and colleague from Arkansas, the very able Congressman, James W. Trimble.

STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES W. TRIMBLE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ARKANSAS

Mr. TRIMBLE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for this opportunity to present my statement.

As a member of the Arkansas congressional delegation, it is a pleasure to appear before this committee in support of the proposed amendment to title VII of the Public Health Service Act so as to extend to qualified schools of optometry and students of optometry those provisions thereof relating to the student loan program. I have been privileged to occupy my present position as a Member of the Congress for nearly 20 years. My interest in this legislation is not prompted by the fact that there is a school or college of optometry in the State of Arkansas. However, we do have many well-qualified and dedicated optometrists who are serving my constituents and the people of my State.

One of these is Garland Melton, O.D., of Fayetteville. I have known Dr. Melton for more than 40 years and regard him most highly. He is not only a well-qualified member of his profesion, but he is a loyal American who would not attempt to deceive me any more than I would appear here for the purpose of deceiving this committee. Many of my statements are based on conversations I have had with him. He assures me there is a real need for this legislation.

The Arkansas optometry law declares the practice of optometry to be a learned profession and the same rights, powers, and duties are declared to attach thereto as are attached to other learned professions. Not only do the same rights and duties attach to that profession, but I firmly believe that those who desire to become members of that profession should be entitled to the same rights and privileges as far as student loans are concerned as we in this 88th Congress provided for students of medicine, dentistry, and osteopathy.

Unfortunately, this was not done. H.R. 12 passed and is now Public Law 88-129. The bill went to the President without including optometry students in the loan provisions. A move is now on to correct that mistake. Thirty such bills in addition to the one introduced by Congressman Roberts of Alabama have been introduced in the House, including H.R. 8679 which I introduced. Senator Williams of New Jersey introduced S. 2180 for the same purpose. He was supported in so doing by the junior Senator from Arkansas and by a distinguished bipartisan group which included the minority

leader and 27 other Members of the Senate, about one-fourth of whom were members of the minority party.

Vision in this day and age is of vital importance to everyone, particularly the youth of our land as well as our older citizens. If it were not for the optometrists practicing in Arkansas, a substantial percentage of our citizens over 50 years of age would be unable to carry on their work. It is generally agreed that there should be 1 practicing optometrist for every 7,000 members of the population. Yet, in the State of Arkansas, the figures submitted to the White House Conference showed that we had only 1 licensed optometist for 11,000 members of our population. Some States were less fortunate. Others were more fortunate, but in practically every State the number of practicing optometrists was less than the recommended ratio.

With the increase in population, the only way to meet this situation is to increase the number of students who are studying to qualify to practice this profession. When somewhat similar legislation was introduced in the 87th Congress, it provided for outright grants to the students in some of the health professions, but H.R. 12, as passed by this Congress, provides only for student loans which are to be repaid with interest. True, the rate of interest is less than the commercial rate.

If I were to attempt to tell you of all the areas in which vision is an important factor, my presentation would be unreasonably lengthy. There are other witnesses who will furnish you with some of this information. Therefore, I will conclude my statement by saying that I wholeheartedly, enthusiastically, and emphatically recommend prompt and favorable action on this legislation.

Mr. ROGERS of Florida. Thank you for a fine statement, Mr. Trimble.

The next witness is our colleague from New Jersey, the Honorable Frank Thompson, Jr.

STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK THOMPSON, JR., A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you and the members of the subcommittee for this opportunity to express my support of H.R. 8546, which would amend title VII of the Health Professions Educational Assistance Act to authorize loans to students of optometry upon the same basis as those made available to students of other disciplines mentioned therein.

It is my understanding that there is a distinct need for more trained optometrists and that to meet that need our schools have to turn out considerably more students than are now being trained. For example, from 1960 to 1963 the population of New Jersey increased from 6,066,000 to 6,470,000, a growth of 404,000-nearly 135,000 per year. During this same period of time, the number of optometrists practicing in New Jersey decreased from 752 to 728, a loss of 24-8 per year. According to the New Jersey State Department of Conservation and Economic Development, New Jersey's population is expected to increase as follows:

1965

1970

1975

6, 760,000

7, 440, 000

8, 112, 000

At the present rate of attrition, due to death and retirement, it is anticipated by the New Jersey State Board of Optometrists that the number of optometrists practicing in this State will decrease as follows:

19651970

1975

720

660

620

Based upon a ratio of 1 optometrist to 7,000 population, the foreseeable deficits in optometric personnel are as follows:

1965

1970

1975

These brief statistics are a clear indication that—

243

376 539

(1) Losses in optometric personnel are not being replaced, and the number of optometrists practicing in New Jersey is expected to decline steadily;

(2) The ratio of optometrists to population is being depressed by both the population increase and the deficit in new optometric practitioners; and

(3) Unless this trend is reversed very quickly, New Jersey residents may soon have to endure dangerously long waits to get their eyes examined with any regularity.

The cost of acquiring an optometric education and training has risen to the point where it is now financially beyond many qualified young people who might be interested in optometry as a career. The need of the people of New Jersey for an adequate supply of optometrists is no longer a matter of private concern. It verges upon a public issue. Nor is it any longer possible for private resources to provide the financial means to assist sufficient numbers of qualified but financially embarrassed young people in underwriting the cost of optometric education.

Good vision is so great a need in our ever-more-complex civilization that shortages of optometric personnel will be reflected in loss of jobs, lowered income, increases in school dropouts, and growing cultural deprivation.

It is an interesting fact that increased vigilance on the part of parents and school authorities is making it possible to detect sight deficiencies among our children far earlier than was the case in prior years, a situation which emphasizes even more strongly the need for a larger number of trained and competent optometrists.

The vision care needs of the people of New Jersey must be met. They can be met only by assuring a steady, adequate supply of new optometrists. A program of Federal loans to optometry students is the only way the requisite steady, adequate supply of new optometrists can be assured.

Because of these facts which I have presented, I introduced H.R. 8678, which is identical to H.R. 8546. I am pleased to note for the record that the New Jersey Optometric Association, through its administrative director, Andrew F. Fischer, O.D., has made known to me its support of this legislation. I urge strongly favorable consideration of this bill, and would ask that my statement be made a part of the record of these hearings.

I might add that the situation which exists in New Jersey is, no doubt, similar to the situation in other States, where there is also a great need for care and treatment of those with visual defects. Mr. ROGERS of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Thompson. We appreciate your appearance.

The next witness is our colleague from California, the Honorable Robert L. Leggett.

STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT L. LEGGETT, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

Mr. LEGGETT. Mr. Chairman, it is my pleasure to coauthor the legislation before both the Senate and this committee, which legislation would simply authorize the use of Federal funds for loans to students and colleges of optometry on the same terms that they have already been made available to students of medicine, dentistry, and osteopathy. The loans, as you recall, are interest bearing-repayable by the students on graduation-and it has been estimated that the cost of this legislation would be less than $1 million which funds would be, as indicated, fully repayable.

As a Representative from California, I would like to call certain facts to your attention.

There are but 10 optometric educational institutions in the United States and 2 of these are in California. California has traditionally provided excellent educational facilities, be they public or private, professional or liberal arts. Our schools of optometry in California, as represented by the University of California at Berkeley and the Los Angeles College of Optometry, are the finest obtainable in the

world.

The present facilities of the Los Angeles College of Optometry are composed of a complex of five reconstructed Army barracks. As were many other accommodations, they were constructed as temporary quarters in 1948 to educate a tidal wave of returning veterans. Because of the circumstances and the nature of the construction, the buildings did then, and do now, meet only the minimum construction standards.

In general, enrollments in optometry colleges rose 6 to 8 percent in the fall of 1963. An increase of 10 to 15 percent is anticipated for September 1964. In his speech to the Senate on September 25, 1963, Senator Williams of New Jersey fully described the need for qualified optometrists based on population service.

According to these statistics, then, colleges of optometry need to attract another enrollment growth of 30 percent as a minimum requirement and in order to provide adequate facilities these colleges will need the assistance provided under an extension of Public Law 88-129. Student enrollees will in most cases require financial assistance which could be provided under extension of this act.

As a practical matter, this is one of the valid and positive approaches to the poverty program, and I support assistance to those seeking to educate themselves in a skilled profession.

Mr. ROGERS of Florida. We appreciate your fine statement, Mr. Leggett.

The next witness is my good friend from our fair State of Florida, the Honorable Don Fuqua.

Since Congressman Fuqua is going to introduce Dr. Chapman, I am going to ask Dr. Peterson, would you mind

Dr. PETERSON. I would be happy to.

Mr. ROGERS of Florida. It may be that Dr. Chapman and his associates would prefer to appear as a group. As I understand it, their testimony will be cumulative. This may be better if that is all right with you.

Dr. PETERSON. That is fine.

Mr. ROGERS of Florida. It is a real pleasure, then, to call on our good colleague, particularly our Florida colleague, Congressman Don Fuqua, one of our outstanding new Members of Congress who is fast becoming well known in the Congress and all over the country. Congressman Fuqua.

STATEMENT OF HON. DON FUQUA, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA

Mr. FUQUA. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and members of the distinguished subcommittee. It is a pleasure to be here in support of the pending bill, H.R. 8546, and the other companion bills that have been introduced. I have submitted a statement for the record in support of the bill and would like to say that as a member of our Florida Legislature, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Judd Chapman and other members of the Florida Association of Optometry in developing the bill and seeing its passage in our legislature where we recognized the need for a similar principle that we are advocating here today in this bill.

We established five scholarships at $4,000 apiece to be given to these students and then them going out into areas where optometrists were not available. It is a very fine piece of legislation, and I think this committee in its wisdom in the past has recognized much of the need for the increased health care by evidence of the confidence that the Congress has in their ability by yesterday in the voice vote of unanimously approving the extension of the Hill-Burton Act and many other fine pieces of health education that this committee has rendered and submitted to the Congress. It is a pleasure to present a very personal friend of mine, and I am happy to say I am not a patient of his yet, but that I have the pleasure of his living in my district and also his serving with very great distinction this year as national president of the American Optometric Association.

We are very proud of Judd Chapman and the contribution in civic and church life that he has led in Tallahassee, Fla. It is a pleasure at this time to present him to the committee to make such statements as he wishes.

Mr. ROGERS of Florida. Thank you, Congressman Fuqua.
Your statement will appear at this point in the record.

(The statement of Mr. Fuqua follows:)

STATEMENT OF HON. DON FUQUA, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me to appear before this committee in support of H.R. 8546 which amends the Public Health Service Act to make students of optometry eligible for student loans.

« PreviousContinue »