The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-01-01
Government Officials Find
Great Work Being Done
by Visiting Nurses.
SCHOOLS TO HAVE NURSE ROOM

Kenosha residents will be interested
IN the recent statements which come
from the government experts ct Wash
llngton on the work of the visiting
nurses in the schools Of the country and
also the brief outline Of the work ac-
complished. Kenosha has the advant.
age OF such an arrangement and it is
interesting to note that the plan Of
work outlined is much the same in the
general way as is now done in Keno
sha. The following is the government
report on the problem
Medical inspection of schools has
rendered the school nurse inevitable, =
declares Dr. Ernest Bryant Hoag in a
bulletin on organized Health Work, ;
just issued by the United States Bureau
of Education.
Without an effective follow-up serv-
ice conducted by visiting nurses, medi-
cal inspection is ineffective. Until
1908 New York City relied upon postal
cards sent parents Of defective child
rem, and was able to secure action in
| only six per cent of the cases where
treatment was recommended Immedi-
ately upon placing the following serv-
ice in the hands of school nurses the
percentage increased to eighty-four.
The nurse effects what no other
agency could accomplish. She not only
secures action in the case at hand, but
she becomes a permanent advisory in
fuence in the homes where she visits.
BY virtue of her room-to-room Wis
itation and her opportunities for OBJ
servation, the school nurse also becomes
the ideal sanitary inspector. She notes
temperatures, ventilation, seating.
cleanliness of room, toilets, blackboards
and the clothes Of children. Her hos
pital standards of sanitation tend to
follow her into the schools.
The school nurse is first and last a
social worker. She instructs ignorant
but fond mothers in the best methods
of feeding, clothing and caring for
their children. She is received in their
homes as no other official visitor could
possibly be. Dr. Osler does not over
state the case when he says that the
visiting nurse is ministering angel
everywhere
That the visiting nurse is good
economic investment is evidenced by
the fact that some of the large insur-
ance companies find it to their advant-
100 IN aY,Y,Ioxr a p,,r, ~ 20 49,. ~
it the homes of policy holders and give
instruction in matters pertaining to
hygiene. Department stores and fac
tories also find it good business to en-
ploy nurses to look after the health of
their employees and to teach them per-
sonal hygiene.
The number of school nurses need
ed varies somewhat according to social
conditions and according to the range
of duties expected of them. We find
all the way from one thousand to ten
thousand children under the care of one
nurse In New York City each nurse
has from two to seven schools, with a.
total attendance of about four thous-
and children. In Philadelphia Ave
schools and about 5000 children are us
ually allotted to one nurse, while in Bos-
ton the proportion of nurses is almost
twice as great It is not improbable
that the ratio vii be increased until it
reaches an average of one nurse for
each one thousand of the school enroll
ment. If there were one nurse for
every two thousand pupils, about ten
thousand nurses would be required in
the entire United States. A nurse s.
room completely equipped is coming to
be regarded as one of the essentials
in every school building of eight or
more rooms.