The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-02-15

Miss Davis, Superintendent Re
ports Given by Supervisor and other
Officers.
The seventh annual report of the
BrattIeboro Mutual Aid association has |
Just been issued, giving a statement of
the purposes Of the association and an
account of its work, together with a
financial statement. The scope Of the |
work is shown in the report of the |
superintendent. Miss Anna Louise |
Davis. the substance Of which follows: |
The work Of the Mutual Aid asso-
citation for the past wear has proved |
beyond Il doubt tho usefulness Of this |
kind of an organization. and the prac
tirahility Of civic health center.
''Ntarting with the care of the sick
il their homes. the work has grown
and Developed until from one central
cficc we are furnishing graduate aud
| practical nurses, a trained maternity
nurse. md nurses for school. district.
and social service work Working from
ono Cttirc and being able to have daily
conferences. we find we can cover the
| family needs in eases of illness in -
systematic way. and nj less expense
than this amount of work could pos
siblv lee done by y larger number Of
nurses working in = disiointcd. unor
ganizcd way. or in not having def
mite aim i'm view.
| ''Our aim j. TO furnish any kind Ct
nursing care needed in ANY kind %.
illness, or to give instruction In the
home, OF to the children an school s."
rs to prevent illness; we have in this
way reached all classes of homes.
- large part Of our work during
the vcar has been along tho lines ot
lIraveuti"u. 0Ir maternity nurse haa
mad" - prenatal aud 90 advisory
aui infant welfare calls. Knowing
that IA" largest per cent at infant NOR.
tailtr occurs from the first tn the NTH
day after birth she realizes she has
comparatively little chance 1T post-na
tai work, SO her effort lies iu trying to
give the mother the right kind of caro-
50 that she may have % wcllboru child.
a" lnstru,tiug the mother IN her own
car" "ttcu brings ont the fact that the
father needs al equal amount of in
atruction. 1t is often useless Ia pre-
scribe that the mother Toe relieved ot
IN ai!iug child, or that the family
washing b." sent to the laundry So as
to save her strength. if the husband
does not understand why this expense
Is necessary. In the majority OF our
I
friendly understanding Of the needs Of
the case. and extra diet. lighteucd
work. aud better care are usually forth.
coming.
The detailed account of our ma
j"nitv work in Miss Mcmillan : re-
port shows that the standard of care
for a considerable number Of cases i'm
our community is below that which is
necessary and proper. 1t Is only gen
orally becoming known that good care
and service in childbirth are available
fer every mother through this office IL
only the proper steps are taken to Sc
cure this service. We hope that in the
S near future this department of our
work viii Toe so we'll known in the com
munitv, that every mother viii have
proper care at this critical time.
Last wear we added to our workers
r. Il school nurse. believe the first one
/ II the state of Vermont: her service in
arresting cpidemics has often proved
the nocd OF this kind of work. The
/ school nurse i often the entering
&. wedge into the family. Through her
: visits to :, sick child she has nm oppor
tuuitv 10 get ut innumerahle family
iprohlcmS. She can also 10 much in fiud-
ing out and reporting to the proper au-
S thoritics unsanitarv living conditions
Q and DEMONSTRATING places.
q - The work of the district nurse is
. too we'll known to need comment. Her
added value in the community comes
- in her being on the alert to note on
her rounds tho child out Of school who
:. may hc ailiug. and so help the school
r nurse TO stamp out contagious disease
among childrcn.'
Miss Elizabeth Mcmillan, supervisor
7 of attendants, says IN her report that
+ the supervisor and attendants cared foI
+ 227 patients: LOG were maternity.
mscalri9gcs, - chronic. - miscellau
eous. The examinations of the 81 cases
were as follows: recovered 81. improv
= Ell lot, unimprovcd Is, dead l.. still
g under care g.
Summary Of calls of the supervisor
for the year: Prenatal. 25j; coutine
mont. So; post natal. 372; supervising
1T; advisory. and infant welfare. 226;
total 1863. Calls made for the district
nurse: 80. Calls made 10y other nurses
s tor the supervisor. 90.
The statistical record Of calls is ~
| follows, the first number in each in
| stance being the number Of calls re
] eeived and the second the number Of
| calls filled: For graduate nurses. l34
! Isl; for district nurses, 13I. 1%l; tol
! attendants. 2l3. pol; for social service
-. ~; for emergency homework, 81