Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-02
] VISITING NURSES MAKE
THEIR ANNUAL APPEAL
Useful. Charity Carries On Enormous
Work Among City's
,s4 Poor.
FIGHT POVERTY AND FILTH
Total Number OF Visits Paid by
# Graduate Nurses in Homes Of Dis
tress Last Year Was 3S,SO3-Tag
Day to BE Held Tomorrow.

eSNfN Nr8uuRCe nurses In homes OF us
tress Last Year Was 3S, SO3-Tag
Day to BE Held Tomorrow.
sv- Tho visiting nurse was Just leaving
{ the dispensary to answer call, when
lShcr attention was suddenly arrested
q by tho sound OF sobbinE from q near
by room. followed by loud screaming
She went in and found. huddled in n
corner, a small boy his fsoe. his thin
face, drawn with suffering.
Inquiry revealed tho fact that thore
was n frightful surface burn extend
Ing over the right side Of his body.
for which he had como TO get some
medicine"
The nurse decided that this was n
8.more urgent case than tho ono which
& sho had intended visiting, 40 tele-
Z phoned to the settlement house and
4 sent some one else. Tho child she took
under her charge tried to quiet him,
tewhile the doctor dressed his burn. he
! screaming NIL the time--and then took
him home. determined to find out what
3 his home" was like.
FINDS FAMILY LIVING
IN ONE-ROOM SHACK
80 SCI Investigation revealed n revolving
state OF affairs. Tho family lived In u
Z one-room shack on tho dump heap
which had no sewerage system, and
whose only water supply came from an
s-outdoor faucet, shared with eighteen
9&other families The single chimney
was falling down. and the bitter cold
aS air came in freely through several
Broken boards.
The scene which confronted the
s8nurse inside was even more distress,
ing Sickness. dirt and ignorance were
the chief inmates On n double bed IN
the corner-on which a family of
eight were accustomed TO sleep-lny
the father of the family. drunk. The
Il mother, a feeble minded woman hud-
died over n few Goals in the stove. \
7half-Erown girl, who proved to have
astuberculosis OF the spine. sat In cor
n ,i,er.
WHAT COMING OF VISITING
s|iH NURSE MEANT TO FAMILY
~ The story Of what tho coming Of
this trained and sympathetic worker
& meant to this family is only one OF
: hundreds Of similar stories which are
acted out every year. For the worker
sSNtas a graduate nurse from the In
E structive Visiting Nurses Association.
r which has IN the past year paid SS,SPs
visits 10 the sick poor o, E.chHo Ao.
Through her agency and that o!
worker from the Nurses settlement.
the burnt child MAS cared tor until h"
was we'll, the sill WAS taken 20 me
City Hospital and he. back put IN
brace. as result, Of which she IS
d-en were referred 70 several different
charities, who pu, them 81 comfortable
homes Tire condition OF the property
was brought 70 he notice of the court,
and the owner Of the shanty was
forced 20 put In sewerage and proper
INTO arndreds Of homes even more
;tssstiful with filth, disease, ignorance
;kln6 poverty the visiting nurse comes
! tx az anre! % healing.
AND COMFORTABLE
A. soon as the nurse arrives. the
-oum and the pat!en, are frst made
absolutely clean and comfortable, and
!, doctor is summoned. II the contin
' IONS attendance OF nurse Is aeso-
4 !utely necessary, II is arranged for. II
e not. the nurse calls from time TO time
:. 10 see how the case Is progressing.
r Her visits are always tho occasion for
p; careful instruction in sanitation and
:: The Importance OF clean living and
fresh air. One OF her greatest DIN
? oulties is the overcoming OF ignorance
and superstition. There are mary poor
sufferers from the white plague who
placed beneath the bed VIII prevent the
might sweat" and Il Is common be-
Lief among negroes that the only re-
liable cure for a headache is for the
sufferer to hold her head in chicl; er
coop. Against all this she must fight
continually. and particularly against
the superStitioUS dread with which
many people regard hospital
ASSOCIATION HAS EVER
WIDENING FIELD OF USEFULNESS
The Instructtve' Visiting Nurses AS.
ISOLATION has been IN successful ope.
ration for several years. with an ever
widening field OF activity. It has, II
the past year, consolidated with IN.
Nurses Settlement, and the two are
now under tho same board. TO the mu.
tual advantage of each
Tho nurses. who ara about doZe.
and a half In number, all live together
nj the association house on CherrS
Street. n large and attractive home
which has, for several years, been gen.
Grace Arents. When one considers this
extremely small salaries which thes.
nurses receive. one can soc that ,heI,
work is one OF love and mercy, and =
work carried on, too under trying arC
often repulsivc conditions
On entering tho association, The
sA-.fdrse pledges herself 10 minimum o,
: six months continuous service. She 1.
Z then assigned to certain district ant
q il obliged TO answer all calls in nci
a district. She IS required TO he an cx.
s. ample of neatness order and sohrietv
. and to wear the prescribed uniform
4 ANNUAL APPEAL FOR FINDS
81 WILL DE MADE TO- NORRON,
" There is on the staff !, colored nursa
3 %ho is graduate Of the Frccd,oa
81 Hospital, In Washington who Is doiut
very efficient work among -ha colorc,
!, sick. She takes IN the entire civ
= working under the colored rhvsIcia = :
ID and more and more are they calling FOL
= her services. She Is also teachiur .
a. class in the colored night schools n,