Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1917-06-01
PUTNAM NEEDS
COMMUNITY NURSE
Miss {. NJ. Tebbntt, Public Health Nurse,
Finds This City Good Field for Nurse $
Services
Financial Problem is Hardest Proposition
10 Solve

MAEN lu AUe interests Dl nHEHHAHk p
health nurse f8f Putnam. Upon q
thorough Investigation 81 local health
conditions Hiss Feb5ult finds that one
/ OF Putnam 5 real needs, ia H. Efforts 10
/ improve local health conditions, Is a
! community nurse. and without doubt
such a nufse viii be recommended as
part Of Putnemts health plan to be
submitted in the near future from the
data recently collected during the
health survey now practically com
pIeted
There l. no opposition to having u
community nurse, or district nurse, rs
she IS sometimes called, as there are no
possible arguments against it. The
only problem IS "a financial problem
the expense Of such project. How 10
meet this vital phase Of the question
Of providing such nurse for this city
is Inc real obstacle. If the necessary
money was In sight such nurse would
soon bent work ia our schools and
among our people.
The pIan Is not a new one. II Is la
operation IN most Of the cities and in
many towns Of the country. Il has
proved beneficial and a paying in.
vestment in results obtained and in
health conservation. Ii has been pro.
p1sea before ia Putnam, has been adj
yocnted and had the support Of mum.
Der of women who brought the matter
to the attention Of the Chamber OF
Commerce. The same financial OBJ
stncie arose ia the path and apparent
Is vas not overcome because the mat
Ter va allowed To drop, 80 far rs out
ward signs aPpeat aud nothing has
been heard Of the plan for months, or
until recently revived BY Miss Teboutt.
Never so far as known has a city
once adopting community nurse
plnn ever given 1t np. other cities
have met aud overcome the same fl
nancial obstacle rs now coufronts Put
nam. Alter It has been overcome and
nurse secuted and the benefits there.
by derived realized, aud brought home
10 the people they have awakened 10
the value al such service and the Fl.
nancial obstacle has been removed
forever.
such would doubtless be the case In
Putnam. But TO get the start Is the
question. Miss Tebbutt estimates that
fund Of about 81 900 would be neees.
sary. This would allow 500 month
for the services Of nurse and leave
1900 for incidental expense, such as
transportation II necessary, supplies
that might be needed, etc. The manu-
facturers in the city have become in
terested and have tentatively agreed
TO do something. But Us the situation
now stands, first and foremost Il cam
paign OF education seems most essen
tial, that the people may be brought
TO Il realization of Just what a commun-
ity nurse Is and what her duties would
be.
For the purpose OF explaining these
points Miss Tebutt met n small gath
ing, including man ufacturers and
members OF The school board, In the
day evening. 1t Is to be regrette d
that there was not larger audience,
especially more of .the women who
| first became interested and launched "A
similar project year or more ago.
First of all Miss Tebbutt explained
that II community nurse is not n spec
ialist. She covers AL fields. She Is u
visiting nurse, looks out for tubereuIo'
sis eases, is Il pre- natal and u post
natal nurse aud an industrial nurse,
| looking ont for conditions in factories
as much as possible and watching the
employees with care. Here she might
find person with tuberculosis ten
denotes engaged-in work that might
tend 10 aggtaNBte the disease. or the
employee might vbe cndaneering other
employees, she wpuld attempt TO re-
lieve such a situation1lhrough the co.
operation Of the manufacturer ami
possibly secure more healthy employ.
ment ia some other department Of the
factory, and nj the same time see that
other employees were not endangered.
This would be assisting both employe
aud employer, for efficient service
can not be given by any emploYe Ia
! boring under adverse conditions. Ii
might be found that employees were
not receiving proper nouushment OF
were living ia ignorance under un-
healthy conditions which would lie.
duce their efficiency. Assume that the
nurse found an empIoye In stale that
might arise If he or she were sleeping
in close, stuiiy room with windows
tightly closed, such a person would
arise in the morning, possibly with n
headache or at least with a decreased
amount of energy. Bread aud butter
neeessitates going to work. With
head aching or energy dulled by lack
of proper conditions during the night
such an employee would not be over 80
| per cent. efficient. He might get
through his days work in a lethargic
state but the result 10 his employer
would not be normal. The unhealthy
condition relieved, the employe goes To
work with normal energy land does
noImsl days work. His production is