Evening star., 1917-04-15

however. works with both departments
The division of all activities under these
two bureaus was accomplished during
the past year. The department of mill
tary relief is comparatively new and
has been the direct result of the pre-
paredness' movement The director
general of military relief is a colonel
from the Medical Corps of the United
United States Army Associated with
him are two other members of the medi-
cal corps, one from the navy and one
from the army
In its relation to the department of
military relief. the bureau of nursing
service of The Red Cross is responsible
for the organization of the nursing
personnel and the volunteer lay work
ers associated with such. for service
with base hospitals for the army and
navy. the navy detachmeuts OF nurses
as well as the so-called emergency de
tachments.
The details Of the work attendant
upon the organization of these various
forms OF units are enormous" said
Miss Noyes. and require at the ma
tional headquarters a large staff Of
stenographerS and clerical workers.
ASK any chief nurse if the organization
of the nursing staff of a base hospital
Is difficult matter and | am sure that
she viii state that it is quite the most
arduous and exacting piece of work she
has ever undertaken.
The main purpose Of each of the,
organizations is to maintain groups of
selected and highly trained workers ac-
customed to work together, to be called
out only in the event of war. Twenty
five base hospitals. giving a, personnel
of 1850 nurses with a suitable reserve
are under course of organization. The
arbY NJ Of m ~
nurses, without equipment. medical or
other personnel. organized around
training schools, TO be called out as q
reserve for the use of the navy. 1t Is
expected by this means to maintain a
stable group of 1000 selected nurses
Tor this purpose.
THE emergency detachment is n small
group of enrolled Red Cross nurses
formed around Red Cross committee,
either state or local, and includes nurses
other than those included in other
forms of organization. The maximum
size of an emergency detachment is
ten ana the minimum is any number
lhdt can be secured.
The Fed Cross nursing service. under
the national committee on Red Cross
nursing. of which Miss Jane y. Delano
IS The chairman, and to which she has
given seven years of devoted service
is responsible for the organization of
state and local committees and such
other committees as may he required
1t also acts as an advisory board on
all matters pertaining to the various
Red Cross nursing activities. For ex-
ample, it determines as detailed a
point as the number of hours of prac-
tical work that will be allowed a
nurses aid in base hospital
There are now forty-four state and
seSenty-one local Red Cross nursing
committees and 155 nurses are serving
on those committees without remuner-
alton. The committees have responded
with their usual enthusiasm to the
necessity of maintaining the emergency
detachments. If each committee raises
detachment of only five nurses, 57J
nurses will be available for emergency
duty without distributing the hospital
units.
"1t is expected however, to maintain
approximately 1000 nurses in the
emergency detachments. BY means OF
these organizations the Red Cross ex-
poets to maintain carefully selected
and stable groups. giving a total OF
over 5000 nurses other than those
forming the main body of enrolled Red
Cross nurses, of which there are
nearly 5000. From the emergency
detachments approximately o5o nurses
were supplied to the base hospitals OF
the Mexican border.
Many nurses detailed 10 the border