The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-09-25
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So Announced at State Con-
vention of Graduate :
Nurses Today. II
MAY DIVIDE THE STATE
Smaller Org aniza tion S
Would Promote Greater
Efficiency.

In addition to the nurses that were
sent abroad from this state last year
another contingent of 40 is soon to
be organized at the Ohio Valley Gen.
eral hospital in Wheeling. This an.
nouncement was made this morning
at the opening session of the Gradu-
ate Nurses of West Virginia who are
holding their twelfth meeting at The
Fairmont this week.
The names of those who will com.
prise this unit are not announced as
yet. A strenuous effort is being made
10 bring all Of the hospitals OF West
Virginia up ito the high requirements
as set by the American Red Cross.
To date only six hospitals in the entire
State have met these requirements.
The next nursing unit will be com.
posed chiefly Of Wheeling women, but
there will be some others from various
sections of the State added to it.
The nurses have efficiency as their
watchword and at the last session OF
the West Virginia Legislature they
managed to have an amendment
tackled to the nurses registration law
whereby a higher standard is set for
the profession.
All OF the nurses in attendance at
the convention have their Red Cross
pin conspicuously displayed while the
assembly room OF the hotel. where
the meetings are being held is deco
rated with flags of the United States.
Great Britain, Belgium. Italy and
France.
One of the pricipal items of bust.
ness before the convention will be the
re-districting of the State. 1t is pro.
posed to divide it into two parts,
probably the north and south, al.
though this is only speculative as yet.
The annual election of officers will
take place on Thursday.
The local committee for the con.
vention is composed of Misses Phenia
Martin, Lucy Clancy, Lillian Dotson,
Pearl Cochran, Nellie Hamilton and
Mrs. Laura Parker. all of Fairmont.
Nurses from all parts of the State be.
gan to arrive in Fairmont on Monday
afternoon. In the evening a very
pleasant reception was rendered at
the parlors of The Fairmont. Plans
for the convention we're discussed and
final arrangements were made Light
refreshments were served during the
evening. Mrs. Susan Cook. Wheeling,
president; Mrs. R. ]. Bullard, of
Wheeling, secretary, arrived in the
city yesterday and Miss Emma Yer.
non, pesident of the superintendent so.
cieties. has been hee since Sunday,
Miss Vernon was formerly head nurse
at the Fairmont Hospital.
Nurses were registered this morn
ing between 8 o'clock and 10 o'clock.
The convention was called to order
by the president, Mrs. Susan Cook, R.
N, of Wheeling, w. Va. Hon. An.
thony Bowen, of Fairmont, delivered
the address WELCOME in we'll cho.
sen words and turned over the keys"
OF the city to the visitors. The re.
Spouse to the mayors address was
made by Miss Anna H. Bessler, R, N.
OF Charleston. The next number on
the program was an address by the
president, Mrs. Cook. In the course
OF her remarks she advocated the re.
distrtcting Of the State OF West Vir.
GINA in accordance with the require.
ments OF the American National
Nurses Association. The advantage
in the redistricting Is that the nurses
will be in closer touch with each other
and by this benefits will be derived
by the public as well, as thenursing
profession.
Mrs. R, ], Bullard, OF Wheeling, the
secretary and treasurer OF the State
body, reported $50 graduate nurses in
West Virginia. During the year the
total expenses were $500 and the total
receipts were $3.50.
The report of Miss ". Louise Koch.
ert, R. N, Of Martinsburg, who was
the delegate to the National meeting,
was received with much interest. She
gave resume fthe various papers
read before the National convention,
which were by notables In the medi.
cal and surgical world. One OF the
papers developed the fact that there
are no more physicians today than
there was in 1850 nproportion to the
number Of people living In this coun.
try. The same proportion-that of
one physician to every 500 people
still holds good.
Those registered today were as fol.
lows: Misses Alice M. Young, LuelIa
Ross. Wheeling; Gertrude Meridian,
and Loretta Manley, Clarksburg; An,
ma H. Bessler and Susan Patrick,
Charleston; Maude NJ. Brantner and
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