Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-08
Influenza NURSES
ARE BADLY NEEDED
All Women Who Can Help Are
Urged to Offer
Services.

The pressing need in the influenza
situation here is for nurses, accord
ing to DR.. H. S. Mustard of the pub
lie health service.
This statement was made by him
at the conference held yesterday by
representatives of the health service,
the local health department, the Red
Cross. Instructive Visiting Nurse So
ciety and the Washington Diet
Kitchen.
Physicians are already doing all the
work possible for human being to
perform. Their number may not be
augmented. except in a very slight
degree. But the supply Of nurses,
whose function in fighting the cpl
demic is fully as important as that
of the doctors, can and must be in
creased. 1t is pointed out.
Not Merely Graduates Needed.
Not only graduate nurses are of
value, but all women who have been
practicing nursing. All such can be
made use of, it was brought out at
the conference, which extended the
call locally to them, with the request
tndt tney report lHlIpeuldtely at INC
former Commercial Bank building,
northeast corner of 14th and F streets
northwest.
All regular nurses and helpers" as
they are styled. are being distributed
through the Potomac division of the
lent in other cities. it is felt that
nurses cannot be brought from other
places and that the supply must be
obtained at home.
Entire Families III.
There are believed to be thousands
suffering with influenza in Washing
ton. and there are known to be hun
dreds without care OF any kind. In
many cases entire families are i'll and
have no one to attend them.
Dr. Mustard stated that the only pos
sible way to take care of these pa
tients was through the formation of q
single nursing service under the dl-
| rection of the United States public
most effective service. the organiza-
lions represented at the conference
pooled their nursing resources into
one central organization under the
direction of DR.. Mustard. This staff
now numbers thirty or more nurses,
1t was announced that the Red
Cross would pay a salary of SO a
month, with maintenance and incl
dental expenses, to each graduate
nurse that may be added to the staff.
School Teachers Can Help.
School teachers can be of great as
sistance in the present emergency.
The superintendent of schools has
given permission for their use while
the schools are suspended. They may
be used as secretaries in various CEN
ters, as assistants in the hospitals to
visiting nurses and in many other
capacities. Those willing to volun-
teer are asked, If not able to appear
in person at the old Commercial Bank.
to mail answers to the following
questions to that address:
Name, address. telephone number,
white or colored.
Have you had Red Cross course In
home care of the sick?
Have you had any hospital training
or experience as nurse?
State hours available for service.
Do you prefer visiting work or hos
pital work?
Release of Nurses Urged.
DR.. Rupert Blue, surgeon general of
the public health service. announced
yesterday that, in order that the nurs-
ing services of the country may be
mobilized, practicing physicians gen
orally, and, in particular, specialists,
are urgently requested to release
every possible nurse from attendance
on chronic cases and, in fact, all cases