Douglas Island news., 1918-05-24
NEED OF NURSES
 NOW IMPERATIVE
American National Red Cross Wants 3O,OOO Young Women to Begin
 Training Immediately

The Department of Nursing of
 thc American National Red Cross
 wants 3O.OOO nurses. They are
 needed as octivc reserve for tho Ar |my and Navy Nurse Corps; already |mauy arc receiving the summons Co
 duty
 What does this mcon2
 10 means that to meet tho already visible needs of our military and naval reserve services. nurses must |bc withdrawn from their present work m clyn life in numbers nearly |couaI Co the entire membership Of |hc American Nurses Association. IIt means that Che army and navy an ticipatc exclusive use for an indef- ! Unite period of almost half the total number of registered nurses in an |thc United States
 Before war came to America the nursing profession barely met the demands upon it from the country lac large. Many a rural community Ihad pcuuoncd n vain for a com- pctcnt pubuc-hcalth nurse to help save thc lives of its babies and mothers; many a hospital found its
 work suffering because it could not i be assured at an times of sufficient humber Of nurses, equal to Che tasks ! n hand. being readily available.
 Mothers. wives and swcothoarts of men iu Che service of their coun- 1 try need have no fear Chat the num- bcr of nurses needed to care for the sick and wounded this year will not bc forthcoming. Tho nation has the nurses for this year and they are ready Go scryc lot us Doc thankful
 for that
 But what about next year and the year after thate And what about those a home this year? The people at home. upon whom rests Che bur den of supporting their armies, must loo cared for even moro adequately in wartime than m pcocotimc We cannot sec our nurses taken from us, for no one knows how long. without doing ou that can be done to raise up moro to take their places
 The stern facts Of Che situation arc giving great concern in Wash metou and m all places where they arc fully known and understood They are thc reasons why Miss Jane A. Dclauo. director of the Depart mcut Of Nursing of the American National Rcd Gross; Dora D. Thomp- son. superintendent of thc Army Nurse Corps. and Ella Phillips CraudulL of che Nursing Committee Of Jhc Council of National Defense. bovc issued a call to the young women of America Co enter the nursing profession.
 Nurses. like soldiers cannot be created overnight Indeed. it takes at Icast two years. and more often three. to equip a young woman for work os a nurse. while the Army is making soldiers of our young mon fu year or less. The call then. Is to young women to enter training Go bc nurses. and it is just as urgent os Che call Co young men to become soldiers As thcrc is yet no select i've draft for nductiug women into Che nursing service thc response must Inc made by volunteers
 Tho American Rcd Cross has ap- nropriucd s75.OOO for Nurses Training Camp from June 2l to September l3 inclusive. ot Vassar ! College. pougnkcopsic, New York. Instructors hoyc been selected from leading universities and hospitals, land arrangements made with lead |ug schools for nurses whereby grad |uatcs Of this camp will be allowed |to finish their courses in nurses ! training m two years instead of throc years. In other words sue .cssrui completion of the work at Vo#ar camp win cut a year from |tbc training period. Graduates from womeus colleges within the Hast ten years are eligible to attend |hc vasslr camp. Ladies Homo