Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-06-18
BIG DEMAND FOR
NURSES IN PUBLIC
HEALTH SERVICE

It is the woman with the very best
nursing training who 10 being used in
the pubic health nursing field today.
according to Mis- Helen Boyd, secre-
tary Of the war program committee
Of the National Organisation for Pub
lie Health Nursing. Washington. d. G.
1.-The demand has been great for
graduate nurses to serve in the army
and navy. and there are many who.
through family ties or some physical
disability, cannot leave for foreign
duty. 1t is these nurses who must
consider taking graduate work In
public health courses in order to
qualify themselves for the responsible
duties of the public health nursing
field. The battle to keep up the high
est standard of public health is not to
be relaxed for n moment" says
Miss Boyd.
"There must be trained women
who can teach the tuberculosis pa
tient how to prevent the spread of
disease, who can teach the members
of a family how to protect themselves
from it. In the cantonment zones
are working public health nurses
whose principal duty is to prevent the
spread Of contagious diseases such az
measles. SIS. =,
"Malnutrition of children from Inn
proper feeding Is always a menace.
It can be counteracted largely by the
public health nurse who enters the
home and teaches the mother the
proper diets for her child, using the
utensils and materials at hand.
'.Tho industrial nursing, which
means the are of the workers in
their homes as we'll as in the factory,
IL growing to be Of more and 0
importance. In the large factories
where nurses are employed, it is felt
that a better understanding exist be-
tween employer and the employe and
that the interests Of each are better
cared for. In Connecticut alone there
are 80 nurses doing this work. More
are needed-women who, besides
their training in a hospital. have ex-
perience in social nursing and have
the interest of both the employer and
the employe at heart .
We are relying NOR and more
upon the nurse in the infant welfare
{ station to teach the mothers so that
the babies will not die and the infant
mortality rate will somewhat nearly
approach that of, enlightened New
Zealand, where less than one-half as
j many babies die as are dying every
year in the United States.
'Since the draft it has been found
that many mel are physically unfit
for military service from defects
which could easily have been recti-
,hed during their school years. For
this reason we need more n more
school nurses for our children. In
the cities and the country the visiting
-,-o> ~rh@ Ao~4 o. <A4 -;11y -~%joat
in her charge, not staying full time,
as in the case of the private nurse,
but spending only the time that is
necessary for the individual treat
ment, should be more and more util-
lied. BY thus releasing the private
nurse, the public will be doing a great
patriotic duty. increasing in this way
enrolment for the army and navy.
There is a great opportunity for
the married nurse in this field, for II
is possible in public health nursing
SO to arrange the work that a quail
. fed woma can give half or even a
few hours time a day to the nursing
work.
1.-The National Organization for
Public Health Nursing is in the field
g to keep up the standard of public
L health nursing and to disseminate ed
ucational material on this special
+ work. 1t also directs applicants in
their efforts to obtain training in this
work. 1t helps to procure experience
ed persons to take charge Of COM
munity nursing"
Miss Boyd explains the tremendous
field open to public health nurses.
Nurses are working throughout
the whole country to reduce the death
rate among babies and to educate
mothers to more hygienic care OF
their children she says. "They are
working to reduce blindness, by
teaching them how to care for the
babies y In the industrial field
they are accomplishing an amount OF
work sc great it cannot yet be gaug-
ed, In keeping the workers of this i'm.
portant line of defense strong and
We'll. so that they can maintain the
highest rate Of efficiency" (,