The Press., 1918-02-07
RED CROSS ISSUES CALL TO NURSES
 FOR WAR SERVICE
Statement Says Between 3O.OOO and 10000 WSi Be Needed
 in a Short Time.

A call to qualified nurses 10 enlist for war service has been issued by tue ! American Red Cross Nursing Service, the mobilizing agency for nurses Tor the United States Army and Navy ! Attention Is called also to the imper' atIye need for an increased enrolment In training schools so that fully quail lied nurses may be released from civil ian hospitals for military service.
 Citing an estimate of the Surgeon Generals office that the Army alone will need between 30,OOO and 4O,OOO nurses in short time, the Red Cross Nursing Service makes it clear that the present average enrolment of l 900 & month falls far short of rhe military needs Of the Government. Moreover. ir is asserted, the Allies are depending upon this country (" sup plement their nursing service.
 The fact that the recruiting of nurses does not keep pace with the military needs does not indicate that rhe women in the nursing profession are slackers, according to Miss lane A, Delano, Chairman of the Red Cross Nursing Service. It indicates merely that the sudden and extraordinarily heavy demand for nurses has not been thoroughly realized by the women available for thIS service.
 As demands grow daily, the prob lem of home nursing for civilian needs becomes harder to solve. It Is estimated hy the Army Nurses Corps that over a6OO0 nurses will be need ed. on the basis ot the present sSGi- mates. for Sn army Of 1.O0000a meU-
 ts.soo Enrolled.
 Statistics prepared at the headQuaT- rers 0s the Red Cross Nursing Service fn Washington show that there are between SO.OOO and 5000 registered nurses in rhs United States Of this number approximately 1s.500 arc en- rolled Red Cross nurses. the majority Of whom are Ia active service or ready for mobilization fOr specified purpose The Red Gross enrolment forms rha reserve of the United States Army Nurses Corps and the United States Navy Nurses Corps.
 Already I.T90 nurses have been equipped and sent abroad by the Red Cross Nursing Service. For service at home the He'd Cross has provided 2,JO0 nurses. More than 2.0O0 addl- IionaI nurses have been organized into units which now are ready for mobilization.
 Red Cross nurses also are doing special work in sanitary zones sur rounding cantOnments. Eigbty-nlne are serving In Q public health detnch ment under the American Red Cross In France. Twelve public health nurses are in Roumanla. three In Greece and one In Serbia.
 Requirements Modified
 All Red Cross nurses assigned to duty In military hospitals automatIcal. ly become members of the Army or Navy Nurses Corps and are no longer under the superSlslon or direction of the Red Cross. These nurses, when on active duty, are entitled to the same Government war risk insurance as Army or Navy officers and enlist. ed men.
 To meet the increasing demands Of the Army and Navy Nurses Corps tho Red Cross has modified somewhat the former requirements for enrolment The ago limit Is lowered to twenty one years, and In special cases nurses over foriy may he accepted. Small | schools for training nurses have been placed on the accredited list.
 Since rhe entrance of the United States in the war q number of pu- pills entering nurses training schools has increased 20 per cent. Within the last few days the Red Cross has ro. cruited and equipped group of lO0 nurses for the Army Nurses Corps for service with the British ExpedI- tlonary Forces ar the request of the British Government. It has also mohilized several highly specialized groups of nurses for orthopedlc. psy- chiatrle and facial surgery hospitals as we'll as mobile operating units und other important groups