The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-12-24
RED CROSS
PLANS BIC WORK
Will Furnish 10000 Nurses
to Fight Against Infiu-
enZa at Home
COMMUNITY
COMMITTEES
Will Cooperate with National Organiza-
ton in Supplying Trained Nurses for
the Center.

WASHINGTON, Dee 24-The revela- |
tions of the war concerning the state of
public health. some OF them fairly appall- |
ing in their nature, have brought TO a TO
cussing point the plans of the American
Red Cross permanently to mobilize the
nurses Of America for a peace time work.
The great war time nursing organization,
it is now disclosed, is to be applied not
only to the immediate future but to the
permanent work of reconstruction in this
country.
In announcing program which it is
hoped VIII work out To the great better
ment OF the people OF the United States.
attention IS directed to the epidemic OF
influenza from which no state has suffered
more than New York BY the Red Cross
officials II Is suggested that the epidemic
has brought home To the entire civil popu-
lation OF the country the truth Of the
patemcnt that pIeventable disease de
stroys at least az many lives as do wars
The influenza casualty list in the United
States to date shows more than 5000
deaths. The epidemic is still far from be-
ing under control Conditions which have
seemed almost unbelievable have brought
out the fact that in hundreds Of com
munitics in the United States there arc
absolutely no nursing resources what
ever
Announcing the plan, Jane : Delano,
director of the department OF nursing
American Red Cross, says that approx
matcly 10000 nurses soon are to return
\
! this force as nucleus it IS proposed to
| extend both town and country nursing
! service 50 that hereafter. skilled profess
| sional nursing will he available to even
/ the most remote parts of tie country
/ To accomplish this Director Deano in
announcing the plan SAYS active and Wig
orous cooperation both on the part Of the
/ nurses OF the country and of the women
/ who constitute the Rcd Cross chapters
is imperative. Ii is planned that each
4 chapter shall have a committee on nurs
\ ing activities composed OF representatives
OF local nursing, public health, educational
medical and eve relief organizations in
the community
The duties OF this committee Will lie
to develop the Red Cross courses of in
structicn authorized by the department
Of nursing and To be responsible for al
the nursing activities within the com
munlties. Cooperation is to be effected
between this committee and the state
and local public health officials and ais
with the federal childrcn's bureau in al
health campaigns instructions in hom,
hygiene and care Of the sick and in HON,
dietetics viii be organized and EXTENDED
to local schools and other institutions
These courses viii be extended To rira
and isolated communities where it is al
most impossible to secure graduate nurse
and where as in pioneer days the womei
are the sole guardians very often Of tn,
lives OF their families in time of sickness
The 2000o nurses returning from mill
tary duty largely viii pass through tn,
port of New York Accordingly an agen
] cy is to he established there through
which il is planned to offer assignment
in accordance with the ambitious plan
| to provide for the better nursing facilitie
in the United States than at any tim
in our history.