The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-01
RED CROSSISSUES GALL TO NURSES
 FORWARSERVICE
Statement Says Between 30,000 and 10000 Will Be Needed
 in a Short Time.

A call to qualified nurses to enlist for war service has been issued by the American Red Cross Nursing Service, the mobilizing agency for nurses for the United States Army and Navy. Attention is called also to the imper- ative need for an increased enrolment in training schools so that fully quail fed 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 5000 and 10000 nurses in short time, the Red Cross Nursing Service makes it clear that the present average enrolment of 1000 a month falls far short of the military needs of the Government. Moreover, 1t is asserted, the Allies are depending upon this country to sup plement their nursing service.
 The fact that the recruiting of nurses does not keep pace with the military needs does not indicate that the women tn the nursing profession are slackers, according to Miss Jane A. Delano, Chairman of the Red Cross Nursing Service. It indicates merely that the sudden and extraordinarily heavy demand for nurses has not been thol oughly 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 by the Army Nurses Corps that over 30,O00 nu ses will be need ed, on the basis of the present esti- mates, for an army of 100000 men.
 16,5oo Enrolled.
 Statistics prepared at the headquar- ters of the Red Cross Nursing Service in Washington show that there are between SO,000 and 90,000 registered nurses in the United States. Of this number approximately 16,500 are en- rolled Red Cross nurses, the majority of whom are in active service or ready for mobilization for specified purpose. The Red Cross enrolment forms the reserve of the United States Army Nurses Corps and the United States Navy Nurses Corps.
 Already 1,790 nurses have been equipped and sent abroad by the Red Cross Nursing Service. For service at home the Red Cross has provided 2,50O nurses. More than 2,000 addi- tional 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 eantonments. Eighty-nine are serving in a public health detach, ment under the American Red Cross in France. Twelve public health nurses are in Roumania, three i1 Greece and one in Serbia.
 l Requirements Modified.
 All Red Cross nurses assigned tC duty in military hospitals automatical ly become members of the Army ol Navy Nurses Corps and are no longer under the supervision or direction o1 the Red Cross. These nurses, wher 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 oi the Army and Navy Nurses Corps tht Red Cross has modified somewhat tht former requirements for enrolment The age limit Is lowered to twenty one years, and in special cases nurses over forty may be accepted. Smal schools for training nurses have beer naacsd on the accredited list.
 Since the entrance of the Unitet States in the war the number of pu pfls entering nurses training school has increased 20 per cent, Within tn last few days the Red Cross has re cruited and equipped a group of 10 nurses for the Army Nurses Corp for service with the British Expedi tionary Forces at the request of tn British Government. It has als mobilized several highly specialize, groups of nurses for orthopedic, psy chiatric and facial surgery hospitals as well as mobile operating units an ofher imnortant grouDS