The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-08-10
PUBLIC HEALTH
AMENDMENT IN
CONGRESS Bill
CONGRESSMAN McDuFFiE;f ALA
BAMA, WANTS A DEPARTMENT
or HEALTH UNDER A CABINET
MEMBER.


caused Congressman McDuffie, Of
Alabama. to announce an important
amendment to his bill creating de-
partment OF health under cabinet
member.
Congressman McDuffie's bill in it's
final form. according to letter writ
ten to the national organization for
public health nursing. will include
provision for a bureau of public health
nursing, whose chief will be a trained
public health nurse and one of the
high ranking officer of the reorgan-
lied health department.
"A national health department with
out bureau of public health nursing
would unquestionably be Anticipated
and incomplete said Mr.. McDuffie.
More and more communities are
pleading for public health nurses. In
rapid succession, many state legisla-
lures have passed legislation making
public health nursing mandatory or
permissive within their jurisdiction.
Where the public health nurse Is not
at work, people are dying unnecessar-
lily: the health officer lacks his most
effective co-worker; and indeed, the
whole system OF public health admin
istration Is heavily handicapped. The
national government, which IL suppos-
ed TO provide a model for the states
in legislation OF this sort. certainly
cannot afford to lag behind in health
matters.
The public health nursing bureau
which will be provided for in my bill
will be stated by competent women
with nursing and public health train
ing and experience. In case OF an
epidemic this bureau will be able to
mobilize nurses to fight the disease
i'm the spot where it appears.
The bureau will constantly keep
valuable records of statistics of the
nursing forces of the country, and
will issue educational material show
ing communities their need of public
health nursing and urging young wo-
men to enter the public health nursing
field. The staff of this bureau would
aid communities, whenever their aid
was requested, to have surveys made
showing where the weak spots in
their health provisions were. and to
organize public health nursing forces
10 fight disease and protect health.
The record of the public health
nurse In America during the war is
a record just as distinguished On
every way as that Of her sister who
served overseas. In the extra can
Torment zones around large army
camps. the public health nurse proved
herself invaluable. both i'm caring for
disease, disseminating vital health
education. and in detecting incipient
spidemics and preventing their spread.
Our army went abroad the healthiest
army OF modern times and according
to repeated declarations by no less
an authority than Surgeon General
Blue himself. no small share Of the
credit Is due to the public health
nurse.
During the influenza epidemic. the
public health nurses of the country
performed a service which can only be
described as heroic. In the midst Of
the epidemic. with disease raging
practically unchecked in city, town
and country districts alike, with rich
and poor alike unable to get assist
ance, our public health nurses, de-
pieted I'm number as they were .by
the thousands who had enlisted for
overseas service, worked day and
night with truly unexampled devotion,
for which, indeed, many paid with
their lives.
Whether as district nurse indus
trial nurse. infant welfare nurse. or
school nurse. the public health nurse
Il always and everywhere a teacher
She IL the community mother, the
home missionary OF health. And
wherever she goes she is welcome.
because her nursing training enables
her TO serve SO effectively the vital
needs OF the families whom she visits.
IL Is safe to say that the popularity
Of the visiting nurses uniform is
equal to that or the army and navy.
II look for great things to come
from the creation of this bureau, espe-
eialiy I'm the work which the public
health nurse will do in rural COM
munities. Practically no progress has
been made in the sanitation OF rural |
homes. Only one per cent of the farm |
houses OF this country have sanitary
toiietss twenty-five per cent have no /
toilets mt all. The drinking water
which supplies IS per cent of farm
homes is polluted. There are MANY
counties I'm the south, and in the west.
where the only agent OF health IL
the overworked country doctor. where
hospitals are too distant 10 be avail
able 20 the ordinary man. woman and
child. where trained nurses are un-
known. and where the doctor can get
around to cases only OF the greatest
seriousness A public health nurse
making regular rounds through these
counties would be able to assist the
1octor I'm serious cases. to detect i'll
ness before 1t becomes critical. to
EDUCATE the people i'm keeping well. toll
suild up a strong and sturdy race OF
americans
it Lay because I know so well these
conditions from personal observation.
hat believe the extension OF public
ieaith nursing provided for i'm this
mendment- to be one of the greatest