The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-02-04
It Has Done Much Good During Six
Years That 1t Has Been an In
stitution Of This
City.
REPORT OF PRESIDENT
tuberculosis, Baby Welfare and Other
Phases, OF District Nursing
Done Here Accomplish
ed In Past Year.

The annual report Of Mrs, Grace
Rich, president of the Visiting Nurse
association of keokuk. read this morn
ing, is as follows:
It is now the close of the sixth year
of our public health nursing service.
In some ways this past year we have
not been able to accomplish as mucn
as we might desire, but in all, the year
has been success. When We look
over the past year and find our nurses
have made an average OF 800 visits
each month, we know that great gooa
has been accomplished.
Mdss Alexander left us in August to
go into Red Cross service. Miss
Schneider took her place and has been
on duty since that time While many
nurses We're answering the call to Red
Cross work, we were glad to know that
the Red Cross appreciated the neeo
Of public health nursing at home and
recommended that a certain group OF
nurses should continue In home SER
vice and to these they gave a special
service cheyron. Miss Brown, who has
been with us five years, was given
such q chevrOn.
We feel that our two nurses have
given us efficient and conscienscious
work and we are very grateful Tor
this.
Miss Brown has made a special Ell
fort in her baby welfare work to look
after her cases and has been careful
in the follow up work until we feel
sure her work has been a great sue
cess, both in real nursing and in In
6truction.
Newer mothers meetings have been
held this year than in former years. be-
| cause of the prevalence of contagious
diseases. We realize the importance
of these meetings and hope to renew
them in 1919.
This work has been helped through
the Baby Welfare league. who furnish
milk when needed and ice during 'tha
sumnter months.
| One branch Of our work that we
lave not been able to do as much as
we would like is in the tuberculosis de-
! partment We need nurse for that
/ alone, for we know from real eNper-
fence how much we were able to ac-
| somplfsh while that was looked after
by special nurse.
~ Now that the war is over We are urg-
ed by the Red Cross organization
| to watch that branch of the service
and to follow UP this epidemic OF In
/ fiuenza But we face the same condl-
tons that we have for these six years.
! We know that tuberculosis thr1ves III
unsanitary surroundings and still this
| is not changed. We know that I'M
| less houses are screened against flies
It Is bad for any part of public health
work.
! For the advancement of our work
there are three needs:
| First-Better sanitary conditions.
lSecond-An order that all houses
should be screened against flies.
! Third-A conscienscious inspector
| for housing laws.
| Cooperation in these three needs
from our city authorities would bring
results that would count
! Our work this year in Red Cross
stamps was combined with helping the
drive for Red Cross members, and we
hone the result will be greater than
lever before to aid In the tubercular
work that we are all SO interested in.
Our desires will never be satisfied un-
til we have at least been able to build
a hospital. Such as we know we need,
for tuberculosis patients.
| Our Community Christmas was car
ried on as in the years before and was
q success by the generous contrtbu-
tions from the public. From our loan
closet have been sent out clean linen,
baby outfits, gowns and other sick
| room necessities.
/ During the influenza epidemic we
put special nurse on, Miss Heine.
who was only able to nurse for short
time for when she was taken sick we
could not find other nurses. With the
advice and cooperation Of the mayor,
a joint meeting of the Visiting Nurse
association and the departm emit heads
of the Red Cross, was held. as a result
Of which the emergency hospital was
established
For the support OF our association
we are in debt to the manufacturers
and business men and to voluntary
contributions We thank The Gate City
tor the help they have given us by
publishing our needs and work. We arc
indebted to the Y. w. G. A. for our Of
flee and to the secretaries for so will
ingly taking our calls
We thank air who have helped to
sunply our loan closet.
l wish to express my appreciation
Ia you the members OF our association
for the cooperation that you may have
given to Our yerrs work And may
this next year of 1919 be one Of great.
er service for the public health OF our
city.