The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-08-29
Has Been Announced Which Provides
for Nationwide ~ctivlty in tho
Promotion of Public
Health.
A NEW ROLL CALL SOON
American People VIII be Asked to
Renew Their Memberships for
1920 and Contribute
$15,ooo,ooo.

Following the ANNOUNCEMENT VI LIZ
| third Red Cross roll call TO De nelo
November 2 to IL. when the American
people will be asked TO renew lneH
membership for 1920 and contribute
SIS 100000 for the future work OF tne
| Organization, an outline OF the peace
time program OF the American neu
Cross was given today.
| Foremost will be nationwide actlv-
litv for the promotion of public health
4 and hand in hand with this CRUSADE
will 60 vigorous campaign for the
extension Of the country's nursing
resources; the broadening OF Red
Gross home service, which in the
war proved so helpful through the
assistance it was able to give The
| families of soldiers and sailors, to
he of general usefulness where otner
social agencies are lacking; greatly
Increased Junior Red Cross ac:ivi-
ties, extension Of Red Cross f1cllf
! ties for emergency disaster relief;
completion Of relief measures for the
victims Of the war in this country
and overseas and preparation to ful-
fill whatever duties may be laid upon
it as the official volunteer relief so
ciety authorized to assist the army
and navy.
WIN Try to Prevent Illness.
The plan Of the Red Cross public
health campaign calls for co-opera'
ton with other existing health pro-
motion and disease prevention organ
izations throughout the United
States, acting by itself where no
heath agency now exists, in an
effort to reduce the high mortality
due to preventable disease and to
improve general health conditions.
/ Public health nursing will be one
of the important features of this cam
paign. Red Cross public health
nurses will be assigned to as many
small communities as possible. thus
Iexteuding to the rural population
the bedside nursing. school inspec-
ton, classes in hygiene and home
nursing and search for tuberculosis
and other preyentable disease that
has been so effective In the cities and
larger towns.
In this connection It Is planned to
offer to every woman IN America In
lstruction In home sanitation, hygiene,
care of the sick and dietetics, thus
providing first hand knowledge of
how to keep the family well and
what to do where illness or accident
cannot be avoided. These courses
are now being introduced In the pub
lie schools and colleges and are
offered to department store en-
lployes, factory operatives, girl
scouts, nursemaids and others, lifting
them to help combat infant and child
mortality, malnutrition, unsanttary
living conditions, preventable dis
ease and even epidemics In their own
homes.
The seven thousand public health
nurses In the United States are far
too few to meet the ever increasing
demands for their services, and
Iment of scholarships for the post
graduate training Of nurses returning
from Europe for this specialized pub
lie health work, for the development
of the necessary teaching stats and
for research work.
| Red Cross home service among the
families of American soldiers and
sailors has brought out the impor>
ltant fact that IN 80 percent Of the
places where home service is now
operating there is no other social
work agency. Accordingly there is
an imperative demand, national in
scope, that this service, with its
thousands of highly trained workers,
be continued and extended to assist
all needy families in communities
where other neighborly relief is not
at hand. Where social agencies are
established the Red Cross will act
as a cooperating and co-ordinating
organization when requested to do
SO.
AS always in It's long history Of
general usefulness, the Red Cross
must hold itself ready for instant
relief service in time OF public dis
aster, such as great fires, foods,
cyclones, shipwrecks, earthquakes
pestflence, famine and epidemics
Experience in the war and the great
Organization built up through that
emergency will with quickly avail
- Il.