Norwich bulletin., 1920-06-17

ports made to the health officer. through | the public health nurse and the school nurse. During May four of the ten contact cases were brought in or sent in by the school nurse.
 For the past, three months we have had class of little girls on, Saturday morning. These girls range from to | IA years of age and are all either con | tact cases or very much under weight children. Most of whom have been sent | to us by the school nurses. We have | given them short talks along health lines,
 a few lessons in cooking, and for 15 or 20 minutes each lesson ca,esthenics. By
 having an honor roll and little printed
 cards on which they check themselves for obeying certain health rules, we have
 succeeded in making it rather an interest ing game and when weighing time comes
 they are all keenly anxious to see If 1t is
 a gain or a loss.
 The children are the biggest factor
 in educating the grown-ups particularly
 in homes where little or no English is
 spca len the parents and Ii we can get them interested, make them see the
 importance of cleanliness. fresh air and nourishing food, the battle is turning in our favor.
 Miss Elizabeth M Culver described |, the general work of public health nurse
 and spoke in part as follows:
 . In few words may I explain tho
 function of the nurses doing general P bedside nursing in the homes. They work in clcse cooperation with the e physicians of the city. never giving nurs
 ing care to any sick person without in. d structions from the physician who hal s last seen the patient. If no physiciar t, has been in attendance and the financia s resources do not permit calling one th, III nnrSa ba fN tha e and nursing orders are taken from tn o town physician.
 l. In the last 4 1-2 years, believe it e- safe to say that every neighbour % u every nationality, every class of fami le has been visited by these nurses. Ofte 5 it has happened that in the course of or ,e day the same nurse will go from tn
 humblest street and the most modes E. home to the statliest avenue with it @ ? more pretentious homes. It is a t or . oughly democratic work for all peep ce with no distinction as to creed, co,or C or size of pocket book
 al It is inthese homes that the nurse f. opportunity for teaching the lessons a. health presents itse f. While carryir in out the orders ofthe ph! m. s:cian for the patient, she is not blind v- home conditions and to the other me I tn bers of the family. Many physical d. he fectS are detected by the nurses's eXper
 enced eye and the fami y persuaded
 call in the physician for a member NV the fami who until then had not be-
 suspected of n eding such attention
 You can readily see that it is vel
 necessary to have the closest cooper he tion between all the public health nurs H. in order that the best results may be o ln- tained for the community. In the we rt- nature of our work we are brought It touch with mat, of tho s,rna fa-';Iio, ,er Tn the family where siclrna.. hr;r of in the .nubIic health nurso doino ha
 side work there are often children Ter school age in whom of course the schC
 nurses are inter, sted, and in this sal @ l@eu family there may be now or at some su zen @ sequent date may have been a case oe tuberculosis, thus ealing in the inter, ,o1 of the tuberculosis nurse.
 35 This IS something which frequent
 happens and If there did not exist be feeling of good will and desire to co 10 rate on the part of the various nur ent working in the community. you can re
 fly see what an overlapping would vas cur, resulting in a loss of time when Tho or more nurses visit the same home r lity ularly, and also in confusion to ses family.
 led In order to avoid what so often occ to in community where a number of nu osis es are working under various agenc ses, we have been holding weekly round an ble meeting for the public health nun the in which we discuss our problems ing various homes.
 ,nt- In this way we become familiar ted. the families in which we are each VIC re- ing. am trying at present to carry