The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-12-31
HELPING VERMONT
CHILDREN TO HEALTH
What one-Day Hospital Accomplish
cd In Isolated Bennington County
Villane.

We all know IN our communities
the service and value Of the district
nurse Her little car, with the small
red cross painted on the door, Is a
amllar sight these days, on our nigh
ways, and standing in front CT our
farmhouses. No one can estimate
what her efficiency, her helpfIlness.
her announcement means to tho wo.
men at the head Of these country
.1ouseholds, and what present and
future benefits the little children
reap from her surveillance, The
nurse advises and suggests what
should be done in each individual.
case She usually has the entire co,
operation Of the village doctor and
the village authorities; and wherever
there Is a hospital in the vicinity. It's
star and equipment are generally at
the disposal OF the district nurse and
her most urgent patients
In our Vermont communities. the
nurse has greater obstacles 70 over.
come than in many other parts Of the
country. our settlements are very
o'd, lying along TIE water courses,
and a so frequently hugging the stony
SIDES OF the mountains. antodating
the railroads, which thread the val.
leys. by many many years. This is
"a very different environment to one
near the great cities, or in the fiat
ands, intcrsected everywhere by the
inter-urban trolleys OF TIE Middle
West; and II makes very different
tas
Dorset is one OF Nermouts loyeliest
y.lages-but it is eight miles from
the railway Perhaps that indisput.
able fact, those extra eight mi'es may
tell the tale of the cause and effect Of
the One-Day Dorset BmergenNv Hos
p tai, last summer Take a busy farm.
er's wife, with her home aud her life
full Of small children-it may seem
almost impossible for her TO set hold
of the Ford. or the horse, ami then of
the children who need it-and most
Of them do! for the drive over TO the
railway, ON their first lap of the
wearyine journey towards getting
rid OF offending tonsils and adenoids.
Doctors cannot conscientious oper.
ate, except in emergency cases In the
usual conditions of any homo, and
the county nurse, Miss Dora NJ. Clark
found that it was beyond her power
to do what she realized was ncces-
sary.
With the earnest cooperation oS
Or. Little Of Dorset, a committee was
formed Of Interested women Mrs.
West, Mrs. Haven. Mrs, H. Y GIL
bert, Mrs, Barrows, Mrs. Atkinson
and Mrs. Harrington. There was ono
man on the committee, MIR. Batche!'
der. not only Of particular help IN
advising and directing the whole
movement, but who also did valiant
yeomau service in carrying and NOV
ing cots and tho required equipment.
They promptly found an ideal loea'
tion for their work, in the basement
of the Congregational church, the
large audience room to be used as a
ward. the kitchen for operating, and
the little library for the children's s
dressing room. The women OF the
committee made themselves respon'
sbile for the cots and bedding the
sheets and towels, all the old. soft
rags they could gather together, and
with Mrs. ldttle's help, whatever
nourishment would be required for
the little patients OF a day. Miss
Clark attended to the thorough steri
lization Of the rooms and dressings
And the committee also made some
half dozen little night gowns for the
children. which proved very pres
ent help IN trouble; these gowns now
carefully laundered are laid away FOL
possible future use.
Dr. Marshall the surgeon, can't
down from Rutland for the appointed
day; and was willingly assisted by
Dr. Little, by Dr. Elliott, health Off
Ger from Manchester, Miss Clark
two other nurses and a practica
nurse from the village The commit