Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-12-02
Two Papers on the Question Of County Nurse for Villas County
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: IaLI.L Ii p.Aa4
Published by request Of the Patent Teachers Association


Public Health Nurse wonder
how many Of us there are who realize
what she would mean to Commun-
ity and what the real necessity of hay-
ing her is?
To begin with, this county has, as
have many others put first and fore
most the question of financing a
county nurse. She would mean an
added expense and to many (slow
thinkers) an unnecessary one. They
say the county is already over bur-
dened and that taxes are heavy but
they have failed utterly to realize
that well trained efficient public
health nursing service wisely and ade-
quately supported would save not only
money, but lives as well.
After all is not the human life of
as much Importance as road construc-
ton and other county improvements?
Give our children safer health roads
on which to travel they will bear
rich fruit when manhood and woman
hood are reached.
Public health nursing does pay be-
cause it cuts down the infant death
rate by reducing the number Of still
births, premature births and deaths
among mothers at child birth and
transforms weakly, puny babies into
healthy ones.
1t prevents epidemics or in the
event Of their breaking out aids in
controlling them. Such conditions as
have existed here in the past and
will exist again if immediate steps
are not taken would soon be over.
come. There was no excuse for our
epidemic Of last year and who was
responsible? / say the general public.
For thru their ignorance or indiffer-
ence failed to appreciate the import
ance of keeping the schools, churches
and public gathering places free Of
disease and infection. And how many
times have | heard parents suppos-
edly intelligent educated parents
say oh!my boy has only a slight cold
and I'm not going to keep him out of
school for that. Does it ever occur
to these same parents that perhaps
their child is exposing his innocent
neighbor at school to something he
is not physically able to cast off and
who perhaps comes from a very poor
home where small children will be
subject to the same infection.
It would be quite different story if
the tables were turned. An alert
| capable county nurse would not toll
crate such conditions for one moment
Thru the county nurse, the home
and school, the parent and teacher
would be brought closer together and
| the home and school made more
| healthful place for the boys and girls
who are the communities most valu-
able economic asset and who during
their period of development spend so
large proportion of their time in the
| school,
The tuberculosis question is also a
very important one The death rate
could be reduced and the spread of
the disease limited by the early dis
covery of unsupported and undiag-
nosed active cases, by inducing pat
tents to take sanitarium treatment by
watchful supervision over children and
other members of the family who
have been exposed and by urging up
on cases under supervision of the i'm
| portance of medical attention and
treatment in the very earliest stages
of the disease when a cure is practi-
cally certain, especially among chill
dren.
The county nurse is able to give
valuable cooperation to other agen-