The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1921-02-18
Community Nurse.

| Pafent-IedcnerS- ASSOCIATION 10 Sc
cure the services of a resident com
munity nurse for Union City and vi
last December at a meeting of citizens
for discussion and generally ap-
proved. At that time county nurse
was suggested, but more recently it
was decided that nurse is needed to
give her whole time to the communi-
ty including Union City and imme-
date vicinity. The object in this ar
ticle is to explain the duties of such
a nurse and the scope of her work.
A very important feature of this
work is infant welfare. Mortality
among infants is sometimes excessive,
but oftentimes preventable if the
mothers understood properly how to
meet the emergencies of the situa-
ton. Another great branch of the
work is the care and prevention of
tuberculosis. Oftentimes nurse can
find tubercular traces before the per-
son so infected is aware of the fact.
schools. In this of course the sight,
hearing, the lungs and the general
bodily condition are looked after.
In all cases everywhere the great fac
tor in fighting disease is sanitation,
especially in the schools. 1t is hoped
also to have the nurse serve as truant
officer She is to coordinate with
the health department of the terrific
ry embracing her work.
Among other things the communi-
| ty nurse is to work in connection
with the United Charities and church
organizations ia taking care of the
poor. Her visits will include both
white and colored, and SIZE is to be
found prepared for emergency work.
From this it will be seen that such
nurse is not by any means a private
nurse, as it is not possible to superin
tend the work she is employee TO do
and accept calls for private nursing.
She will however answer emergency
calls while preparations are being |
made to secure the services of pri-
vate nurse.
The community nurse is to in |
struct classes in home nursing. The
recent experiences in the epidemic of
influenza is an example of the work |
that is needed to be done.
An instance of the need of COM
munity nurse was the case last sum-
mer of typhoid fever in the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Smith, across the street |
from the Dahnke-Walker Milling Co.
-four mill. The neighbors had toTstep |
in and take the children, and then
financial circumstances prevented
the employment of a private nurse.
The family were wholly ignorant of
the precautions to be taken and the
sanitary measures necessary. AS a
result the excretions were scattered
over the back lot, the germs to
be distributed in the air and taken
up by unsuspecting persons. This
case and many others needed the
services and the advice Of commu-
nifty nurse.
Fulton, Hickman and Clinton have
nurses. The nurse at
Hickman has been there for five
years The cost for O nurse at this
point is estimated at $500 year,
including office quarters and Ford
coupe. She is to make a charge of
so cents for calls, payable by those
who are able to afford her services
She is to call without charge where
the people are not able to pay the
fee, and this fee is to be a part of
the fund which goes into her salary,
The support of the church, fraternal
and secular organizations in the city
is solicited in this work, as we'll as
private subscriptions. A good start
Mrs. Miller tells us, has been made
toward raising this fund, and no
doubt it will be completed without
anybody.
1t will indeed be worth more than
mere dollars and cents to our people
to have a community nurse, and once
there is a general knowledge of the
work to be accomplished very little
effort will be necessary to keep such
/ nurse permanently with us.