Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-01-29
WORK OF SCHOOL AND
COMMUNITY NURSES
Much Good is Being Accom-
plished in Correcting Defects
in School Children.


three departments of the Bureau OF
Hygiene. Delaware Chapter, A. r. c..
| has issued a statement giving some
idea of the work. She supervises three
Red Cross Public Health Community
! nurses and six county school nurses
and one clinical nurse at the work
house. The six school nurses are work.
! ing for the State Board of Education
! and are paid from the Christmas seals
sale.
/ Miss Bobelen, when asked TO explain
| the character of the nursing service
/ said: The very nature Of the school
nurses work makes it impossible 70
/ estimate the result with any degree
| of accuracy since the seed planted by
her will bear fruit not only this year
| nor next but on down through the
| years of the future when the children
of today become the parents of tomor-
! row. The school nurses work Is TO
teach the art of keeping well. the
training of health habits and to en-
| courage the correction Of defects that
| will lead TO better health. Their work
! IN the school begins with a brief talk
TO the children, explaining just what
| they expect TO do. then preliminary
examination Of each child, which con-
sists of weighing. measuring, examin-
ing of teeth. tonsils, etc. This is follow
ed by n general physical examination
| by DR.. Osinoup. the medical inspector.
assisted by the school nurse. A card Is
sent to the parents or guardian of each
child notifying them of any existing
defect and recommending it's correction.
The school nurse viii assist the parents
in this by directing them to the proper
sources, or. when the parents are un-
able to do so, Will herself take the
children to the dentist, oculist or hospi-
tai dispensary She has been the means
of detecting and arresting the spread
Of contagious disease in the school
room. She also inspects the school
buildings and their surroundings. and.
by reporting unsanitary conditions TO
the proper authorities. has had many
Of them corrected. There Is. however.
still room for much Improvement In
this direction In the rural schools Of
Delaware. Ten thousand six hundred
and sixty-seven examinations were
made and loss home visits made last
year.
One result of the physical exaTninA-
ion has been number of children
directed to the dentists of,ioa. many of
whom would never have found their
way there until they came to be fitted
for false teeth. The children. who,
through the school nurses efforts have
had their tonsils removed during the
summer vacation are already showing
results IN improved health, better
school attendance and school work.
There have been several cases Of chill
dren. believed by their teacher TO be
retarded, VINO have had TO repeat q
grade once or even twice, the exainina-
ton Of whose eyee showed them to be
50 detective that II was impossible for
the child to see what WAS written on
the blackboard
Overcoming Prejudice.
Tn one snsan rural school there were
three sisters whose mother was op-
posed 10 having her children examined:
and ! would like to say here that par
ents oppos1tion TO the work is becorn-
ting lese frequent with a better under
standing OF is value TO the children.
In the case mentioned the Oldest sis
ter recognized the school nurse as one
who had taken care Of her aunt several
years ago and this served to do away
with ali objections. and the examina-
ton proceeded One Of the children
a note WIS sent TO ber mother. recon-
rnending that the child be taken TO an
oculist This suggestion was acted
upon and IT was found that the child
was rapidly losing her sight and If the
condition had been allowed to go on a
little longer would have been beyond
help. Needless TO say, the mother Is
now greatly in favor Of physical ex-
animation Of school children. This is
not an exceptional case. there being
many very much like ii throughout
the state. Another child In New Castle
county wes very much retarded IN his
school work. An examination of his
eyes disclosed that he had only $40
sight in each eye This nloher be-
ing without means 20 provide glasses,
the school nurse called the attention
OF an influential member of he COM
TO the case and the chfld's eyes
are now being cared for.
Last month the examinations in
Kent county alone disclosed nine cases
Of spinal curvature the existence OF |
which was in almost every case un- |
known 10 the parents.
"As a step toward reducing the num- |
Der of cases OF nlalnutrftion. of which |
there are an alarming number in Della |
ware, the Red Cross has planned with |
the cooperation of the school teachers, |
to supplement the lunch Of the chill |
cren in some Of the rural schools with |
q. hot dish--cocoa or soup. This plan |
is already being carried out in some
Of our schools. and. a recent appro-
priation by our executive committee
hos made II possible for us to assist In
furnishing equipment in about 20 more
schools The selection Of these schools
Will be regulated by the number OF
children and necessarily
by the Willingness Of the teachers and
the children 10 cooperate. The health
reports Of Delaware show an unusually
high rate Of tuberculosis and it is the
undernourished. or what Is more COM
monty the case. nal-pour1shed chill
dren, who, because of their lowered
this disease.
The Red Cross community nurses
are doing all around public health nurs- |
ing, including school work. bedside |
care, childs hygiene, conduct |
ing veneresl clinics and general health |
work.
1.-THE Claymont service, ably con-
Quoted by q joint committee from the |
Claynont Branch OF the Delaware |
Chapter, the school board and com |
rnuntiy league, is being used by the |
School for Social Ser |
vice for the practical training of their |
students in community nursing. The
same school has arranged to send as