Evening star., 1936-04-15
VISITING NURSES
WORK INCREASED
Society Finds Many Who
Are Unable to Defray
Costs of Care.

The increased burden imposed upon
the Instructive Visiting Nurse Society
as result of the cutting of of relief
funds for the District is reflected in
the monthly report of the organiza-
tion, made public today, which shows
that 1l,170 visits were made during
the past month to patients who were
unable to pay for their own care.
The report of Miss Gertrude H.
Bowling, executive director. to the
Board of Directors at the monthly
meeting yesterday shows that during
the past month the field staff Of the
society gave care to a total OF 5,87l
patients, 1900 of them new patients.
The report shows that 1886 visits
were made to these patients.
Miss Bowling reported that 335 Wis
its were made to patients who paid
in full in cash, 118 to patients who
paid on an hourly appointment basis
and 468 to patients who paid in part.
She said that 3.605 visits we're made
to patients for whom service was pro-
vided by payments by insurance COM
panies or contract service with local
organizations, such as the Kiwanis
Club.
Payment Sources Stopped.
The patients who we're unable to
pay for their own care, it was re-
ported, were those who We're formerly
carried by private relief associations
or paid for in 1884 and 1885 by the
Board of Public Welfare public assist
ance division. Payments have been
stopped from this source since De-
cember /, 1885. The free work. it was
explained. now is carried by persons
who support the Visiting Nurse Society
either by direct gifts or through the
Community Chest.
The board unanimously adopted
resolution formally expressing its
thanks to an anonymous donor who
came to the rescue of the society when
it had to drop number of its staff
members because of budget cuts ear
lier in the year. This contributor, 1t
was said, made possible the return OF
10 nurses to the staff for the current
ySdA OAl4ys oaG 4OA bAA1o oooAotdhNCs ~
was explained, the organization would
have been forced to neglect many OF
its i'll and INDECENT patients.
Yesterdays meeting was held at the
headquarters Office in the Albee Build
ing, with Mrs. Harlan Fiske Stone
presiding.
Reports Noted Closely.
The treasurer's report was given by
Joshua Evans. jr. Mrs. Charles Craw-
ford reported the activities Of her
Committee on Surgical Dressings and
Supplies. Mrs. Charles w. Wilson,
chairman of the Publicity Committee,
briefly reviewed the educational pub
licity carried through the press and
by speakers at the annual meeting
during the past month.
Mrs. R. M. Kaufman, chairman
of the Nursing Committee, told the
board that her committee had held
four meetings, one Of these IN the
Anacostia Office, since the last board
meeting. She brought out the Coop
GRAFTON of the visiting nurse and the
preventive aspects Of its work in de-
scribing a call which came to the
Anacostia Office during the flood.
Some Is persons forced to leave
their homes because of the water were
gathered by the Red Cross in a school
building and matron put in charge.
One, a girl whose family had called
a visiting nurse before. became Ill and
a call was sent in to the Anacostia
Office. The nurse, on reaching the
girls side, found she had badly
swollen and inf1amed throat and,
since there had been a number OF
diphtheria cases in the neighborhood,
the nurse Immediately got in touch
with the communicable disease chief,
James Cumming, of the Health De-
partment. DR.. Cumming had ply
sician sent out at once, the patient
was hospitalized at Gallinger and di.
agnosed as diphtheria.
Another example of the co-opera-