Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1941-11-06
Look to Volunteers
For Civil Defense

ton, What can I do for American"
the Red Cross is providing an answer
for hundreds of thousands of men and
women who want to do their part on
the civilian defense front.
For women, the Red Cross is pro-
viding an S0-hour training course to
recruit a corps Of 100000 Nurses
Aides. 1t is the Red Cross newest
project, undertaken at the request of
the U. S. Office of Civilian Defense to
relieve the current pressure on nurs-
ing facilities.
With thousands of nurses being
taken into military service with our
armed forces, civilian nursing has suf.
fered direct blow, the Red Cross
points out Moreover, the defense pro.
gram has created additional health
problems which has heightened the
need for civilian nursing.
Red Cross Nurses Aides will serve
as assistants to registered nurses, per-
forming scores Of important duties
which will enable nurses to care for
more cases. The Red Cross stresses
that Nurses Aides will not take the
place of the registered nurse, but will
serve in an auxiliary capacity.
On the more dramatic side OF civilian
defense, the Red Cross is gearing its
far-fung disaster fighting machine to
handle mass feeding, housing and
clothing of exacuees under wartime
conditions. In cooperation with the
Office of Civilian Defense, chapters
are Strengthening disaster relief COM
mittees to cope with man-made disas-
ter much on the same scale as relief
operations following natural catastro-
phe. Organization along these lines
include preparedness measures for
fires, explosions and epidemics which
may be expected to result from accel-
Grated industrial activity incident to
national defense or sabotage.
Strictly as precautionary measure,
the Red Cross is devising means of
confronting emergency relief in the
event of sporadic air or sea attacks,
considered conceivable hazards in
some coastal and boundary areas.
The need for First Aid in civilian
defense has not been neglected by the
Red Cross Last year nearly 100000
were trained in emergency treatment
of the injured. This year the figure
is expected to go much higher with
special emphasis being placed on the
formation of detachments which would
serve as units in factories, office build
ings, schools and other places where
persons are concentrated.
Red Cross courses in Home Nursing
and in Nutrition also are being ex-
banded as feature of the civilian
defense program, it was pointed out
Mounting health hazards and the short
age Of civilian nurses may at any time
obligate the housewife-or even the
man Of the house-to assist in caring
for the sick. Likewise, the Red Cross
is placing greater emphasis on Nutri-
ton courses designed to teach house
holders the art of purchasing and pre-
pairing well-balanced meals within the
range of the family pocketbook.
The Red Cross provides recreational
service for patients in all Army and
Navy hospitals. Sixty-fve new hospi-
tails are under construction by the
Army, and their recreation buildings
are being equipped and stated by the
Red Cross as each one opens.
AS part Of the Army and Navy
safety programs, members of the ma.
tfonal Red Cross staff are qualifying
instructors in First Aid and Water
Safety among the ranks of the enlisted
man. Instructors taught by the Red
Gross in turn conduct classes on the
reservations.
The number of Army and Navy
eases assisted by Red Cross field direc.
tors has increased in volume 40 per
cent since Selective Service has been
In operation. During the past year
126,515 cases involving active service
men have been handled in the camps.
The Red Cross recently made avail
able $1,0O0,000 to meet an emergency
need for athletic equipment for the
Army and Navy. This need arose when
Government appropriations for the
purpose became exhausted.
In addition to providing the Army
and Navy with an official reservoir of
nurses, the Red Cross is cataloging
the nations medical technologists.
Through this program, in which an.
5000 technicians have
registered, the Army and Navy will
select such professional personnel as |
laboratory workers, dietitians, den.
tai technicians, pharmacists and other
categories OF trained technologists. a.