Evening star., 1946-05-24
Stronger Nurse
Service Needed,
Survey Reports
Nearby Sections
Reported Far Below
Adequate STANDARD
By Harold B. Rogers

While the evolution of public
health nursing has been sound and
constructive" in the National Cap
ital area, serious challenges" are to
be met in the future, because nurs-
ing forces now are "far below the
level of effective service"
Presenting this critical ANALYSIS.
the metropolitan health and hos
pltal survey today recommended
consideration be given to a single
complete generalized community
nursing service. providing both
health supervision and home nursing
care to the entire population" POOL
ing OF present facilities was urged.
Several broad-gauge recommends
tons were put forward in Chapter
XII OF the survey report. Specific
problems in each of the six political
jurisdictions In the METROPOLITAN
Area were analyzed. Outstanding
needs" were outlined and remedies
proposed.
Joint Action Recommended.
The two principal recommends.
tlons for the District of Columbia.
l. The Health Department and
the Instructive Visiting Nurse So
clety Should appoint a Joint com.
mlttee to consider in detail the NH.
tual responsibilities of their two or.
ganlzatlons to explore the possible
tles OF joint educational program
and to work out plan for a Joint
once Tor the two groups of nurses
IN one district where co-ordinating
pollcles and practices could be
stuoled experimentally and demon.
strated. '-
z. The Child Welfare Society and
the Kiwanis Club should give serious
consideration to the desirabilitv of
contracting with the Instructive
visiting Nurse Society to provide the
nome nursing service now supplied
by those organizations.
Looking into the future. with .
view to modern trends, the report
declared:
In the communities not nov
regularly offering nursing care of
the sick in their homes. it is i'm
portant to call attention to the fact
tnat as the national health service
plans, which include medical care.
develop and expand under govern.
mental as we'll as voluntary auspices.
nursing services will be required for
those enrolled in such plans and
should be available from an organ
lzed community nursing service"
Home Visits Restricted.
Making statistical report on the
shortage OF nurses throughout the
entlre Metropolitan Area, based on
the American Public Health Asso.
claeaon estimate of lone nurse for
Z'ooo persons" the survey said the
result Is that 'the nurses in nearly
all areas are forced to devote half
or tWo-thlrds of their time to clinic
services, to the serious detriment of
the important task of home visiting ~
Inc District of Columbia and
Alexandria were said to have
lesS tnan half the service they
need for adequate service" the
surveyors said, while Prince Geors.
county has less than one-fifth. and
falrfax not much over one-tenth
The basic minimum" suggested
oy the American Public Health As
soclatlon Tor the most fundamental
and elementary official public health
services with no provision for bed
side care) was said to be one nurse
Tor 5000 people. Fairfax and Prince
Georges Counties have, respectively,
: one-quarter and one-half of this
+ minimum.
e Backs Pooling of Resources.
e ON the subject of overall recon.
: mendations. the surveyors said thev
r agreed with the proposal of their
nursing consultant, Miss Ruth Fish
: er, OF the National Organization for
Public Health Nursing that "a COM
= olnatlon of services should eventu-
e ally include pooling of funds, per-
= sonnet and other facilities of all
agencies now engaged in or con-
;. cerned with the administration OF
/: public health nursing"
/; Life insurance companies. public
n assistance agencies, employe or labor
5. organizations, are among the groups
S that should be able to turn to such
d central source of public nursing
= to purchase service by contract OF
2 other agreement the report de.
d clared. Individuals and families ir
= various income groups also shoulc
5, be able to secure the kinds anc
It amounts of home nursing needed
from this same community agency,
/. Praising the Bureau of Nursing
|: OF the District Health Department,
: as "one OF the outstanding achieve.
= ments of the department during thu
!; past 10 years." the survey declared
: however, that the staff sis made.
a quate to meet the needs of the Dis.
', trict." The theoretical staff O
: 160, in which there are now A va
: cancies, the report said, should b,
6 increased to more than 300 to NEE
: the ideal standards of service a
: they are met in cities which have \,
h fully ADEQUATE public health nursing
j. program"
:; Opposition Regretted.
g Pointing to the need for expan
h sion of medical social service, tn,
a report said that developments alon,
J. such lines are opposed by tn
l. heads of the Bureau of Nursing.
This was said to be particularly re
j. grettable, since the District ha
n made pioneer efforts in this direc
Z. ton and could furnish a model fo
e, the country in the municipal field.
= The Instructive Visiting Nurs
l. Society was praised for its recor,
}; OF nearly half a century of dis
rt tinguished service" and for havin
J. given an admirable example O
IS leadership in cooperative com
r, munity planning" But with ad
f. ditional personal, and more none
i'd recommended from the Communit
Chest and from the Board of Publ
l. Welfares tax funds for the car
le Of the INDECENT, the society's servic
could well be expanded.
Home nursing needs of age
members of the community, and q
persons with cancer, cardiac an
certain mental illnesses, have hard
ly been touched either in the Distric
A~.a 49,.