Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 9, Number 50, DeMotte, Jasper County, 2 November 1939 — Red Cross Nurse Reserve at Peak [ARTICLE]

Red Cross Nurse Reserve at Peak

Disaster Service, Home Nursing, Health Education, Keep Thousands Busy Washington.—The Red Cross reserve of registered nurses qualified for immediate duty is stronger than ever before, Miss Mary Beard, director of the American Red Cross nursing services, announced. "We now have a first reserve of 15,000 unmarried nurses under 40 years of age available for duty with the Army, Navy or government nursing services and subject to call by the Red Cross for disaster work,” she said. “This is 700 more than any previous first reserve registration.’* Miss Beard pointed out that the increase has been gradual and that only registered nurses meeting rigid requirements of training and physical fitness are enrolled. All classes of nurse reservists, including nurses now employed by the Red Cross, bring the reserve corps total to 44,283. During the World War of 1914-18 the American Red Cross mustered nearly 20,000 nurses for duty with Army, Navy and Red Cross hospitals, at home and overseas. “Maintenance of the Nurses Reserve Is provided iby our charter and is in line with Red Cross policies of prevention and preparedness, but the peacetime w’ork of our nurses is equally important,” Miss Beard said. The director explained that more than 2,000 nurses, chiefly home hygiene and care of the sick instructors, were