Red Cross Nursing

Red Cross nurses were involved mainly in disaster relief and support to the military during the early years, generally serving on an “as needed” basis.

• Clara Barton and a team of volunteers operated field hospitals during annual U.S. army maneuvers in Washington, DC beginning in 1887.
• Red Cross nurses worked to combat a severe yellow fever outbreak around Jacksonville, FL in 1888. Some became famous for jumping off a moving train when the railroad refused to stop in one badly-afflicted small town.
• Nurses helped survivors of the 1889 Johnstown, PA flood that killed more than 2,000 and left 25,000 homeless.
• In 1898 the Red Cross provided our first assistance to the military during wartime, recruiting 700 nurses during the Spanish-American War.

The role of the American Red Cross in wartime and peace time was formalized by Congressional charters in 1900 and 1905. In response, the organization created the Red Cross Nursing Service and appointed a strong-willed visionary, Jane Delano, as its director. Among her accomplishments, Delano:

• Created a Red Cross nurses’ reserve in preparation for service with the military in wartime.
• Expanded nursing into domestic life with educational programs in home nursing and first aid.
• Established a Rural Nursing Service (later known as the “Town and Country Nursing Program.”) for medically underserved communities.

Within weeks of the outbreak of World War I, the Red Cross dispatched a “Mercy Ship” with medical supplies, doctors, and 125 nurses to aid military and civilian victims of the conflict. When the United States entered the war, we recruited more than 23,000 nurses to serve at home and overseas.

To help overworked nurses care for returning veterans and to sustain ongoing, domestic nursing programs, the Red Cross introduced the Volunteer Nurses’ Aide Service in 1918.

During the war and following the 1918 armistice, Red Cross nurses aided those afflicted by diseases that accompanied the hostilities, including the Spanish flu epidemic which began in Europe and caused an estimated 22 million deaths worldwide. The American Red Cross recruited more than 15,000 women, including nurses and others who had taken home nursing classes, to help care for flu victims in the United States.

Service to civilian war victims in Europe continued for several years after hostilities ended. The American Red Cross set up hundreds of health centers and child welfare stations staffed by Red Cross doctors, social workers, and nurses.

At home, nurses continued to provide service to convalescing veterans. At the same time, we increased our civilian services:

• New courses in first aid and nutrition for homemakers
• Expanded rural nursing programs
• A special fund to train public health service nurses
• Emergency relief following natural disasters, as well as to social problems caused by the Great Depression

In 1930, the newly-established Veterans Administration took over responsibility for the health care of veterans, although the Red Cross continued to provide social and recreational services. When the federal government introduced Social Security in 1935, the Red Cross reduced its public health nursing activities because the new system provided communities with their own public health funds.

By World War II, our role was limited to recruiting nurses for the Army and Navy Nursing Corps. During the war, approximately 153,000 nurses held “active” status on Red Cross rolls and 71,000 of them served with the military at home and overseas.

The Red Cross launched a blood supply program for the armed services in February 1941. When blood procurement reached its peak in June 1944, nearly 1,000 nurses served in Red Cross blood centers across the country.

After the war, the U.S. government created a permanent Army and Navy Nurse Corps, ending our nurse recruitment responsibilities. Continued expansion of government into public health eventually caused the Red Cross to end its public health nursing service. Red Cross nurses focused on other areas of community service:

• Disaster relief after floods, hurricanes, tornados and more
• Teaching courses in home nursing and nutrition
• The Red Cross civilian blood program
• National health emergencies such as the severe polio epidemic in the 1940s and 50s and periodic influenza outbreaks

In their distinctive capes and hats, nurses were the public face of the American Red Cross for many decades. Today, the Red Cross nurse “uniform” may be a simple vest and pin but they remain a vital part of our disaster services, blood program, and health and safety training. More than 20,000 nurses are involved today in paid and volunteer service with the American Red Cross, sharing the mission of all the women and men who have served under our banner for more than 130 years.

To learn more about today’s Red Cross nurses, and how you can get involved, please visit our Nursing and Health section.