OCR Text |
Show American Red Cross Announces Plans For Post-War Work "The post-war problems of the American Red Cross will be a matter of shifting emphasis from overseas operations to home activities ac-tivities rather than a change in already existing programs. This shift of emphasis will be geared in direct proportion to the extent ex-tent and speed of the demobilization demobiliz-ation of our armed forces. This is the statement received today by Mrs. Claud Thompson, chairman chair-man of the Washington County Chapter, from Verne Simmons, manager of the Pacific area headquarters head-quarters of the American Red Cross, San Francisco. Special Committee Appointed Simmons' communication pointed point-ed out that a special committee, headed by Edward Dana of Boston, Bos-ton, has already been appointed to develop post-war plans, and staff committees have been formed in each of the organization's five area offices and 3,756 chapters to work together in the close coordination co-ordination of planning. "Demobilization of our overseas forces will, at best, be a slow process when peace comes," Simmons' Sim-mons' statement continued. "Therefore it is obvious that the Red Cross will continue full Welfare Wel-fare and Recreation services both in the United States and in any foreign country where American men may be located. Many other Red Cross services will continue undiminished. For instance, our health and education services: First aid, water safety and accident acci-dent prevention, home nursing, nutrition, Junior Red Cross, college col-lege units will, if anything, be expanding ex-panding programs with the coming com-ing of peace. Similarly Red Cross' traditional disaster service (Continued on page twelve) Red Cross 'Continued from first page) will continue to operate in peacetime peace-time just as it has in war, and since its inception in 1SS1." . "The Red Cross services which will show the greatest increase will be those having to do with our hospitalized men. and with those extended to servicemen, ex-servicemen ex-servicemen and their families in our local communities. Veteran's administration officials state that it will be 25 years before the peak of hospitalization of American Ameri-can veterans of World War II will be reached. This indicates very clearly that all hospital programs, pro-grams, in which Red Cross workers work-ers assist in medical social work, recreation and entertainment must expand for many years to come. In our communities, Red Cross home service department activities activi-ties will also be pyramided as increasing in-creasing numbers of discharged servicemen return and seek Red Cross assistance and advice in securing the benefits to which they are and will be entitled by present and future laws." To Meet Local Needs In releasing Simmon's statement, state-ment, Mrs. Thompson empasized that in peace time all Red Cross services have the common purpose- of meeting needs in local communities, and in lending themselves them-selves to immediate expansion and application to the greater needs of war. f,It is obvious," he said, "that some of our purely war-time activities ac-tivities ' will be curtailed. The present extension service to prisoners pris-oners of war will, of course, be discontinued with the final release re-lease or exchange of war prisoners. prison-ers. Army and Navy nurse recruitment re-cruitment will also be restricted in accordance with needs, as will war relief production and foreign war inquiry. The Red Cross blood procurement, which now is the sole source of blood plasma for treatment of our armed forces, will be studied as to its application applica-tion for meeting civilian needs". |