Saturday, July 4, 2015
As families and individuals around the U.S. prepare to celebrate the 4th of July holiday and prepare for summer vacations or family outings by swimming, barbecues or just enjoying the summer months a group of individuals are committed to volunteering so that those impacted by daily disastrous events receive health related assistance from the Red Cross.  Volunteer Red Cross Nurses are the silent heroes working on the forefront as well as behind the scene to assist victims plagued by disasters and emergency situations.

While few people know of their existence other than in blood services, there is a special group of volunteer nurses around the country who are on call each day working to provide a number of services to clients. Nurses have always been a cornerstone for the provision of services by the American Red Cross. More than 20,000 nurses (2015) continue to be involved in paid and volunteer capacities at all levels and in all service areas throughout the Red Cross organization.

Red Cross nurses lead health care professionals who work to maintain the mission of disaster health services to assist with the immediate emergent needs of victims of disaster. The range of services include assistance replacing any medical item lost or destroyed during a disaster such as medications or durable medical equipment to assistance paying funeral expenses related to a disaster.  Red Cross nurses and health care professionals provide home visits and hospital visits to ensure disaster related client care is achieved. Anytime a shelter is opened a Red Cross nurse or health care professional is there to care for those housed in the shelter.

As the numbers of apartment and house fires, forest fires, flooding, windstorms and other natural disasters around the country continue to escalate, the number of Volunteer Red Cross nurses and health care professionals seems to dwindle. Given the dire need for recruitment and retention and the heartfelt thanks to volunteer nurses and healthcare professionals;  this is an opportune time to pause and thank this special group.

Thank you our unsung heroes representing the Red Cross nurses and other healthcare professionals who give of themselves daily while serving the community.

Nurses and any healthcare professional interested in volunteering as a Red Cross health service volunteer can respond to this blog for information  or visit the Red Cross website http://www.redcross.org/ 

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