The Historic and Modern Role of Nurses at the American Red Cross

By: Diane Toomey

We’re very proud of our heritage at the American Red Cross. Founded by Clara Barton in 1881, her individual contributions during the Civil War pre-date the role we now call nursing, but Clara’s work was exactly that. She learned how to store and distribute medical items, and offered personal support to the soldiers in hopes of keeping their spirits up. Clara knew she was needed on the battlefield, caring for those who were suffering.

Fast forward to modern times, nurses at the American Red Cross represent all stages of their careers, from students and active medical professionals, to veterans who continue their life’s work through volunteering.

Barb Gumbert, Norma Smith and Bill Szabo, are three Northwest Region volunteers who retired from professional nursing roles, but still yearn to help others.  Working with the American Red Cross is a means to that end, giving them the ability to maintain a nursing license while offering critical services to the individuals we serve.

“It is rewarding,” said Barb Gumbert. “Helping people is amazing and you can get back to the basics of nursing, which is caring for their emotions, their physical being and their psyche and helping on this smaller scale feels even grander.”

Bill Szabo volunteers as a Lead Nurse in Bellingham area. Being part of a Disaster Action Team (DAT) gives him lots of opportunity to support his community, something he didn’t want to lose after retiring.  He said he “enjoys the sense of purpose that volunteering grants” him.

Norma Smith agrees. “Nurses don’t retire well, we are trained to work anywhere,” she said. Though retired and 85 years old, Norma still teaches preparedness classes, works in shelters and drove over 9,000 miles for Red Cross volunteering last year!

Displaced victims of disasters often lose everything, including medical prescriptions, medical devices, even dentures. That’s another critical area where volunteer nurses come in, helping recover essential, sometimes life-threatening items.

“Nurses are critical to the quality of our service,” said Meghan O’Hara, Northwest Regional Disaster Officer. “Our mandate is to serve the immediate needs of a community following a disaster and nurses lead our efforts towards improved functional access and disability understanding for every individual in our care.”

For more information about how to volunteer with the Red Cross as a nurse or any number of specialties, go to: www.redcross.org

October 27, 2016. Fair Bluff, North Carolina. Nam Ngo just graduated from Nursing school a few months ago and now finds himself in a shelter in Fair Bluff, NC helping local residents whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Matthew. “I had a small break between graduating and starting work and took the chance to help,” says Nam. “It has been a great experience. I’m always busy doing what I love.” Photo by Daniel Cima for the American Red Cross

July 10, 2012. Martin Luther King Community Center, Charleston, West Virginia. Red Cross nurse Vicki Gurriell comforts 10-year-old Unique Lloyd who has an ear infection. For the past nine days, Unique and her family have been staying at the Red Cross shelter since their home lost power and the water was shut off after powerful storms struck their neighborhood. Photo by Daniel Cima/American Red Cross

February 17, 2017. Chico, California. Scenes from the Red Cross Disaster Health Services center at the Red Cross Oroville Dam evacuation shelter in Chico, CA Photo by Marko Kokic for the American Red Cross

Monroe, Louisiana. Annias Baker, 78, has lived in the Monroe, Louisiana, home he shares with his sister for 30 years, and this is the first time it has flooded. “The water was all the way up to the bed,” he said. He and his sister evacuated to a Red Cross shelter nearly a week ago. Because health concerns make getting around difficult, Red Cross nurse Joan Nyitrai was able to provide him with a wheelchair to make his time away from home a little more comfortable. Photo by Daniel Cima/American Red Cross