By Sukripa Shah

Every year, National Nurses Day on May 6th kicks off National Nurses Week, which ends on May 12th, which is coincidentally, International Nurses Day! We’d like to kick off this special week by honoring some of the most valuable people in health care: nurses. This week recognizes millions of nurses for their lifesaving work all over the world. What better reason to revisit history and learn more about how the Red Cross mobilized nurses to serve during wars and hardships?

It was after the inception of the Red Cross Nursing Service in 1905 when the Red Cross formally began providing disaster relief and support to the military in wartime, and Red Cross nurses soon became indispensable worldwide. They provided critical medical help for soldiers during wars, worked the front lines of the 1918  Spanish Flu epidemic, and assisted victims of natural disasters like the Johnstown flood. During the yellow fever epidemic in Jacksonville, Florida, a group of Red Cross nurses even jumped off a moving train so they could assist the sick. Throughout history, nurses have rushed into danger zones and showed selfless, unwavering dedication to patient care, despite the challenges. This is true now more than ever, as 2.86 million registered nurses in the United States work every day to help save the lives of those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Between the wars, from 1914 to 1945, the American Red Cross played a vital role in recruiting nurses (more than 23,000) to help soldiers and victims of wars both at home and overseas. After the establishment of the Army and Navy Nurse Corps following World War II, the Red Cross was officially exempt from recruiting nurses to care for injured soldiers and civilians. Today, Red Cross nurses are dedicated to other areas of community service, such as disaster relief, blood donations, and health and safety training.

For many decades, nurses were the public face of the American Red Cross as they donned their distinctive caps and gowns and cared for the sick and vulnerable. In 2020, even though the Red Cross is known mostly for its biomedical, preparedness, health and safety services, more than 20,000 nurses are in paid and volunteer services.

We thank all frontline staff, especially the nurses and other essential workers who are doing their best to help us get through these stressful times. It is time that we unleash the power of giving and generosity to help those who need our support the most. For more details on how you can get involved with the American Red Cross, visit redcross.org/volunteer.