The Gray Ladies were American Red Cross volunteers who worked in American hospitals, other health care facilities, and private homes, notably during World War I and World War II. They provided friendly, personal, non-medical services to sick, injured or disabled patients.
They wrote letters, read, tutored and shopped for patients, and served as guides to visitors and as hostesses in hospital recreation rooms and at information desks. [1] Gray Ladies also provided hospitality services in Red Cross Blood Centers and joined forces with other Red Cross workers in caring for disaster victims.
The Red Cross Hostess and Hospital Service and Recreation Corps, [2] known as "Gray Ladies", started in 1918 at the Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., providing services for war patients. [3] Their name came from their signature uniform of a gray dress and veil. [3] It wasn't until after World War II in 1947 that the program became officially known as the Gray Lady Service. [3] [4]
The Gray Lady Service program was disbanded in the 1960's and absorbed into a more unified volunteer services program within the American Red Cross. [5]
Hospital volunteers, also known as candy stripers in the United States, work without regular pay in a variety of health care settings, usually under the direct supervision of nurses.
Scouting in Minnesota has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Rochester is a city in and the county seat of Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of Mayo Clinic.
The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more than 17,200 volunteers and 3,400 staff. At the heart of their work is providing help to people in crisis, both in the UK and overseas. The Red Cross is committed to helping people without discrimination, regardless of their ethnic origin, nationality, political beliefs or religion. Queen Elizabeth II was the patron of the society until her death on 8 September 2022.
Essentia Health is an integrated healthcare system with facilities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. As of 2022 it has over 14,000 employees, including 2,125 physicians and credentialed practitioners. The network includes 14 hospitals, 70 clinics, six long-term care facilities, six assisted and independent living facilities, and one research & education institute. Essentia Health was accredited as an Accountable Care Organization by the National Committee for Quality Assurance in 2013.
The Archdiocese of Miami is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in South Florida in the United States. It is the metropolitan see for the Ecclesiastical Province of Miami, which covers all of Florida.
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the designated US affiliate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the United States movement to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units were during World War I and World War II. Although VADs were intimately bound up in the war effort, they were not military nurses, as they were not under the control of the military, unlike the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service, and the Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service. The VAD nurses worked in field hospitals, i.e., close to the battlefield, and in longer-term places of recuperation back in Britain.
Avera Health is a regional health system based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, comprising more than 300 locations in 100 communities throughout South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. Avera serves a geographical footprint of more than 72,000 square miles and 86 counties, and a population of nearly 1 million.
Alberta Hospital Edmonton is a psychiatric hospital operating under the governance of Alberta Health Services. It is located in the northeastern portion of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and was founded on July 1, 1923. The site is serviced by Edmonton Transit Service bus route 121.
Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego is a nonprofit pediatric care facility dedicated to excellence in care, research and teaching. Rady Children's provides services to the San Diego, southern Riverside and Imperial counties. The hospital has 511 beds and provides comprehensive pediatric specialties and subspecialties to patients aged 0–21. It is affiliated with the UC San Diego School of Medicine. Rady Children's is the only hospital in San Diego area dedicated exclusively to pediatric health care and the region's only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center.
Abbott Northwestern Hospital is a 686-staffed bed teaching and specialty hospital based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a part of the Allina Health network of hospitals and clinics.
The Charleston Naval Hospital Historic District is a portion of the Charleston Navy Base that included a collection of buildings connected with the medical needs of the Navy base.
The Romanian Red Cross (CRR), also known as the National Society of Red Cross from Romania, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside Romania. It is the designated national affiliate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Mayo Clinic Health System is a system of community-based medical facilities. It is owned by Mayo Clinic and was founded in 1992. The organization focuses on providing medical care in rural communities in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. As of 2022, its facilities include 16 hospitals, 53 multispecialty clinics and one mobile health clinic. The President of Mayo Clinic Health System is Prathibha Varkey.
The Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute is a rehabilitation medicine institute in Minneapolis, United States.
The Women's University Club of Seattle (WUC) is a social club for women located at 1105 Sixth Avenue in Seattle, Washington.
Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital is a community hospital located in Buckhaven, Fife. It is managed by NHS Fife.
Katharine Jane Densford (1890–1978) was an American nurse who made important contributions to nursing education and to nursing services during World War II. Densford was Director of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, serving in that position from 1930 to 1959. Densford’s leadership of Minnesota’s flagship school of nursing, located in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area provided the model for nursing education throughout the state and nation. Her pragmatic leadership during World War II made a significant contribution to the United States war effort.
Wellstar North Fulton Hospital is a major hospital located in Roswell, the ninth-largest city in Georgia. The hospital serves most of north Fulton County, Georgia, as well as neighboring Cherokee, Cobb, Forsyth and Gwinnett counties. Wellstar North Fulton Hospital is the third largest employer in the city of Roswell and is considered the epicenter of the city's growing healthcare industry.