author
Jane A. Delano
1862–1919
A pioneering nurse who helped build the American Red Cross Nursing Service into a national force, she played a major role in preparing U.S. nurses for service during World War I. Her leadership linked nursing, public service, and military readiness at a moment of huge change.
1 Audiobook
American Red Cross Text-Book on Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick
by American National Red Cross, Jane A. Delano, Isabel McIsaac, Anne Hervey Strong
About the author
Born in New York in 1862, she trained at Bellevue Hospital's nursing school and went on to hold important leadership roles in American nursing. She worked as a hospital superintendent, served as superintendent of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, and became a leading organizer in professional nursing groups.
She is best remembered for shaping the American Red Cross Nursing Service and helping make it the recognized nursing reserve for the Army, Navy, and Public Health Service. During World War I, her organizing work helped bring tens of thousands of nurses into service.
She died in France in 1919 while still engaged in wartime service. Her legacy lives on in the history of military and public health nursing, where she is remembered as a determined builder of systems as well as a skilled nurse.