Seventy-five years ago Mary Breckinridge founded Frontier Nursing Service in southeastern Kentucky. In 1925, the area was ranked as one of the most impoverished in the nation with no licensed doctors, telephones, railroads or electricity. Maternal and infant mortality rates were high. The area was subject epidemics of typhoid and diphtheria. With vision and prgmatism, Mary Breckinridge developed a primary care system to address the health needs of the area. The successes and failures of Mary Breckinridges's work will be examined. This historical analysis can provide insights for nurses attempting to eliminate health disparities in the 21st century.
Learning Objectives: 1. Discuss the primary health care system of Frontier Nursing Service. 2. Analyze the successes and failures of Mary Breckinridge's work. 3. Apply insights from this historical analysis to the elimination of health disparities in the 21st century
Keywords: History,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Frontier Nursing Service
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.