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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Martha A. Eastman, APRN, BC, The University of Maine, 536 Union Street, Bangor, ME 04469-5770, (207)942-4311, eastman@maine.edu
In the early decades of the twentieth century, public health was a collaborative effort. This presentation will describe the emergence of rural public health services in Maine between 1910 and 1950. Focusing on the interaction between public health workers and members of their communities, this study shows how local clubs and community groups helped organize efforts to abate health hazards and participated in educational and service activities. Based on archival records of the Maine Department of Health and Welfare, Maine State Grange, Maine Federation of Women's Clubs, local chapters of the American Red Cross, the Cooperative Extension Service, and other community groups, this story illustrates that valuing health bonded groups together for mutual aid. Threats to public health, including tuberculosis and other communicable diseases, polluted water, contaminated milk, and limited access to health services, led Maine citizens to work together toward the goal of becoming the healthiest state. Leadership in the Maine Anti-Tuberculosis Association, known after 1918 as the Maine Public Health Association, included prominent clubwomen and grangers as well as public health professionals. This lesson from the past highlights how community organizations may help increase rural public health workers' "surge capacity" in times of crisis.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Collaboration, History
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.