A History Of
Public Health Nursing
Who coined the term public health?
Lillian Wald was doing public health over 100 years ago when she founded the Henry Street Nurses’ Settlement in New York. To explore Lillian Wald, click on any of the images:
The Origins of Public Health Nursing:
The Henry Street Visiting Nurse Service
Bringing Care to the People:
Lillian Wald’s Legacy to Public Health Nursing
Jewish Women Archive
Women of Valor,
Lillian Wald
History of Public Health in North Carolina
Public health nursing began in the United States and North Carolina with the first graduate nurses who provided nursing services to “the sick poor” in their homes. These nurses provided care to those in need with little concern for financial compensation. They were frequently the only health care professionals available to impoverished people and their families. These early public health nurses were courageous and caring women whose commitment to those they served was challenged daily by the overwhelming problems they confronted and the social obstacles of a society that held little esteem for women who operated outside of the accepted roles of their class and family.