the entire family . She stressed the importance of a good , healthy maternal environment ( Gorham & Grimm , 2021 ). This involved providing more than 250,000 inoculations throughout her years in Kentucky , helping the fathers with illnesses they had , educating on the importance of cleanliness and proper nutrition , running public health campaigns , and conducting weekly prenatal visits ( Gorham & Grimm , 2021 ; Castlenovo , 2020 ).
As the Frontier Nurses Service grew , Breckinridge called for fellow certified nurse-midwives to join her . Because there was no American nursemidwifery graduate program , most of these nurses were from other countries , such as Ireland , Australia , New Zealand , Scotland , and England ( Gorham & Grimm , 2021 ). These nurses traveled via horseback or on foot to provide care and received payment in goods and services . The fees were low and no one was ever turned away . Breckinridge raised more than $ 6 million dollars to help support the organization . Her efforts vastly decreased maternal and infant mortality rates ( Castlenovo , 2020 ).
During the first 50 years of the Frontier Nurses Service , 17,053 women gave birth , and only 11 maternal deaths were registered ( Castlenovo , 2020 ). The service eventually started outposts in other southern Kentucky communities and opened its own nurse-midwifery school in 1932 . Breckinridge , ever passionate about her work , ran the Frontier Nurses Service until her death in 1965 .
The legacy of Breckinridge lives on and the focus on care of the family , not just the pregnant woman , is still used in maternal-child nursing today . Public health , community health , and prenatal care has continued to evolve and decreased maternal mortality rates to a rate of 7.7 per 100,000 in the United States ( Castlenovo , 2020 ).
Conclusion In conclusion , Ms . Breckinridge was a pioneer in the field of American nurse-midwifery . She implemented a public health , communitybased model of care for the whole family . The founding of the Frontier Nurses Service helped increase nurse-midwives in the United States and decreased the maternal and infant mortality rates . Breckinridge truly was an angel on horseback to the women who lived in those rural areas . Her life and legacy will continue to inspire nurses today , in all fields , not just in the area of nurse-midwifery . n
References Castlenovo , G . ( 2020 , April ). Mary Breckinridge . The Truth About Nursing . https :// www . truthaboutnursing . org / press / pioneers / breckinridge . html # gsc . tab = 0
Gorham , C ., & Grimm , M . ( 2021 ). Angels on horseback : Midwives in the mountains . PBS . Public Broadcasting Service . Retrieved February 24 , 2022 , from https :// www . pbs . org / video / angels-on-horseback-midwives-in-themountains-qqr9tt /
Shampo , M . A ., & Kyle , R . A . ( 1999 ). Mary Breckinridge — Pioneer nurse brings modern nursing to rural environment . Mayo Clinic Proceedings , 74 ( 12 ), 1312 .
https :// doi . org / 10.4065 / 74.12.1312
Elizabeth Hemmes is a senior nursing student in the BSN program at Baker College of Cadillac . She serves on the NSNA Nominating and Elections Committee ( NEC ) as the northern election area representative . Elizabeth also serves as her campus SNA president and as a board member for a peer mentoring program . Her passion is leadership and pushing others to reach their full potential as the future of nursing .
40 NSNA IMPRINT • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 • www . nsna . org