xt7r222r6c82 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7r222r6c82/data/mets.xml The Frontier Nursing Service, Inc. 1978 bulletins  English The Frontier Nursing Service, Inc. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Frontier Nursing Service Quarterly Bulletins Frontier Nursing Service Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 53, No. 4, Spring 1978 text Frontier Nursing Service Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 53, No. 4, Spring 1978 1978 2014 true xt7r222r6c82 section xt7r222r6c82 VOLUME 53 SPRING, 'I978 NUMBER 4
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FRON"1`I1·]R NURSING SERVICIC QUAR'1`l·]R1.Y 1~1U1,1,1·I'l`1N `
Published ut the end of each quarter hy the Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.
Wendover, Kentucky 41775
Subscription Price $2.00 zi Yeur
Edit0r's Office, Wendover, Kentucky 41775
VOLUME 511 SPRING, 1978 - i77)7—Nl1MH1·§
Second-class postage paid at Wendover, Ky. 41775 und ut zidditionul mailing oflices
Send Form 21579 to Frontier Nursing Service, Wendover, Ky. ¤1I77S
Copyright 1978, Frontier Nursing Service, Inc,

 I CONTENTS
l ARTICLE AUTHOR PAGE
A A Pilot Group of Volunteers Verna M Potter 18
E American College of Nurse-
l Midwives Approval A Letter 46
l Beyond the Mountains 48
  1978 Courier Conclave Jonathan Fried 5
  Current Issues in Health Care Karen A. Gordon 43
2  Family Nursing and
 Q Old Indians Too Lillian Link 42
i Field Notes 55
FNS Oral History Project Dale W. Deaton 30
In Memoriam 50
Leslie County Centennial W. B. R. Beasley 2
Mary Breckinridge Hospital
Auxiliary 36
Memorial Gifts 51
Nurse Practitioners
Explore Politics Chris Sehenk 15
Old Courier News 27
Old Staff News 38
The Fifty-Third Annual Meeting 3
The Flat Creek Center Committee 25
The Oneida Center Committee 47
The Robert Wood Johnson
` Faculty Fellows Ella Kick 19
— Vonna Koehler
  Suzanne Langner
  Linda Oakley
 _ Rosemary Pittman
To Serve Our Neighbors Gabrielle Beasley 34
Twins Are Named
Centennial Babies Jonathan Fried 32
Urgent Needs 26
White Elephant 53

 2 FRONTIER NURSING ssnvics i
LESLIE COUNTY CENTENNIAL ·
Dynamite blasts, ringing of church bells, firing of rifles, began the
celebration in Hyden of the centennial of Leslie County. Months of
preparations have gone into the summer celebrations. Mary
Breckinridge Day will be Saturday, July 1; the parade will pass through
the middle of the handicrafts festival of quilts, long rifles and cornshuck
dolls. The new recreation center, a much needed facility including
swimming pool, gymnasium, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor basket-
ball courts and community building, will be inaugurated on the 2nd day “'c 
of July. This has been made possible through the federal funding if
program of revenue sharing as well as severance tax on the coal being  
massively removed from the county. The Fiscal Court has elected to name L
the gymnasium for Richard M. Nixon, during whose administration the ‘
revenue sharing program was established. The community building is
being named for Dr. Tim Lee Carter, our congressional representative
and long-stand friend of FNS. The swimming pool is to be named in honor
of Sgt. Will Sandlin, the only Kentuckian to be awarded the Con-
gressional Medal of Honor in World War 1. J ubilant festivities are being
planned for the visit of Mr. Nixon, Dr. Carter and Mrs. Sandlin for the
dedication ceremonies and for the thousands of expected visitors.
In the centennial celebration the county has singled out Miss Betty
Lester to honor for her fifty years of service in the county and is
presenting her with a silver tea service.
The Frontier Nursing Service heartily congratulates the centennial
committee for their careful work for this joyous celebration. The
committee includes;
Ronnie Barrett Perle Estridge Cheryl Lewis C. Allen Muncy
Mary Kay Brashear Rufus Fugate Hayes Lewis Billy J. Napier
Therlo Brock Paul Hensley Susan Messer John Sholly
Martha Comett Coy Howard Cloma Moore Walter Sizemore
Anna Mae Couch Betty Lester Randy Moore Ronnie C. Stewart
FNS is making its_contribution to this great county celebration by 1
providing staffing and service for the first aide station at the recreation
center during the day of dedication. The nurses are volunteering time at
this site as well as added staffing for the emergency room and clinic at the
hospital. An enormous amount of added maintenance, security and
administrative time is being provided to assure adequate staffing for the
safety of everyone during any emergency.
W.B.R. Beasley, M.D.

 il QUARTERLY Burrizrm 3
THE FIFTY-THIRD ANNUAL MEETING
. The Annual Meeting of Trustees, members and friends of
Frontier Nursing Service, Incorporated was held at Spindletop
Hall in Lexington, Kentucky, on June 9, 1978. The festive
appearance of Spindletop was enhanced by fresh flowers on the
tables and by the helium-filled balloons that announced that this
  was Miss Betty Lester’s Golden Jubilee.
gc, Betty Lester had joined the nurse-midwifery staff of Frontier
if Nursing Service in July, 1928, and has continued to make Leslie
A ‘ County her home since her retirement in 1970. In introducing " the
General", Dr. Beasley said that the program of the Annual
Meeting was not only to pay homage to her, and celebrate her
golden anniversary, but also to acknowledge an enormous debt of
gratitude to the British nursemidwives who, through the FNS,
had introduced the British system of nurse-midwivery in the
United States.
Betty Lester wore many hats during her years with FNS and
members of the FNS staff spoke of their work today and related
their present practice — on the district, in the primary care center
at the Mary Breckinridge Hospital, in the Frontier School of
Midwifery and Family Nursing, in hospital administration, and
in the joint practice of medicine and nursing — to the work done by
Betty in years gone by. The speakers were Susan Hull, district
family nurse, David Coursin, M.D., acting medical director, Mary
Weaver, primary care center nursing coordinator, Elsie Maier,
director of the School, and Ken Palmer, administrator. Dale
Deaton, coordinator of the Oral History Project, described the
purpose and expectations of this new program which is funded by
the Kentucky Oral History Commission and the Rockefeller
. Foundation.
In the business meeting preceding the program, the Articles of
Incorporation of Frontier Nursing Service were amended to
include the Chairman of the FNS Advisory Committee as an ex
officio member of the Board of Governors, with full voting
privileges and rights. Mr. James Mosley of Hyden is the present
Chairman of the Advisory Committee. Also elected to the Board of
Governors were Stuart Graves, Jr., M.D., Louisville, and Patience

  
H. White, M.D., Brookline, Massachusetts, a former FNS courier
(1967). Elected new Trustees of the Service were:
Mr. Brooke Alexander, New York, New York
Mr. Richard T. Baker, Cleveland, Ohio
Mr. Joseph C. Donnelly, Jr., Mediield, Massachusetts
Mr. John G Heyburn II, Louisville, Kentucky
Mr. Clinton W. Kelly III, Reston, Virginia
Mr. James G. Kenan III, Lexington, Kentucky _
Mr. Robert W. Nichols, Louisville, Kentucky .,
Mrs. Arthur Perry, Jr., Concord, Massachusetts "
Mrs. George L. Robb, Westwood, Massachusetts M
Mr. Kenneth J. Tuggle, Louisville, Kentucky .,
Mrs. Ernest R. von Starck, Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Mrs. Erskine P. Wilder, Jr., Barrington, Illinois
On behalf of Frontier Nursing Service and its Board of
Governors, Dr. Willis D. Weatherford offered Resolutions of
appreciation to two retiring members of the Board, Mrs. John
Harris Clay and Mrs. Arthur Perry, Jr. Of Mrs. Clay, Dr
Weatherford said:
"She first became a Trustee of the Service in 1945, and was elected to
the Board of Governors in 1953, making 26 years during which she has
been a counselor and guide on matters large and small. She served as
Recording Secretary 1959-75, during which time her grace of spirit and
of language illuminated our deliberations. We regret that today her time
of mandatory retirement from active membership on the Board has
arrived, but we rejoice that her name is being presented to the Governors
for election as an Honorary Member of the Board of Governors.
"Dorothy Clay is a lady of discernment and compassion who has
been an inspiration to all of us. Her spirit of reconciliation has
surmounted all barriers, and her steadfastness to the ideals of Mary
Breckinridge has upheld our central purpose."
‘And of Mrs. Perry . . .
"She became a courier on horseback in 1939 and has been active in
the Boston Committee ever since, serving as its chairman 1954-56. She
initiated the idea ofthe Boston Christmas Preview and was chairman of
that program in 1958. She has been a member ofthe Board of Governors
1974-78 and has helped us keep alive the historic ideals of service.
"We salute Mardi Perry for her leadership and long-time service.
Therefore, be it resolved that she be elected as a Trustee of the Frontier
Nursing Service."
In adjourning the meeting, the National Chairman, Miss Kate
Ireland, expressed the gratitude of all to the FNS Blue Grass
Committee who had arranged the Spindletop meeting.

   QUARTERLY BULLETIN 5
. 1978 COURIER CONCLAVE
’ MAY 11-13
by Jonathan Fried
From 22 states all over the country, almost fifty women and
g one man gathered for three days at Wendover because they had
i once been couriers with the FNS. Some were here in the Twenties,
,, while others arrived for the first time days before the conclave.
  They all came because they care about FNS, Leslie County and
y about the Courier Service.
, For varying reasons, their experiences in Leslie County left a
strong impression. It was strong enough for them to want to
return and indulge in pleasant reminiscence. It was also strong
enough to sustain a curiosity and concern about what the Courier
Service and FNS are like today, and in what direction they are
going in the future.
Both by chartered bus and private cars, most of the group
arrived in Hyden on a hot Thursday afternoon. For many, the first
glimpse of FNS in years was a view of a modern hospital from a
crowded parking lot. Right away, couriers started blending new
impressions with nostalgic images and fond memories. And right
away there was the pure excitement of being back.
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 6 FRONTIER NURSING SERVICE
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The present couriers drove the carless ones to Wendover for tea,
sherry and dinner. Couriers from all years beamed when they saw
that Wendover was the same: the river, the Big House, Mrs.
Breckinridge’s chair, and so on. Couriers paused and looked at the
walls and ceiling, closer, possibly, than when they lived there.
Phoebe Wood (1966) stood in the living room and titled it "the
warmest, coziest place in the world".
Couriers spoke of Mrs. Breckinridge. Prudence Holmes Near
(1935), who came from California for the conclave, remembered
"the quality of her gratitude to all of us". Carm Mumford Norton
(1930) said that Mary Breckinridge showed more confidence in her
than anyone else she had known. Hope Foote Gibbons (1931)
simply stated that "Mary Breckinridge was the greatest woman I
have ever known".
Couriers mingled and shared stories from different ~
generations. Couriers of years past learned who the couriers of
today are, and vice-versa. Similarities were over-riding.
After dinner, awards were presented to Marvin Breckinridge
Patterson (1928), Agnes Lewis and Debby King for the outstan-
ding service they have given FNS. The three ladies each received a
handsome pewter plate.

 QUARTERLY BULLETIN 7
 
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The age when most of these women were couriers was an
impressionable one. Besides speaking of FNS’s permanent in-
fluence on their lives man of the couriers very naturall found
. · Y
themselves serving tea and clearing tables. And when rain came
during the tour on Friday, lt occurred to no one that a little
dampness would stop an FNS courier.
The tour began in Hyden after breakfast on Friday. The
couriers were divided into three groups. Seeing Mary Breckinridge
Hospital, the old Hyden Hospital and Hospital Hill demonstrated
the anachronism of memory stronger than anything else during
the conclave. But any disillusionment seemed overshadowed by
excitement over the rapid medical advancements of the past half
decade.
Julie Breckinridge Davis (1967) walked through the spotless
halls saying, "FNS had to change. It’s important to modernize.
Look at Hyden. The place is jumping with population, roads . . . "
Throughout the day fellow couriers came up to her to greet "the }
future courier", her baby daughter, Julia. If Julia does follow her .
ancestral calling to eastern Kentucky, she will be the first of her
clan to know FNS solely as a horseless organization.
For some, the lackof animals was the most noticeable change.
For others, it was the town of Hyden itself. But walking through
the dizzying aisles of charts and records, one courier said, "it’s all
the medical records - that’s what’s really changed".

 __ . _ 
  QUARTERLY BULLETIN 9
; For Joe Carter, the one male courier present, and the first, the
·, Old Hospital had changed the most. In between his stories of
2 being a sixteen year old looking for adventure and finding it here,
1 he reconstructed a building with high ceilings and fire places.
I In some ways it has been a long time, and in some ways it has
- been a few quick years since the night a storm washed out the trail
- from Hazard and Mr. Carter, with the horse he was riding and two
{ horses he was leading, nearly drowned in the Middle Fork. "I
_ finally got back to Wendover at two in the afternoon the next
{.5 day," he recalled. "Mrs. Breckinridge was quite angry, probably
  because of the danger I had put the horses into!"
With lunch came a showing of The Forgotten Frontier, with its
creator in the audience. Everyone enjoyed recognizing many of
the faces and if one stayed near Mrs. Patterson (1928) through the
rest of the conclave, one heard her recollecting where and how the
various scenes were shot: a window at Beech Fork; an old house
whose roof and front wall were torn down to let in enough sunlight
for shooting.
Everyone was particularly excited to see the districts. Because
of time limitations everyone was able to see only one old district
and one new one. Here was a thorough mix—up of old and new. At
Beech Fork, while Carm Mumford Norton and others signed the
guest book they had signed years before (the very first signature
was Mary Breckinridge’s, the third, Joe Carter’s), Family Nurse
Laura Pilotto described the way a Family Nurse runs a clinic
today. Interest in the past and the present was equally vigorous;
talk of the future was to come at the end of the conclave.
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Three pairs of districts were visited: Beech Fork and Wooton,
Red Bird and Bob Fork, and Brutus and Oneida. The group
reassembled at St. Christopher’s Chapel, on Hosptial Hill, for
Evensong. It was the first peaceful moment of a packed day. Apple
cider in the Director’s office awaited everyone, along with the
Director’s eagerly pouring hand.
A roomful of couriers is like a large family gathering - a spread
of ages, some new faces, but many familiar ones. A closer look .
revealed natural family resemblances as well, because there were
a number of families with more than one courier. The
Breckinridges come to mind first; also present were Joe and
Carlyle Carter (1925,1965); Edie, Phoebe and Wendy Wood (1938,
1966, 1966); "Scoopie" Will Woodruff and "Woody" Woodruff
Metcalf (1941, 1965). Carrie Lou Morgan Parker (1966), the first
Leslie Countian to be a courier, was another with FNS family ties: {
her mother, Mrs. Leona Morgan, was the first Leslie Countian to {
be a nurse with FNS.  
FNS has always been the site of many first exposures. More 1
than a few couriers traced careers, hobbies or just being indepen-
dent for the first time to Wendover. Naturally, some, like Kathleen
Wilson Henderson (1934), went on to become nurses. But as Mrs.
Parker said, "Simply living at Wendover broadened my horizons.
I had never dreamed of becoming an airplane pilot but at FNS
anything was possible."

 l QUARTERLY surtimn 11
j After dinner at the Hospital, representatives from various
; departments spoke, explaining how the parts of FNS fit together.
i The couriers listened to all the speakers after spending the day
i catching a glimpse of FNS today. Saturday morning was labeled
A "Your Time To Talk" and the couriers gathered in theliving room
at Wendover to tell each other, and Dr. Beasley, what they saw
and heard, and how they felt about it.
‘ Kate Ireland (1951) started things rolling by saying, "This
Q room is really our home", and for the next few hours, the group left
~ their nostalgia to their filled rolls of Elm and the scent of spring
l and began asking questions and making observations. The mood
it was warm and serious; couriers were seeing that their home was
g being run as they thought it should be.
Older couriers wanted to know if newer couriers felt the
program was still inspiring, what with the animals gone, and a
modern hospital at the center of FNS. The answering couriers
were quick to show their enthusiasm.
Becket Quinn (1977) noted that the couriers were still spending
time on district, traditionally one of the most rewarding courier
experiences. Throughout her time in Leslie County she said she
felt "very useful". Marian Barrett (1977) spoke of change: "There
is progress with the courier program, but through the years, the
quality of people working here has been the main thing." After
- being a courier only a few days, Bets Trefts said, "Already I feel
like a vital part. I have responsibility - here, there is a faith and
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trust in people." Wendy Wood commented that "What is
meaningful is getting a general sense and feeling for this style of
health care, for FNS."
The tone of these comments were echoed by Dr. Beasley’s
remarks on the future focus of the courier program. He said that
the program should offer a chance for vocational exploration by
young people. The program can also offer exposure to the ;
mountain culture through Hospital staff, districts and by living {
here. E
There was discussion of FNS in general: the Nurse Practice `
Act, FNS’s budget, local participation in the courier program, etc.
Questions of finance and of reorganizing districts brought up an
issue which seemed to be in many minds: compromise of FNS -
ideals for reasons of economics and convenience.
But, as was pointed out by couriers and by Dr. Beasley, the
FNS tradition is making available the best health care in the best
manner possible. Mrs. Breckinridge’s project was a success
because she kept costs in sight, and she brought health care only ,
to people who wanted it. This is the tradition of FNS: as people
move, districts move; as hospitals begin to offer the health care
people want, hospitals are built.
Toward the end of the morning, Mrs. Patterson proposed the
establishment of a Courier Fund, dedicated to "the support of FNS
into the future". Bonnie Witrak-Scanlon (1973), now a medical

 {  
_ student, suggested that younger couriers who can’t give money
’ can give time and effort, talking about FNS to groups or
individuals, again volunteering their time and skills at FNS. Both
‘ of these ideas brought applause, which had been erupting
, spontaneously at many of the comments.
The longest round of applause was for Debby King, the
_ Coordinator of Couriers and Volunteers. It was rightfully
5 acknowledged that much of the continuing spirit of the program
- was due to her efforts. Aside from keeping couriers involved with
all departments at FNS, she arranged special projects for each
courier, according to their special interests. Debby also gave
· strength to the trend in courier recruitment that should bring
more males to Wendover.
After lunch, another leader at Wendover, Agnes Lewis, glanc-
ed at everyone starting to say goodbyes. "They’re all my
children," she said.
Miss Lewis, who worked with couriers for years, was kept on
her toes at the conclave dodging the quips tossed her way about
her job with the FNS which included being head of maintenance
as well as supervision of couriers. She spoke of the woman who
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 14 Faormsa Nurzsmo smwios  A
gave her the job, Mary Breckinridge. "If she thought you could do ·
something, it didn’t matter if you had time . . ."
She talked about FNS, the couriers, and the conclave, which by I
the end was being praised by all. "People want the best of both
worlds. We want things to stay the same, and we hope for change.
We’re sad to see that some of the districts might some day go, but .
it’s good to see the cause continued at centers like Oneida. We’re A
only human." She paused. "Even couriers duties have gone _
through so much change." ;
As people began leaving, there was still an excitement in the _
air, though one of a different quality. Couriers talked of renewed  
recruiting efforts, of the new Courier Fund. t,
In the Wendover driveway, Dr. Beasley and Peggy Elmore,  
who had made the entire conclave possible, danced from group to
group singing, "We’re sorry you’re going away, We wish that you
could stay . . ." One hopes that the spirit and feeling generated by
the conclave accompanied everyone on their way home.
FNS RADIO SPOT #39
HIGH Blood pressure I
Narrator: Have you ever taken a garden hose and squeezed it  
so that water just trickles out? Well, when you hear the phrase  
"high blood pressure," it really means your blood vessels have lots  
of pressure in them, almost as if they were being squeezed. There  
are many reasons for this, but the thing to remember is that this  
pressure makes it difficult for blood to pass through your vessels, _
and your body won’t function as well. How do you know you have  
high blood pressure? There is no way to tell unless you have it  
taken in clinic, or learn how to do it yourself. It’s easy to learn. Ask
your family nurse next time you visit your clinic.
This message is brought to you as a public service by the
Frontier Nursing Service.

 QUARTERLY BULLETIN is
NURSE PRACTITIONERS EXPLORE POLITICS
By Chris Schenk
Nineteen seventy-eight was an important year for all the
I nurses in Kentucky, but it was especially important forthe nurses
at Frontier Nursing Service. This year, Family Nurses finally
_ became legal. The Nurse Practice Act literally flew through the
  Kentucky General Assembly — 96-1 in the House, 33-0 in the
_ Senate. But it wasn’t as easy as it appears — not by a long shot.
·  "Being legal" is more than just a nicety to Frontier’s Family
t, Nurses. To us it was a life or death issue. Prior to proper state
. recognition, FNS couldn’t be reimbursed by the Rural Health
Clinic Services Act, the amendment to the Social Security Act
(P.L. 95-210). This meant that Federal money allocated to rural
health care could bypass Kentucky completely unless nurse
practitioners were legal. To the patie