The History of Public Health Nursing
From 1920-1924 The Colorado Tuberculosis Association established public health nursing services in Colorado. Around this time Eugenie Atwell, RN – PHN with the CTA . Worked in Rio Grande County promoting interest in health programs. Within this time period The Maternity & Infancy Act of 1921 often called the Sheppard-Towner Act was established which was the first major piece of legislation after the Women’s suffrage set a precedent for grants to the states A prototype of patterns in federal-state-local relationships. This was the first major funding to lower infant & maternal mortality rates.
Julia Lathrop
As chief of the Children’s Bureau, Julia Lathrop was largely responsible for the passage of the Sheppard-Towner Act. She was a social worker and reformer, nicknamed “America’s First Official Mother. Lathrop is also known for her work with Jane Addams at the Hull House settlement House in Chicago.
As of today, Rio Grande County Public Health specializes in offering comprehensive travel health consultation, education, immunizations, and expert advice for individuals. Our primary goal is to help ensure that we as a whole community are living healthy and high-quality lives. To meet these new challenges head-on, local public health has identified positive and valuable relationships with local physicians who care deeply about serving the community and leaders from various agencies within the county who are engaged, active and supportive. It is the mission of Rio Grande County Public Health to be on the frontline identifying gaps in our community and utilizing resources to neutralize those obstacles.