Frontier Nursing Service

Mary Breckinridge established the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) in Leslie County, Kentucky in 1925, introducing the first nurse-midwives to the United States. Riding horses up mountains, through fog, flood, or snow the FNS nurses brought modern healthcare to one of the poorest and most inaccessible areas in the U.S. Mary Breckinridge demonstrated that care provided by nurse-midwives acting as nurses to the total family would drastically cut infant and maternal mortality and also morbidity and mortality for the entire community. This work continues today through the work of the FNU faculty, students, and graduates across the nation.

A more detailed account of FNS history may be found at their website:  Frontier Nursing Service