Lillian Wald

Early Life and Education

Lillian Wald co-founded the Henry Street Settlement in New York City. She was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She coined the term “public health nurse” and advocated for the integration of nursing into the public school system, the creation of the Children’s Bureau, and the establishment of the federal Department of Health.

Wald was born in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to a wealthy family. She moved to Rochester, New York, when she was 11 years old, where she attended a private school. She desired to attend Vassar College but was rejected on the grounds that she was too young. She then decided to pursue nursing and enrolled in the New York Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1889. After graduating in 1891, she worked as a nurse at the New York Juvenile Asylum, an orphanage with poor conditions.

Community Service and Advocacy

Wald was asked to teach a home nursing class for poor immigrant families on the Lower East Side of New York City in 1893. Shocked by the poverty, disease, and overcrowding, she realized that people needed proper social services, education, and advocacy. She decided to dedicate her life to serving the community and moved to the neighborhood with another nurse, Mary Brewster. The two of them rented a small apartment and offered services as visiting nurses. They charged a nominal fee and even provided free care to those who could not afford it.

Founding the Henry Street Settlement

Wald and Brewster’s noble mission soon attracted more nurses. After receiving financial aid from prominent philanthropists like Jacob Schiff, they rented a bigger building on Henry Street in 1895, which later became the headquarters of the Nurse’s Settlement, later renamed the Henry Street Settlement. The Settlement expanded its services to include social work, education, recreation, arts, and culture.

Public Health Reforms and Legacy

She campaigned for public health reforms and was among the first to propose that nurses should be employed in public schools to prevent and treat illnesses among children. She passed away in 1940 at her summer home in Westport, Connecticut.