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  • Maternal Health Crisis Documentary Premieres on Kentucky Educational Television (KET) and PBS Affiliates Throughout the U.S.

    Maternal Health Crisis Documentary Premieres on Kentucky Educational Television (KET) and PBS Affiliates Throughout the U.S.

    A new documentary about the maternal health crisis and the role of nurse-midwives will air on Kentucky’s statewide PBS network Kentucky Educational Television (KET) on March 12 at 5:00pm ET. Air dates are also set for more than 150 PBS affiliates throughout the country.

    Nurse-Midwives: Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis educates the public on the impact of nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners on maternal health and the maternal mortality crisis being experienced in the United States.

    “The United States continues to have the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy nations. CDC data from 2022 revealed that more than 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable,” Frontier Nursing University (FNU) President Dr. Brooke A. Flinders, DNP, RN, APRN-CNM, FACNM, said. “This documentary tells the story of how distance education paved the way to addressing this crisis by educating more nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who play a crucial role in reducing maternal mortality and ensuring equitable access to care.”

    Before the advent of online learning, a remarkable group of nurses and nurse-midwives believed that more nurses would seek certification as nurse-midwives if they could stay in their home communities during the educational process. Thus, the development of the unique and innovative Community-based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program (CNEP). CNEP was developed to allow nurses who lived in rural and underserved communities access to nurse-midwifery education without leaving home. The documentary details the development and evolution of the CNEP via interviews with visionary leaders and educators. It also shines a light on the subsequent development of family nurse practitioner, women’s health care nurse practitioner, and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner distance education programs and their similarly vital roles in maternal health care.

    “Nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners are reshaping the landscape of healthcare,” Dr. Flinders said. “From across the nation, these incredible healthcare providers are making a difference in the communities in which they live and serve.”

    This documentary is produced and directed by Michael Breeding. Learn more about this documentary at frontier.edu/documentary. Check local PBS listings for upcoming broadcast dates and times.

  • Frontier Nursing University Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Its Inception

    Frontier Nursing University Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Its Inception

    Throughout 2025, Frontier Nursing University is celebrating the 100th anniversary since its inception. Originally founded as the Mary Breckinridge Kentucky Committee for Mothers and Babies in 1925, the organization was renamed as the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) in 1928.

    Frontier Nursing University Nurses on Horseback
    Two nurses on horseback.

    In 1928, the Hyden (Kentucky) Hospital opened as FNS became the first organization in America to use nurses trained as midwives under the direction of a single physician. That same year, the FNS Courier program began. The Couriers assisted nurses with everyday chores such as delivering supplies to the clinics and caring for the horses that the nurses used to traverse the mountains to reach the women and children in their care. In 1933, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company published a summary of the first 1,000 FNS births. The summary concluded that the services provided by FNS significantly decrease maternal and neonatal mortality.

    The Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery, since renamed as Frontier Nursing University, was founded in 1939 by FNS as a part of its demonstration project in the care of the mother and child in rural areas of Kentucky. Today, Frontier has more than 12,000 alumni from all 50 states and a current enrollment of 2,700 students.

    “We are so excited to celebrate the incredible and impactful 100-year history of Frontier,” said FNU President Dr. Brooke A. Flinders. “This is a great opportunity to reflect on how we got here and be reminded of the importance of the work we are doing to educate and prepare nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to improve the healthcare in their communities across the country.”

    FNU’s celebratory plans include an “Alumni & Friends” cruise in April and a nationwide presidential tour where alumni, students, and supporters can meet Dr. Flinders. FNU is also introducing a new series called “On the Trail”. This series of videos, which will be on FNU’s YouTube page, will take viewers behind the scenes for Frontier.

    In September, FNU will induct its first Alumni Hall of Fame class and announce its annual service award recipients as part of commencement weekend.

    The year-long celebration has already begun with the university’s “Century of Stories”. These stories, which will be posted throughout the year on the Frontier.edu website, feature the people, moments, initiatives, and stories that shaped Frontier’s first 100 years.

  • A Century of Stories: Delphine Jewell

    A Century of Stories: Delphine Jewell

    In 2025, Frontier Nursing University honored the 100-year anniversary of the inception of the Frontier Nursing Service. We are grateful for the alumni, students, couriers, donors, volunteers, friends, and employees who have made an incredible impact on FNU’s century-long journey. We celebrated this milestone year by capturing and sharing some of the countless stories that make up our history. Whatever your connection to FNU, we hope you enjoy these stories.

    Former FNS nurse-midwife Delphine Jewell wrote the following letter in response to our call for stories for the Frontier Century of Stories project. She worked at Hyden Hospital from March 1956 to March 1957 and became a Certified Nurse-Midwife at Frontier. She went to do missionary work in Nigeria and Zimbabwe. She coordinated the establishment of an in-house birth center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Delphine was a maternal-newborn nurse educator, serving as chair of the nursing education program for 12 years. She retired in 1992. Delphine is currently 94 years old and lives in a retirement center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

    From Delphine Jewell:  

    I had many interesting experiences while at Frontier Nursing Service. One of the most important lessons learned while there was one of Mary Breckinridge’s requirements: 

    It was required that all registered prenatal patients come to the hospital prenatal clinic for a check prior to delivery, even if they were scheduled for a home delivery. However, if a patient missed two prenatal visits, we made home visits to check on them. Patients were aware that this would happen, and some would not make the effort to get to the hospital, knowing that we would come to them.  

    As students, we questioned this requirement and felt the patient should take more responsibility. However, when we questioned this requirement, we were informed that this was a rule of Mrs. Breckinridge’s and she felt that if the life of one baby or mother could be saved due to such a rule, it was worth the trip. I remembered her ruling for the rest of my professional life and attempted to help my nursing students adopt this kind of philosophy when giving care.  

    I’m grateful to be alive and to have experienced the process of becoming a Certified Nurse-Midwife at the Frontier Nursing Service as it existed in 1956. 

    >> Read More from “A Century of Stories” 

  • A Century of Stories: Pandemic Heroes Part 2

    A Century of Stories: Pandemic Heroes Part 2

    In 2025, Frontier Nursing University honored the 100-year anniversary of the inception of the Frontier Nursing Service. We are grateful for the alumni, students, couriers, donors, volunteers, friends, and employees who have made an incredible impact on FNU’s century-long journey. We celebrated this milestone year by capturing and sharing some of the countless stories that make up our history. Whatever your connection to FNU, we hope you enjoy these stories.

    When the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the United States in early 2020, the public responses ranged from panic to denial. As businesses and services were restricted or completely shut down across the country, FNU alumni stepped forward. True to the Frontier mission, they were determined, creative, and brave in their efforts to serve their communities.

    Here are two examples of the countless acts of heroism performed by FNU alumni amidst the panic and chaos of the pandemic:

    Opening A New Practice During a Pandemic:  Traci Buran, MSN, FNP, DNP (Class 34) knew there was a need for her new clinic when she opened Affinity Family Practice on March 2, 2020, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, just days before the COVID-19 Pandemic. That need was emphasized as the adoption of masks in public places and working and attending school from home became the norm.

    “I don’t think that anyone was truly prepared for COVID. However, FNU did a great job of instilling evidence-based practice and sense of community into us as students, and I believe that these two principles combined are very powerful tools in the healthcare setting, especially during a pandemic,” Buran said.

    The new practice faced an unexpected question: How could Buran and her team care for their patients safely? They adjusted quickly, implementing telehealth visits and offering drive-up care for COVID swabs and services.

    “When you are trying to advertise and attract new patients, it is very difficult when people are scared to leave their homes,” Buran said shortly after the grand opening of Affinity Family Practice. “We quickly adapted to offering telemedicine visits, which has been a great way to bridge the gap for many patients, and we are still able to provide triage and medical guidance over the phone.”

    In the Fall of 2021, Buran and her husband moved back to her home state of Michigan as they prepared to welcome their first child. They now have two children – a son and a daughter — and Buran is practicing in two separate urgent care facilities in rural Marquette County, which is located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Meanwhile, Affinity Family Practice continues to serve its community in Wyoming.

    “It makes me happy and proud to have been part of the planning and opening of the practice, and that it continues to be an integral part of the healthcare network of the Cheyenne community,” Buran said. “Although it was a change to go from a clinic owner to a staff member, I have been able utilize my past experience as an owner to bring new ideas and offer insight to my current practice sites.”

    The Oath in Action:  When Jaime Westlund, DNP (Class 37), APRN, FNP-C (Class 156), moved with her family from her home state of Idaho to Hawaii in August 2019, she did so with the intent to serve the community, staying true to the history and mission of FNU. Little did she know at that time how quickly her commitment to the community would be tested.

    She was working as a nurse practitioner in the general surgery department at Ali’i Health Center in Kailua Kona during the COVID pandemic. Her typical week before the pandemic involved seeing patients in clinic on some days and scrubbing in for surgeries at the hospital on others. The pandemic brought on additional responsibilities and priorities. She began creating posters for the community, informing them about the pandemic and how to take precautions. She also screened patients for the virus and utilized telehealth when possible.

    In Hawaii, supplies are frequently in high demand, and they were even more so during the pandemic.

    “We live on an island, so it is truly rural health care at its finest,” Westlund said in 2020. “There are gaps and shortages everywhere,” Westlund said. “Unfortunately, that is a typical day for us here.”

    Despite the risks and challenges, Westlund upheld her oath to care for those in her community throughout the pandemic and continues to do so today at Aloha Kona Primary & Urgent Care.

    “As the department chair in cardiology, I have continued to answer the call for healthcare in our community, although the landscape has shifted significantly since the pandemic,” she said. “My focus has been on enhancing access to quality healthcare at our rural clinic on the Big Island, where the need is particularly pronounced. Over the past years, I have worked tirelessly to implement 18 new programs within the cardiology department, each designed to address specific needs and improve patient outcomes. This journey has been challenging yet rewarding, as it reflects my commitment to serving our community and ensuring that everyone has access to the care they deserve.”

    “Working in rural healthcare requires a unique blend of passion and resourcefulness,” Westlund continued. “It takes a special kind of person to thrive in this environment, where thinking outside the box is often necessary to overcome the limitations of available resources. I am dedicated to providing the very best care possible to my patients, and I take immense pride in my work. My love for the community drives me to strive every day to enhance the health and well-being of those I serve, making sure that they feel valued and supported in their healthcare journey. Together with my team, I am excited about the progress we are making and remain committed to fostering a healthier future for all in our community.”

    >> Read More from “A Century of Stories” 

  • Graduate Spotlight: Karen Tepper’s family history inspires her focus on underserved populations

    Graduate Spotlight: Karen Tepper’s family history inspires her focus on underserved populations

    At the heart of Frontier Nursing University is a talented community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, Couriers and preceptors. Spotlight blogs feature members of our FNU community that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations.

    FNU graduate Karen Tepper, DNP, ANP-BC, HHCNS-BCN/A, has consistently dedicated her three-decade career in healthcare to the betterment of underserved communities. Based in Massachusetts, Dr. Tepper’s passion for improving healthcare access and outcomes is rooted in her own family’s history—her parents, both immigrants, endured immense challenges, including her mother’s survival of World War II and her father’s family fleeing oppression in Eastern Europe.

    “I understand what it means to be underserved from that experience,” she said. “That led to my passion to work with those communities.”

    As the Director of the VISN 1 Clinical Contact Center for the Veterans Health Administration, Dr. Tepper is responsible for the administrative, supervisory, and health care aspects of the center. Clinical Contact Centers provide patients 24/7 virtual access to dedicated staff, providers, and a range of clinical and administrative services, including RN clinical triage for evaluation of symptoms, disposition, and care coordination of health care concerns; virtual clinical visits with medical providers for acute, episodic, and exacerbation of chronic care needs; pharmacy services; and appointment scheduling.\

    Dr. Tepper holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from FNU, which she earned in 2020. While writing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Nurse Practitioner Residency program, she recognized the need for additional education to effectively co-direct the program and lead broader initiatives. This realization inspired her to pursue her DNP. She was inspired to attend Frontier by a colleague’s recommendation and the university’s emphasis on underserved populations.

    “I appreciated the focus on underserved populations, and the emphasis of ensuring students are successful,” she said.

    In addition to her professional achievements, Dr. Tepper serves her community as Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Health. She has served as a member for 18 years. In addition, she has also served on the Board of Nurse Practitioner Associates for Continuing Education (NPACE)  for the past nine years.

    Recognizing her lifelong commitment to improving patient care, Dr. Tepper was recently honored with the 2024 Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) Excellence in Clinical Practice Award.

    “Many nurses develop incredible programs that affect the lives of patients for the better. I am grateful and humbled to be selected for this award,” she said.

    Reflecting on her journey, Dr. Tepper advises others to advocate for their communities actively.

    “It is important to have a seat at the table at your organization and be politically active to achieve change for our communities,” she said.

    Thank you, Karen, for your unwavering dedication to underserved communities and for embodying Frontier’s mission.

    To read more graduate stories, visit the FNU graduate stories page.

  • A Century of Stories: Pandemic Heroes Part 1

    A Century of Stories: Pandemic Heroes Part 1

    In 2025, Frontier Nursing University honored the 100-year anniversary of the inception of the Frontier Nursing Service. We are grateful for the alumni, students, couriers, donors, volunteers, friends, and employees who have made an incredible impact on FNU’s century-long journey. We celebrated this milestone year by capturing and sharing some of the countless stories that make up our history. Whatever your connection to FNU, we hope you enjoy these stories.

    When the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the United States in early 2020, the public responses ranged from panic to denial. As businesses and services were restricted or completely shut down across the country, FNU alumni stepped forward. True to the Frontier mission, they were determined, creative, and brave in their efforts to serve their communities.  

    Here are two examples of the countless acts of heroism performed by FNU alumni amidst the panic and chaos of the pandemic: 

    Mobile Midwifery: When the pandemic hit in 2020, FNU graduate Dr. Mary “Ginny” Bowers, DNP, PMHNP, CNM (Class 82), IBCLC was the head midwife at Chesapeake Women’s Health in Easton, Maryland. While much of the world came to a screeching half, Ginny knew that her patients would need her care more than ever. She came up with a plan and, on March 18, 2020, shared it with the world with a simple social media post: “Mobile midwifery! Taking care of my pregnant mamas in their cars in order to help out the community.”  

    The drive-up option reduced the risks of exposure as patients had direct access to a bathroom, lab, and ultrasound without ever stepping foot in the waiting room. Bowers measured patients’ blood pressure, fetal heart tones, and maternal heart rates while they remained in their vehicles.  

    “Pregnant women carry a significantly higher risk of complications when exposed to respiratory viruses and I wanted to help decrease that risk in any way possible,” Bowers said. “I elected to function as both the medical assistant and the provider so as to limit the patient’s exposure.” 

    In 2022, Ginny joined the University of Virginia. In 2024, she obtained her Doctor of Nursing Practice, and she now specializes in reproductive psychiatry. She has established two reproductive psychiatry practices, one of which is a subspecialty of UVA Psychiatry. That clinic offers comprehensive psychiatric services to individuals during the perinatal period. The second endeavor is a private telemedicine practice which enables her to provide reproductive psychiatric services across a broader area.  

    “I am currently licensed in Virginia and Colorado, with pending PMHNP licenses in Maryland, Delaware, and Maine,” she said.  

    Just as she did during the pandemic, Dr. Bowers continues to find innovative ways to serve as many patients as she can.  

    “Frontier is a fabulous university and I truly believe this organization helps foster my ability to problem solve. Midwives really have a way of thinking outside of the box.”  

    Serving A Mennonite Community During the Pandemic: Jennifer Scott, CNM (Class 75) MSN, was working at Community Midwives in Penn Yan, New York, in 2020. Penn Yan is located in the rural Finger Lakes region of central New York. The majority of Scott’s patients were from a large local Mennonite community. The women would often make appointments on the same day and share a ride to the clinic. 

    Like many businesses, Community Midwives closed its doors during the pandemic. Telehealth visits were not an option for most of Scott’s patients, who did not have computers or cell phones. Instead, Scott and her colleagues began performing home visits.  

    “We are doing home visits because it is easier to isolate and wipe down our equipment between homes,” Scott said in 2020. “This also keeps our clients from congregating in the waiting room.” 

    They also limited visits to patients who were near term or at higher risk. In addition to providing healthcare, Scott became a source of news for her patients, keeping them updated on the pandemic by printing and distributing the latest information from local and state health departments.  

    Today, Scott and Community Midwives continue to serve the Mennonite community in the Finger Lakes Region. The practice now employes three full-time nurse-midwives and one-part-time nurse-midwife, including fellow FNU graduate Lisa Benedetto, CNM (Class 50). They travel upward of 50 miles to see patients, attending over 100 births per year and providing well woman care, annual exams, family planning, and menopause management. They also have privileges at a community hospital for those patients who need to be transferred or choose a hospital birth. 

    “FNU taught me to grab my saddlebag, get on my horse and ride up that mountain,” Scott said. “It taught me that my calling is to care for the underserved, the vulnerable families, without hesitation.” 

    >> Read More from “A Century of Stories” 

  • Student Spotlight: Kris Swanson plans to broaden scope as a Family Nurse Practitioner

    Student Spotlight: Kris Swanson plans to broaden scope as a Family Nurse Practitioner

    At the heart of Frontier Nursing University is a talented community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, couriers and preceptors. Spotlight blogs feature members of our FNU community who are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality healthcare to underserved and rural populations.

    With a goal of providing comprehensive care for all patients, Kristin “Kris” Swanson, BSN, RNC-MNN, IBCLC, is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. Set to graduate from Frontier Nursing University this year, Swanson serves as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for Birthmark Doula Collective/New Orleans Breastfeeding Center.

    Birthmark Doula Collective is a birth justice organization dedicated to supporting, informing and advocating for pregnant and parenting people and their families in New Orleans. The organization provides childbirth education, birth doula and postpartum doula services and lactation support.

    In her current role, Swanson works in direct client care in the prenatal and postpartum period, supporting parents and families in their feeding choices. She has a special interest in induced lactation for non-gestational parents, low milk supply and the intersection of postpartum mental health and infant feeding choices.

    Swanson said while her career has focused on maternal-child health, she decided to pursue her MSN to broaden her scope as an FNP, noting that she wants to expand her knowledge base to provide care for the entire family. Swanson is also passionate about partnering in care with LGBTQ+, trans, and gender non-conforming individuals, especially concerning sexual health and family building.

    “Relationships are so important in healthcare: a person’s relationship to their own health, their relationship with their community and family and their relationship with their health care provider,” she said. “The long-term relationship building in primary care is in line with my values of compassion, trauma-informed care, evidence-based practice and shared decision making.”

    Swanson participated in FNU’s Professional Organizational Mentoring Program (POMP). This initiative pairs FNU faculty with nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery students from underrepresented groups, offering crucial support and mentorship. Through POMP, students can join a professional organization in their field and attend a professional conference with their mentors, with all associated fees covered.

    Swanson said her participation in POMP has been a clear highlight in her time at FNU, noting that she learned about the program from a classmate and applied as soon as the application became available.

    “As an IBCLC, I have benefitted from mentor relationships and knew this would be important as I became an FNP,” she said.

    Through POMP, Swanson attended the 2024 American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee in June. The week-long event offered continuing education, exclusive keynote speakers, legislative and policy updates, hands-on workshops, exhibitors and networking opportunities. During the conference, Swanson was paired with Dr. Mary Hunt, an assistant professor at FNU.

    “Conferences can be overwhelming and it was helpful to have her guidance on where to go and how to manage time, as well as hear about her professional experience,” Swanson said. “I also got to connect more deeply with two classmates, which was perhaps the best part of the experience. Having peers and colleagues in the program has allowed me to stay more connected as I move into clinical, and I am happy to have made lifelong friends.”

    Thank you, Kris, for your dedication to serving families in your community and for your commitment to professional development, as demonstrated through your involvement with POMP. To learn more about POMP, click here.

    Learn more about advanced nursing degrees and specialties at Frontier Nursing University. Subscribe to our blog for the latest news and events at FNU and to get inspired with stories featuring our alumni, students, faculty, preceptors and staff!

  • A Century of Stories: Leslie Copp, MSN, FNP, DNP (Class 57)

    A Century of Stories: Leslie Copp, MSN, FNP, DNP (Class 57)

    In 2025, Frontier Nursing University honored the 100-year anniversary of the inception of the Frontier Nursing Service. We are grateful for the alumni, students, couriers, donors, volunteers, friends, and employees who have made an incredible impact on FNU’s century-long journey. We celebrated this milestone year by capturing and sharing some of the countless stories that make up our history. Whatever your connection to FNU, we hope you enjoy these stories.

    In 2025, Frontier Nursing University celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the inception of the Frontier Nursing Service. We are grateful for the alumni, students, couriers, donors, volunteers, friends, and employees who have made an incredible impact on FNU’s century-long journey. We are celebrating this milestone year by capturing and sharing some of the countless stories that make up our history. Whatever your connection to FNU, we hope you enjoy these stories and are inspired to share your own story with us.

    Frontier Nursing University alumni go on to do so many amazing things that it is sometimes easy to overlook the incredible accomplishments they achieved before graduating. Current DNP student Leslie Copp is a prime example.

    In the summer of 2023, Copp, whose husband Justin is a Sergeant First Class in the U.S. Army with 24 years of service, was one of 60 U.S. service members, veterans, and military spouses chosen as a Tillman Scholar. Tillman scholarships are available to active-duty service members, veterans, and military spouses.

    The Pat Tillman Foundation was founded by the family and friends of Pat Tillman, who, in 2002, put his National Football League career on hold to serve his country. Tillman died in April 2004 while serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan. The Tillman Foundation identifies remarkable military service members, veterans, and spouses, empowering them with academic scholarships, lifelong leadership development opportunities, and a diverse, global community of high-performing mentors and peers. Tillman Scholars make an impact as they lead through action in the fields of healthcare, business, public service, STEM, education, and the humanities.

    Being a survivor of violence, Copp has made caring for others her lifelong passion. With 23 years of nursing experience, she currently works full-time as a forensic nurse examiner in Indianapolis. She specializes in trauma care and frequently is called to testify in court.

    “Watching my mother have to defend her and myself, and how scary that was, I know how children with trauma are affected the rest of their lives,” Copp said, reflecting on her own experiences with domestic violence. “But had I not gone through that, maybe I wouldn’t be able to care for my patients the way I do today. Our journey in life leads us to places we don’t expect. I’m so blessed to have not fallen victim to addictions or suicide or some of the things our patients face when they’re traumatized. I feel blessed to be here and to advocate for people.”

    While trauma care centers are common in metropolitan areas, they are rare in rural areas, such as the one in which Copp lives. With the support of the Tillman Scholars program, Copp’s goal is to establish trauma care centers in rural and underserved communities, such as where she lives in Odon, Indiana.

    “In these trauma centers, I’m hoping to not only be able to provide a medical exam, but I’m also hoping that it is a one-stop shop,” Copp said, noting that her vision is for the trauma care centers to include access to social workers, connections to prosecutors, and rooms for emergency housing. “We can eliminate so many things for law enforcement. They can have more time on the street doing what they need to be doing to keep the community safe while we’re doing the back work. We can take the photos, collect and bag the evidence and get it to the crime lab. There are a lot of benefits all the way around. I hope to see a huge stride in this in the next 10 years.”

    >> Read More from “A Century of Stories” 

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