Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has hired a new Operations Manager for the Wendover Bed & Breakfast and Retreat Center. Wendover served as the headquarters of the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) in the 1920s. The signature feature of the Wendover property is the Big House, originally built as a two-story log home for Frontier founder Mary Breckinridge. The Wendover property also includes several other buildings that house guest rooms and retreat or meeting spaces. Steeped in the rich … [Read more...]
Courier Spotlight: Sally Hamby
Northeastern native Sally Hamby was inspired as a teenager to serve as a Courier with Frontier Nursing Service (FNS). At age 23, after graduating college, Sally finally got her chance. In the fall of 1974 she headed from Washington, D.C. to Kentucky, a foreign state and a foreign culture. Sally was stationed at Flat Creek, an outpost center at FNS, for the majority of her time as a Courier. There she worked with Sue (Brezec) Krech, who was just 22 at the time and the only nurse-midwife on … [Read more...]
Courier Spotlight: Laura Lee Parrish
Laura Lee Parrish’s life transformed when she went from farmgirl to Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) Courier in 1970. A Bourbon County, Ky. native, Laura was familiar with FNS when she began her journey 130 miles southeast to Leslie County. Little did she know how much of an impact the experience would have on her. According to Laura, she always had a desire to serve the Eastern Kentucky community. However, having grown up very simply on a farm, she was unsure of her abilities to help when she … [Read more...]
FNU Hosts “Call the Midwife” Screening Event for Season 7 Premiere
For the sixth consecutive year, Frontier Nursing University hosted free a reception and screening event of the hit PBS show, “Call the Midwife,” Season 7 on March 22, 2018. The PBS drama “Call the Midwife” follows the nurses, midwives and nuns from Nonnatus House, who visit the expectant mothers of the deprived Poplar district of London's desperately poor East End, providing the poorest women with the best possible care. Season 7 premiered on PBS on March 15, 2018. Frontier Nursing … [Read more...]
Courier Spotlight: Florence Booker Rawleigh
The late Florence Booker Rawleigh claimed that working for the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) as a Courier was the most interesting thing she did in her 95 years of life. Florence was asked to serve as a Courier during a flu outbreak 1942. During the epidemic, many prominent families in the area were asked to send their children to volunteer with FNS to tend to those ill from the flu in rural and underserved Appalachia. “They would call and say they need you desperately, ” said Florence. … [Read more...]
Courier Spotlight: Wendy Parker-Wood
When Wendy Parker-Wood’s family visited the Big House at the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) grounds, Wendy knew it was a place she wanted to be. The then 12-year-old Wendy was fascinated by the stories her mother told of volunteering as a Christmas secretary at FNS in the 1930s, and she felt a strong connection to the work the Couriers did there. In her senior year of high school in 1966, Wendy traveled to Wendover to participate in the Courier Program. She rode horses, grocery shopped for … [Read more...]
Courier Spotlight: Joan Todd
Joan Todd decided to become a Courier in 1953 through the influence of two women well-connected with Frontier Nursing Service (FNS). Joan’s grandmother had befriended Mary Breckinridge in college, and her mother had served as a Courier in her younger years. Although she was hesitant, Joan traveled to Wendover in 1953 to take part in the program. Joan served in many roles as a Courier, such as organizing medications, removing the expired medications and stocking new shipments. She also … [Read more...]
FNS: A Legacy Lives On
In 1927 in the hills of Kentucky, the Frontier Nursing Service began building a hospital. A year later, Mary Breckinridge, founder and director, saw her dream to bring exceptional healthcare to rural Kentucky come true. Frontier Nursing University (FNU) roots run deep in Appalachia. For many years, nurse-midwives have met the needs of families, focusing on not only giving women a healthy birth experience, but also knowledge of how to care for themselves and their children. Keeping Mary … [Read more...]
