School Nurses

Health care and nursing in schools began in New York with Lillian Wald in 1902, when she introduced the idea of treating sick children at school rather than sending them home. Within a year, the number of students sent home decreased by 90 percent. Other cities followed the example and the advent of school nursing had begun.

With the recent layoffs of school nurses, Jonathan Zimmerman discusses the impact this will have in the school system and the health of our children. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections include over 21 million items. Please visit the library at 1300 Locust Street or search our collections online.