Interview with Nancy N. Porter, March 5, 1979

Partial Transcript: This is an interview with Mrs. Nancy N. Porter for the Frontier Nursing Service Oral History Project by Dale Deaton at approximately 7PM on March 5th, 1979 at Birmingham, Michigan.

Segment Synopsis: Nancy Porter is introduced. She talks about how she learned of the Frontier Nursing Service, and her duties as a clinic nurse at the hospital at Hyden.

Keywords: Betty Scott; Clinic nurses; Clinics; Duties; Feuds; Harper Hospital; Hospitals; Midwifery; On-call; Responsibilities; Shootings

Subjects: Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Hyden (Ky.); Medical care--Appalachian Region; Medical education; Nurses; Nursing; Rural health services

Partial Transcript: Well, do you remember what Hyden looked like when you got there in 1947?

Segment Synopsis: Porter describes the town of Hyden when she arrived in 1947. She talks about the hospital facilities, and the most common types of cases she treated. She describes Mary Breckinridge's appearance and personality.

Keywords: Appearance; Buildings; Burns; Changes; Children; Clinics; Days off; Facilities; Friendly; Hospitals; Living quarters; Mary Breckinridge; Patients; Stores; Visiting; Wendover (Ky.)

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Country life; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Hyden (Ky.); Medical care--Appalachian Region; Rural conditions; Rural health services

Partial Transcript: Among staff members there, uh, was there sort of a camaraderie or an esprit de corps--

Segment Synopsis: Porter talks about the relationships among the staff of the FNS. She names some of the people working at the FNS and the midwifery school during her time there, including some of the British nurses. She talks about the salary she was paid.

Keywords: Betty Lester; British nurses; Camaraderie; Children; Cincinnati (Ohio); Conduct; Confluence (Ky.); Days off; Directors; Dr. Barney; Dr. Massey; Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery; Isolation; Local men; Salary; Social workers; Surgical clinics; Wages

Subjects: Country life; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Medical care--Appalachian Region; Nurses; Rural conditions; Rural health services

Partial Transcript: Somebody--well, uh, not anyone specifically but was there a general attitude by FNS nurses and personnel toward the mountain people?

Segment Synopsis: Porter talks about the attitudes of the FNS staff regarding the local people, and says that they did not feel that the locals were less intelligent than anyone else. She talks about being warned not to eat at the homes of the local people due to poor sanitary conditions.

Keywords: "Mountain people"; Attitudes; Eating; Education; Friends; Local people; Poverty; Relationships; Sanitary conditions; Staff; Water supply; Worm treatments; Worms

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Children--Health and hygiene--Kentucky; Country life; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Medical care--Appalachian Region; Nurses; Regionalism--Appalachian Region; Rural children; Rural conditions; Rural health services

Partial Transcript: Did you know that your--are, are you aware of the Detroit Committee?

Segment Synopsis: Porter discusses the Detroit Committee of the FNS, its membership, and the presentations made to the group by Helen Browne. She talks about which hospitals in Detroit may offer midwifery services.

Keywords: Committee chairman; Committee members; Detroit Committee; Fundraising; Helen Browne ("Brownie"); Hospitals; Mary Breckinridge; Natural childbirth; Presentations

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Childbirth; Detroit (Mich.); Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Maternal health services.; Midwifery

Partial Transcript: Now were you an RN when you went to Hyden?

Segment Synopsis: Porter talks more about her workload at the FNS clinic, and talks about whether the local people were charged for the services. She talks about the supplies available for the nurses, and talks about changes in technology.

Keywords: Changes; Charges; Costs; Doctors; Duties; Equipment; Fees; Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery; Lab work; Needles; Pharmacy; Prescriptions; Registered nurses (RNs); Sanitary conditions; Sterilization; Supplies; Technology; Waiting lists; X-rays

Subjects: Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Hyden (Ky.); Medical care--Appalachian Region; Medical education; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing--Study and teaching; Rural health services; Technological innovations

Partial Transcript: Do you recall any of the local people--(coughs)--was there, with the Hyden committee, uh, do you recall any input by local people into FNS?

Segment Synopsis: Porter talks about whether the local people had input in the FNS, and talks about the personal contact between the nurses and their patients. She talks about her housing situation at the hospital, and talks more about the relationships among the FNS staff.

Keywords: Acceptance; Appeal; Belonging; Centers; Clinics; Communities; Cooks; Family; Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery; Horses; Hospitals; Input; Living quarters; Local people; Mary Breckinridge; Meaningful; Personal contact; Personality; Relationships; Romanticism; Smoking; Wendover (Ky.)

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachian Region--Social life and customs; Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Country life; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Hyden (Ky.); Medical education; Nurses; Nursing--Study and teaching; Regionalism--Appalachian Region; Rural conditions

Partial Transcript: Well th, there were still quite a few people living at Wendover then.

Segment Synopsis: Porter talks about traveling to the various clinic outposts. She talks about the social lives of the FNS staff, and talks about the Christmas parties given for the local people.

Keywords: Beech Fork (Ky.); Brutus (Ky.); Children; Clothes; Confluence (Ky.); Donations; Gifts; Horses; Jeeps; Transportation; Wendover (Ky.)

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachian Region--Social life and customs; Benefactors.; Christmas--Appalachian Region; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Holidays--Kentucky; Nurses; Philanthropists.; Rural conditions; Rural roads

Partial Transcript: Well, the, the period you were there, were there e--was there ever any question or doubt or, or maybe someone being a little inquisitive about if there was enough money to keep the place running?

Segment Synopsis: Porter talks about whether she heard rumors of the FNS closing due to lack of funding. She talks about what she knew of Mary Breckinridge's religious convictions. She talks about revisiting the hospital many years after working there.

Keywords: Budgets; Changes; Children; Church services; Concerns; Frontier Nursing Service Quarterly Bulletin; Funding; Hospitals; Mary Breckinridge; Modernization; Payroll; Spiritualism; Visiting

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Medical care--Appalachian Region; Medical centers--Cost of operation; Medical centers--Finance; Newsletters.; Religion; Rural health services

Partial Transcript: Well you said you didn't remember what your pay was.

Segment Synopsis: Porter talks more about her salary at the FNS. She talks about their uniforms, and being on-call even on her days off. She talks more about the types of cases she generally saw. She talks about the town of Hyden and where alcohol was sold in town. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Businesses; Days off; Emergencies; Liquor stores; Maid service; Off-duty; On-call; Room and board; Salary; Teas; Uniforms; Violence; Wages; Workload

Subjects: Alcohol; Appalachian Region--Social life and customs; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Hyden (Ky.); Medical care--Appalachian Region; Nurses; Rural health services