Who founded the first public health nursing service in New York and established a visiting nursing service for poor tenement families?

• A. Lillian Wald
• B. Clara Barton
• C. Linda Richards
• D. Lavinia Dock

Answer: (A)

Public health nursing in urban communities grew from the need to bring care directly to people who could not access hospitals or clinics, especially in crowded tenement neighborhoods. Lillian Wald recognized this gap and organized care that was both health-focused and socially informed by pairing nursing with social services. She founded the Henry Street Settlement in New York City with Mary Brewster and launched a visiting nurse program that went into the homes of poor families to provide medical care, health education, and prevention. This home-visit model became a cornerstone of public health nursing and helped establish what would become the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, shaping how nursing extended beyond hospital walls into the community. The other figures contributed in important ways—Clara Barton with the American Red Cross, Linda Richards as an early pioneer in nursing education, and Lavinia Dock as a reformer and author—but they did not establish this first public health nursing and visiting nurse service in New York.