For nurses, it just comes with the territory.
They do the day-in, day-out dirty work, while the doctors get the glory – or at least much of it.
But that’s nothing new. Back in 1954, when St. Tammany Parish Hospital first opened its doors, local newspapers listed the names of all the doctors at the hospital – but the name of only one nurse, Superintendent Elma K. Hughart.
Which brings us to today’s installment in our 70 for 70 history series, in which we salute – however belatedly – the hospital’s inaugural cadre of nurses.
Installment No. 22: The first nurses
Today’s artifacts: A collection of photos of nurses from early in St. Tammany Parish Hospital’s history.
Why they are significant: Without question, no single group of people could keep a hospital running all by themselves. That being said, nurses are and always have been the backbone of any healthcare organization.
That’s been true since Day 1 at St. Tammany Health System, where Hughart oversaw a team of 15 nurses on opening day. (By comparison, the health system today has more than 900 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses on staff.)
But who were those first nurses? Even if their names are lost to history, images of many of them survive in photos found in the health system’s archive.
In their honor, and in recognition of their service, you can see them below.
Do you recognize any of the nurses from the pictures below? Email us at CommDept@stph.org.