Mamie Odessa Hale facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mamie Odessa Hale
Born	November 19, 1910 Keeneys Creek, West Virginia
Died	July 10, 1979(1979-07-10) (aged 68) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Alma mater	Tuskegee School of Nurse-Midwifery for Colored Nurses

Mamie Odessa Hale (November 19, 1910 – July 10, 1979) was a very important person in public health. She worked as a special helper for midwives in Arkansas from 1945 to 1950. During this time, Mamie Hale's main goal was to teach and train "granny midwives." These women were like community nurses who helped pregnant women and delivered babies. They also helped fill out birth certificates for new babies. Her work aimed to fix the big differences in health care that existed between Black and white women.

Early Life and Education

Mamie Odessa Hale was born on November 19, 1910. She was the third child of Emanuel and Minnie Maude Creasy Hale. Her family lived in Keeneys Creek, West Virginia.

In 1941, Mamie Hale went to the Tuskegee School of Nurse-Midwifery. This school was at Tuskegee University in Alabama. It was one of the few places that trained African American nurses. The school received money from the Rosenwald Fund and the Children’s Bureau. The Children's Bureau was a government group that looked after the well-being of children. The school required students to have a college degree. However, we don't know where Mamie Hale got her degree. The Tuskegee School of Nurse-Midwifery closed in 1946. By then, 31 students had graduated.

Starting Her Career

Mamie Odessa Hale started her public health career in 1942. She worked for the health department in Crittenden County. Many trained nurses were helping with World War II at this time. This gave Mamie Hale more chances to grow in her career.

In rural areas, it was hard to get good health care. Also, there were unfair rules based on race. Because of this, many more Black babies died than white babies. This became a big problem that needed to be solved. Before Mamie Hale got involved, the state tried to teach and manage midwives, but it didn't work well. Mamie Hale had strong support from the community. This encouraged many women, often between 60 and 80 years old, to try and get nursing permits.

Important Achievements

Mamie Hale was very successful. She was chosen to be a midwife consultant for the Arkansas Department of Health. In this job, she taught "granny" midwives to be better at delivering babies.

While working for the Arkansas Department of Health, Mamie Hale created her own training program. It lasted 8 to 12 weeks. Many of the women she trained could not read or write. So, Mamie Hale made her program very hands-on. She used movies, singing, and pictures to teach them. After finishing the full training, the midwives became officially certified by the state.

Her work in public health made a huge difference. The number of deaths among African Americans due to pregnancy and childbirth went down a lot. In 1930, there were 128 deaths. By 1950, this number dropped to only 43. Because of her great work, Mamie Hale became well-known. She was popular in the medical world and also in the Civil Rights Movement. Both white and Black people who supported Hale protested against restaurants that would not serve African Americans. They called for equal rights for everyone across the country.