New England Hospital for Women and Children facts for kids
Quick facts for kids New England Hospital for Women and Children |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°19′10.9″N 71°5′53.4″W / 42.319694°N 71.098167°W |
The New England Hospital for Women and Children was a special hospital. It was started by Marie Zakrzewska on July 1, 1862. Its main goals were to give women patients good female doctors. It also wanted to teach women how to study medicine. Plus, it trained nurses to care for sick people.
This hospital focused on women until 1951. Then, it changed its name to New England Hospital. This change meant it could now care for male patients too. In 1969, the hospital changed its name again. It became The Dimock Community Health Center. Today, The Dimock Community Health Center offers many health services. These include care for adults and kids, women's health, and special care for HIV/AIDS.
Starting the Hospital
Marie Zakrzewska was born in Berlin on September 9, 1829. She once wrote that she wanted to be remembered as a woman who helped other women. And that is exactly what she did by starting this hospital.
When she was a child, Marie often went with her mother. Her mother was a midwife at a special school. At 18, Marie wanted to study midwifery too. This was the only medical job women were allowed to do back then. She tried to get into the Royal Charité Hospital in Berlin. But she was turned down. She kept trying at ages 19 and 20, but still got rejected. Finally, a doctor named Joseph Hermann Schmidt helped her. He used his influence to get her into the school. Later, Marie moved to America. Here, women were allowed to become doctors.
In New York, Marie met Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. Dr. Blackwell helped Marie become a doctor. Together, they opened the New York Infirmary for Women and Children. This happened on May 1, 1857. After this, Marie went to Boston. She met with the leaders of the New England Female College. They offered her a job as a professor. She would teach about childbirth and diseases of women and children. She would also lead the clinic. Marie took the job, but later she left.
With help from others, she opened her own hospital. Some people who helped were Ednah D. Cheney and Lucy Goddard. Mrs. George G. Lee gave $3000, and Samuel E. Sewall gave $1000. On July 1, 1862, the New England Hospital for Women and Children officially opened.
Early Years of the Hospital
The hospital had three main goals. First, it wanted to give women medical help from female doctors. Second, it aimed to help educated women learn medicine in a practical way. Third, it wanted to train nurses to care for sick people. Marie Zakrzewska really wanted to provide care for all pregnant women. It did not matter what their race or how much money they had.
When the hospital first opened, the staff was small. It included Zakrzewska, two interns, and two consulting doctors. By 1900, the staff had grown a lot. There was one resident doctor, 54 doctors who attended or helped, and 13 consulting doctors.
For many years, only women worked as staff and doctors. But in 1950, the hospital faced money problems. So, the leaders changed the rule to allow men. Then, in 1952, they changed it back to only women. Finally, in 1962, the rules were rewritten. After that, men were allowed to work there again.
In 1864, the state of Massachusetts gave the hospital $5000. This money helped the hospital grow. It bought more land and buildings. By the end of 1864, the hospital had expanded. It split into three parts: a hospital, a place for quick visits (dispensary), and a place for patients to stay overnight.
In 1865, Dr. Anita Tyng joined as a surgeon. She was the first woman in the U.S. listed by a hospital as a surgery specialist. She was one of the women who wrote to the founder of MIT. They asked to study chemistry there in 1867. Dr. Fanny Berlin later became the hospital's chief surgeon. She was also one of the first Jewish-American women to practice surgery in the U.S.
In 1872, the hospital moved to Roxbury. The dispensary stayed in the center of Boston. The new hospital opened a nursing school. This was the first nursing school in America. Two very important nurses trained there. Linda Richards was the first American-trained nurse (graduated 1873). Mary Eliza Mahoney was the first African American-trained nurse (graduated 1879). The nursing school closed in 1951.
The hospital kept helping women and children until 1951. That's when it was renamed the New England Hospital. This new name showed that it now welcomed men too. The decision to let men in also helped with the hospital's money problems.
The Dimock Center Today
In 1969, the hospital changed its name again. It became The Dimock Community Health Center. It was named after Susan Dimock. She was a resident doctor and surgeon at the hospital. Sadly, she drowned in a shipwreck in 1875 when she was only 28.
Because of its long history, the buildings are very important. They are listed as a National Historic Landmark. All the buildings at the Dimock Center are named after women.
Today, The Dimock Center is located in Roxbury, Massachusetts. It has a nine-acre campus and other smaller locations. It offers many health and human services. These include:
- Care for adults and children
- Women's health services
- Eye and dental care
- Special care for HIV/AIDS
- Mental health services
- Programs where people can live
- The Mary Eliza Mahoney House, a shelter for families
- Pre-school and Head Start programs
- After-school programs
- Adult education and job training programs
See also
- Susan Dimock
- Mary Eliza Mahoney
- Hannah Myrick
- Women in medicine
- Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska
- Helen Morton (physician)
