FRONTIER NURSING SERVICE  
The Journey I
by Jane Leigh Powe//,  
C hairinan ofthe Board of Governors {
As I wrote in the recent Quarterly Bulletin and in a separate ri
letter to our friends and supporters, the Frontier Nursing Service
(FNS) is undergoing significant changes. We are saddened and
optimistic about the future of the Frontier Nursing Service. On `
one hand, we are saddened to relinquish our direct role in the  
provision of healthcare services to the people of Leslie County I
and surrounding counties. For over 85 years, we have provided Q
quality care through our employment of nurse—midwives, nurse _
practitioners and physicians and our operation of rural health I
clinics and the Mary Breckinridge Hospital. However, we must I
face the current healthcare climate, acknowledge external factors r
affecting healthcare that are beyond our control, and seize the I
opportunity to make quality healthcare available for the residents  
in our southeastem Kentucky area. For this reason, the Board of
Governors solicited buyers for the healthcare entities ofthe FNS. I
We are pleased to announce that Appalachian Regional Health- i
care (ARH) has entered into a Letter of Intent to purchase the I
hospital, clinics and home health agency. lf the sale succeeds, it  
will ensure that the region maintains local access to healthcare I
and our employees can remain employed.
On the other hand, we are excited about the future ofthe Frontier
School of Midwifery & Family Nursing (FSMFN). FSMFN is the
"child" ofthe Frontier Nursing Service. Up until 20l l, FSMFN I
was a subsidiary of FNS, Inc., but has grown into a successful
"adult” and now operates as an independent entity with ownership I
and responsibility for our historic headquarters at Wendover. The   ».
success of FSM FN has gone beyond our expectations and has  
fulti lled the vision of Mary Breckinridge to see her demonstration  
project replicated throughout the country and world. I ‘
We are fortunate to have an accomplished leader in Dr. Susan I
Stone, President & Dean of FSMFN. President Stone has been  
associated with the FNS for twenty years and has been instrtr- I
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