Martha was a Catholic nun and a registered nurse working in East Tennessee at the Clairfield clinic in 1969 when Bill Dow first encountered her and engaged her help in designing student-run health fairs. She had been conducting primary care for pregnant women and their children, including dispensing birth control, since before Nurse Practitioner was even a glint in Loretta Ford’s eyes. Martha welcomed the first wave of Vanderbilt students into the community in 1970 and helped introduce them to local leaders and local culture. She eventually left the convent and moved to Chapel Hill, N.C. where she finished graduate school in public health.
Related Content:
On the SHC’s process identifying post-health fair follow-up needs in East Tennessee
Rosie Hammond describes the Coalition’s process identifying cases in need of follow-up, be it subsequent visits to the nearby clinic in Clairfield, Tenn. (where Sister Martha Stucker conducted primary care), a referral for speciality care, or ongoing support from Frontier… Continued
A conversation with Martha Stucker
Martha Stucker shares about her time working in the mountains from 1968-1972, and explains her role as a nurse practitioner focused on meeting community needs. Continued