Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 16, 2004|Volume 32, Number 26

Florence Wald

Former YSN dean to be
named a state 'treasure'

Lieutenant Governor Jodi Rell will present "The Connecticut Treasure Award" to former School of Nursing (YSN) dean Florence Wald, founder of the American Hospice Movement, on Monday, April 19.

"The Connecticut Treasure Award honors individuals who are the unsung heroes of our state, the people who have helped to improve the lives of those less fortunate in their communities," Rell said in a statement.

The award will be presented at 12:15 p.m. in the YSN lecture hall, 100 Church St. South. The award ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a reception.

Wald, a world-renowned leader in nursing research, served as YSN dean 1959-1968. In that role, she initiated and implemented numerous reforms in educational programs, guiding YSN to a new definition of nursing as a scholarly clinical discipline. Wald left her position as dean to join a team of health care professionals that founded the first hospice in this country, the Connecticut Hospice in Branford. She continued as a research associate and member of the clinical faculty at YSN and was promoted to professor in 1980.

In preparation for opening the first hospice, Wald worked with dying patients and their families in Yale-New Haven Hospital and at St. Christopher's Hospice outside London. During this time she learned about the integrated work of nursing, medicine, social work, pastoral care, the arts and volunteers in providing total care for the terminally ill.

When the interdisciplinary team at the Connecticut Hospice accepted its first patients in 1974, much of the care received rested on the preparation and planning of Wald and her colleagues. She has continued her work developing the concept of hospice in this country and for the last several years has worked with other colleagues to develop hospice programs for prisoners and their families.

A native of New York City, Wald received her B.A. in physiology and sociology from Mt. Holyoke College and her M.N. and M.S. from Yale. Wald has received numerous awards, among them the title "Living Legend" by the American Academy of Nursing, as well as induction into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame, The National Women's Hall of Fame and the Connecticut Hall of Fame.

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