Verna Huffman Splane Passes Away

It is with deep sadness that we share news of the passing of Verna Huffman-Splane, one of Canada’s most noted nursing leaders and an honorary life member of  BCHNS. Verna died early Saturday, January 10, just weeks after her 100th birthday.

Photo Credit: BCHNS

Verna was an icon of nursing and a mentor to hundreds of nurses all over the world. After a career in public health, including short stints with the World Health Organization, she joined Health and Welfare Canada, becoming Canada’s first federal principal nursing officer in 1968 until 1981; she was the first nurse to be a key advisor to the deputy minister of health. During this time, she married Dr. Richard Splane, a social worker by profession who had served with National Health and Welfare in Ottawa from the 1950s to the early 1970s, becoming widely known as a chief architect of public social policies, such as the Canadian Social Assistance Plan. Their strong interests in international health and social welfare led to work with a number of non-governmental agencies, including UNICEF and the International Red Cross.

Continue reading

HEALTH HISTORY LECTURE SERIES

Sponsored by the Consortium for Nursing History Inquiry

  • Place: UBC School of Nursing T182
  • Time: 12:00-1:00 PM
  • January 29th 2015 Dr. Sally Mennill, Douglas College faculty, will present a talk entitled “Reducing Risk: Caesarean Section at Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital, 1950-1970”
  • March 11th 2015 Dr. Lesley McBain, the Consortium’s 2015 Visiting Associate Professor from First Nations University of Canada, will present a talk entitled “Place and Nursing in Remote Northern Communities”.

For more information on both these presentations visit http://blogs.ubc.ca/nursinghistory

Nov.16,2014 “Nursing on the Battlefield” presentation by Glennis Zilm

I was very pleased to represent the Canadian Association for Nursing History and to attend the presentation of Glennis Zilm on Sunday, November 16th at the Royal BC Museum Neucomb Auditorium.

Glennis’s presentation: Nursing on the Battlefields: Canada’s Military Nurses: 1885-1945 struck a timely cord to the standing room only crowd. Following the presentation Glennis fielded a half hour discussion that included some very poignent stories about relatives and friends who had been nurses in the war and a number of new connections were made and addresses and information exchanged. Glennis’s expertise in this area of historical inquiry skillfully guided the discussion which ended only because she had to get the ferry! What a pleasure!

Margaret Scaia”

 

June 3, 2014 Royal Columbian Hospital Alumnae celebration

Jessie Middleton was honoured at the RCH Nursing Alumnae mtg on June 3rd. It’s 75 years since she graduated from RCH.

Photo Credit: Jackie Ratzlaff, Photo: Jessie Middleton & Jackie Ratzlaff

Thank you to Jackie Ratzlaff for sharing this information, she tells us that her relationship with Jessie goes back a long way in that Jessie’s husband, Fred, was the school principal in Salmo where Jackie grew up.  Jessie was known as the go-to nurse in that small community, she delivered a couple of babies also.

Post Woodward Lecture Nov.6/14

The 46th Marion Woodward Lecture was held on Nov. 6/14 with Dr. Bonnie Stevens from the University of Toronto speaking on Nursing’s Role in Changing Care Practices and Outcomes in the Context of Health Care System Transformation.

The lecture was attended by several members of the BC History of Nursing Society. Display tables included a collection of books authored by UBC School of Nursing Professors which Glennis Zilm hosted and the BC History of Nursing Society display hosted by Kathy Murphy