03/02/2026
The creation of the Nurse Practitioner role is part of Women’s History.
Dr. Loretta C. Ford was the woman behind the creation of the first Nurse Practitioner program in 1965, founded to address barriers to access in healthcare.
Ford said she knew that nurses were capable of caring for the whole patient; she just needed to demonstrate it.
Over 50 years after the first NP began training, the value of this position has been proven a thousand times over. Our staff continues the work Dr. Ford started, providing comprehensive care to older adults in the communities and facilities where they live.