MAYVILLE, N.Y. – 2025 is a monumental year for public health in Chautauqua County. Today we look back 100 years when the County hired its first Public Health Nurse.
In 1925 the Chautauqua County Legislature approved the position and appointment of Isabella B. Bellshaw to serve as the County’s first Public Health Nurse. Bellshaw was responsible for a rural nursing program of therapy and education, and was supervised by a committee of two doctors plus the supervisors of the Tuberculosis Hospital Committee. By 1938 the county's public health nursing program, with funding from the state, had expanded its operations to include programs for maternity care, infant and pre-school care, a school health program, and tuberculosis, communicable disease and education programs. The combined budget in 1938 for the public health nurses and the program for those with physical disabilities totaled under $11,000. Operations were supervised by a nine-member public health committee equivalent to today's Board of Health.
During the Second World War, the county health nurses aided the war effort by teaching Red Cross Home nursing courses and aiding the work of the Civilian Protection Councils, which were designed to provide help to county physicians. The three public health nurses instituted a special program of maternity and infant care for armed services families.
Among the many other programs which fell under the purview of the public health nurses in the 1900s, the communicable disease program realized some of the most significant progress. 53 pneumonia deaths county-wide and 20 smallpox cases in Ripley alone were reported in 1939. Diphtheria took 144 lives in the area in 1944, but just one life eleven years later. Polio was rampant in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but by 1957 polio vaccine was made available for all school age children in the county, and the incidence of new cases dropped dramatically.
Throughout the fifties and early sixties the public health program continued to grow. The size of the nursing staff grew to five in 1951. The local public health service took on additional work in 1952 when the county, with the support of the Chautauqua Lake Association, employed its first public health engineer. An assistant sanitary engineer, whose salary was partially subsidized by the Chautauqua Lake· Association and New York State, was added in 1954.
According to the April 23, 1891 edition of the Jamestown Evening Journal “It is estimated that 5,000 barrels of sewage are emptied into the (Chautauqua) lake daily during the height of the season from the various resorts on the lake.” In the 1950s, public health staff began work to improve the quality of the lake including a sanitary survey of Chautauqua Lake. Since that time, the role of the environmental health staff has expanded to include responsibility for many programs related to promoting clean and healthy water, with special emphasis given over the years to the construction of adequate sewage disposal facilities and pollution abatement.
Early community-based health efforts contributed to significant improvements in our public health and our environment right here in Chautauqua County and around the globe. This article is part of a partnered series with the County Historian, Norman Carlson, that will highlight the history, framework and important work of the local Department of Health in Chautauqua County.
About Chautauqua County Health Department - The Chautauqua County Health Department is the leading Public Health organization in Chautauqua County dedicated to the support of the community’s health. The Health Department takes innovative approaches to provide technical assistance to partner organizations, and offers various programs and services in order to help prevent disease, protect the public’s health and promote our community’s overall health and wellness. For more information visit www.HealthyCHQ.com.
References: History of Chautauqua County New York 1938-1978; A Bicentennial History Project published by the Chautauqua County Historical Society; 1925 Journal of Proceedings of the Chautauqua County Legislature; April 23, 1891 edition of the Jamestown Evening Journal
