Princess Srinagarindra Award Foundation honors the legacy of Dr. Loretta C. Ford, the Princess Srinagarindra Laureate 2010 and the “mother of nurse practitioner” who advanced nursing profession and health care delivery system. Dr. Loretta Ford passed away on 22 January, 2025 at the age of 104.
Dr. Loretta Ford was born in 1920 in New York city during the great depression, got her nursing certificate at the age of 20 and served as a nurse in the US Army Air Force during World War II. After the War she went to school, earned the baccalaureate in nursing and Master’s degree in public health nursing. She worked as a public health nurse and Director of Nursing at the Boulder City County Health Department. In 1961 she was awarded a doctorate in education by the University of Colorado and became a full professor. In 1965 she co-founded the first nurse practitioner model with the teacher and pediatrician, Dr Henry Silver based on nursing principles. She believed that nurse was capable of more and the jobs could be more clinical work than administration. In 1972 Dr. Ford became the founding dean at the University of Rochester school of nursing and the director of clinical nursing at Strong Memorial Hospital. She was awarded the doctoral degree in science by University of Rochester for her contribution to nursing application. She taught and advocated the role of nurse practitioner nationally and developed the holistic ‘unification model’ that combined nursing education, research and clinical practice which is a widely used approach today. After her retirement from clinical practice in 1985, she continued to write publications and give lectures in many countries. In her long career she received numerous national and international awards such as in Elizabeth Blackwell Award, the Princess Srinagarindra Award in recognition of her achievement in advancing nursing practice for better health of mankind (2010), the National Women Hall of Fame (2011).
Nurse Practitioner program is an advanced educational and training program to equip nurses with advanced clinical knowledge and hard and soft skills to enable them to make diagnosis, provide basic treatment and prescribe basic medication within the scope of nursing practice. At the beginning, the model received resistance from nursing and medicine professions. Thank to Dr Ford’s untired effort in making the nurse practitioner’s role became legal in each work context and made nurse practitioner became one of the most trusted and valued heath care providers in the United States and around the world. In 2023 there are 385,000 licensed nurse practitioners working in the United States and many more are working around the globe. The nurse practitioner job growth projected in the United States will increase by 46% by 2033. Nurse Practitioners are deployed in various settings within and outside health care institution as well as work independently in the clinics or community particular at the primary care level. Evidence has demonstrated that competent nurse practitioner could contribute significantly in enhancing accessibility to health care service, saving lives and producing positive health outcomes in particular in the marginalized and remote areas.
Dr. Tassana Boontong, the General Secretariat, Princess Srinagarindra Award Foundation, expressed her deepest sympathy on the loss of Dr. Loretta C. Ford. She said that Dr. Ford’s commitment and long dedicated life for advancing nursing profession will inspire our young generation for a brighter future. In the effort aiming to achieve universal health coverage and sustainable development goal, the nurse practitioner is needed in today health care system more than ever. She will be remembered fondly. May her soul rest in peace.
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