[2] She founded the Henry Street Settlement in New York City and was an early advocate for nurses in public schools.

She graduated from the New York Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1891, then took courses at the Woman's Medical College.

[6] Wald worked for a time at the New York Juvenile Asylum (now Children's Village), an orphanage where conditions were poor.

Shortly after that, she began to care for sick Lower East Side residents as a visiting nurse.

Her ideas led the New York Board of Health to organize the first public nursing system in the world.

She suggested a national health insurance plan and helped to found the Columbia University School of Nursing.

By 1906, Wald had 27 nurses on staff, and she succeeded in attracting broader financial support from such gentiles as Elizabeth Milbank Anderson.

These programs helped to cut back on the time patients spent at hospitals while also making at-home care more accessible and efficient.

In her letters, she speaks with donors about the employment opportunities that are provided to women through the Settlement and the many benefits they offer.

One of the most notable benefits was the opportunity for women to have a career and to build their wealth independent of husbands or families.

Wald also taught women how to cook and sew, provided recreational activities for families, and was involved in the labor movement.

In 1910, Wald and several colleagues went on a six-month tour of Hawaii, Japan, China, and Russia, a trip that increased her involvement in worldwide humanitarian issues.

Correspondence reveals that Wald felt closest to at least two of her companions, homemaking author Mabel Hyde Kittredge and lawyer and theater manager Helen Arthur.

She preferred personal independence, which allowed her to move quickly, travel freely and act boldly.

"[17] Wald's personal life and focus on independence were evident in her devotion to the Settlement and improving public health.

A few months later, at Carnegie Hall, over 2,000 people gathered at a tribute to Wald that included messages delivered by the president, governor, and mayor.

(Sue Barton, Visiting Nurse (1938)) Wald was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in 1970.