Human services are those activities that provide services to people, especially when there is a crisis. These services are designed to help people sail through the challenges they may face in life either from external sources or within themselves. When people face a crisis or a chronic problem, they may need external help to rediscover their self-worth and potential, which will help them navigate this challenge. Sometimes, these challenges may be due to a lack of basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing occasioned by losing jobs or chronic sickness. The challenge may be internal due to stress, depression, physical health issue, or a disability for other people. This paper will discuss one of the historic pioneers who made significant contributions in offering human services and improving people’s socio-economic welfare either through direct service or by political protagonism.
The Contribution Dorothea Dix to the Field of Human Services
Dorothea’s Biographical Information
Dorothea Lynde Dix, an American activist who championed for rights of the mentally ill and indigenous populations in the 19th century, was born on April 4, 1802, in Hampden, Maine (Martin, 2016). It is believed that her parents neglected Dorothea at a young age because they suffered from alcoholism. Her mother could not provide the family with basic needs due to chronic poor health. The father, who was an itinerant bookseller, was abusive. Dorothea, at the age of twelve, and her two brothers moved to Boston, Massachusetts, away from the abusive parents to live with her wealthy grandmother. Here, she became a school teacher and established an elementary school in her grandmother’s compound to train girls on ethical living natural sciences.
Dorothea suffered several bouts of illnesses, especially during winter. Her health deteriorated due to chronic cough and fatigue, and as a result, she stopped teaching. During this time, one of her physicians advised her to relocate and spend some therapeutic time in Europe. In England, Dorothea was housed by William Rathbone, a renowned politician, and reformer. During her stay here, she met a group of other reformers who ignited her dream of changing how the mentally ill and poor indigenous people are cared for. She returned to Boston in 1837 after her grandmother passed on (Strickler & Farmer, 2019). The property left behind by her grandmother enabled her to set the right footing in establishing a charitable organization. Dorothea made several trips across the country and visited mental hospitals to collect relevant data. She reported her findings to the political class to enact legislation that would push the state governments to take good care of the mentally ill.
Significant Contributions to the Field of Human Services
Dorothea prepared a memorial and submitted it to the New Jersey legislature giving details of the data she gathered from various hospitals. She appealed to the legislative assembly to look into the report, interrogate it, and appropriate funds for a mental health hospital to provide care and treatment of mentally ill patients in 1843 (Martin, 2016). In her submission, she wanted the state governments to manage the mentally ill patients’ affairs, guided by her three values; modesty, chastity, and delicacy. Although many politicians turned down Dorothea’s work, she did not give up. She persistently pushed for reforms, and in January 1845, her report made its way into the senate. A resolution to authorize an asylum was passed the following day, although some politicians were secretly opposing it due to the increased taxes imposed on the citizen. Through her efforts, asylums were eventually established in New Jersey, North Carolina, and Illinois.
When the American Civil War started, Dorothea became the Superintendent of Army Nurses for the Union Army. She set stringent measures for the entire nurse candidates, which many people thought were unrealistic and impossible. Nurses were required to put on plain dresses and no earrings, necklaces, or cosmetics. However, under Dorothea’s leadership, the Army of nurses registered a remarkable job in enhancing the role of nurses in the medical field during the war (Galik, 2017). Dorothea also gained fame for facilitating medication and treatment of both union and confederate soldiers. During this time, Dorothea advanced the fight against women’s discrimination by facilitating formal training and creating more opportunities for women nurses. It is estimated that over 3000 Army nurses were appointed to serve in the union army through her leadership (Galik, 2017). Dorothea gave her resignation in August 1865 when other prominent women rose into a senior position of leadership (Galik, 2017). This was occasioned by the feeling that her influence in the Army union was fading gradually.
The Geographic Region and Work Setting
The asylum movement by Dorothea involved several geographical locations in the US and parts of Europe. Her work revolved around schools, hospitals, and prisons, where she championed a life-changing course. During her early life, Dorothea established an elementary school in her grandmother’s home in Worcester, Massachusetts, and developed her curriculum to help girls embrace ethical living. In 1821, she opened a school in Boston and targeted the less fortunate and neglected children in the neighborhood (Galik, 2017). During her trip to Europe, Dorothea met a team of reformers who inspired her to start a similar campaign in her motherland. Her dream to take care of mentally ill patients was ignited when she visited a reform movement in Great Britain. When she returned to America from Europe, she made several trips across Massachusetts to find out how mentally ill patients are treated. She discovered that mentally ill individuals were locked up together with violent criminals, which caused inhumane treatment.
Additionally, Dorothea made similar trips in all the counties in New Jersey. She made a similar investigation and noted that mentally ill individuals needed proper moral treatment. She later visited New Hampshire, Louisiana, Illinois, and North Carolina to gather adequate data to prepare, enabling legislation to facilitate caring for mentally ill individuals. During the Civil War, Dorothea visited different states across the US and successfully led a team of nurses in the medical field. She took this opportunity to fight for the position of women in society.
Pioneer’s Legacy and its Relevance Today
Dorothea Dix left a solid legacy for her instrumental work in fighting for the rights of mentally ill individuals who were neglected for a long time. She established 32 psychiatric hospitals that take care of mentally ill patients. She also created 15 schools in different locations to help individuals with feeble minds (Galik, 2017). Additionally, she created several schools that specialize in training nurses who deal with mentally ill patients. During her time, libraries were established in mental hospitals and prisons. The New Jersey State hospital is one of the prominent mental hospitals Dorothea founded. It is believed that her first class of nurses trained to handle mentally ill patients graduated from this hospital when she was 73 (Galik, 2017). Indeed, she is considered the most effective advocate for the rights of mentally ill individuals in American history.
Conclusion
It is about 150 years since Dorothea Dix brought into the limelight the need to give mentally ill patients proper treatment and medication. She was a staunch critic of the narrative that mentally ill persons cannot be cured or helped. She fought the incarceration of these mentally ill individuals, the way they were neglected and caged without clothing. By the time Dorothea died in 1887, she had drawn everyone’s attention, especially the political class, to the dreadful treatment given to the mentally ill inmates in prisons and asylums. She will be remembered as one of the most distinguished women in American history for her life-changing course.
References
Galik, E. (2017). Dorothea Dix, superintendent of nurses: When an activist becomes an administrator. Women Leading Change: Case Studies on Women, Gender, and Feminism, 2(1), 32-44.
Martin, T. (2016). Pericles: A biography in context. Cambridge University Press.
Strickler, J., & Farmer, T. (2019). Dorothea Dix: Crusader for patients with mental illness. Nursing, 49(1), 49-51.