In 1992, Public Health Nurses brought primary care directly to the public housing residents of Abbottsford Falls, a site credited as the nation's first nurse-managed health center.
In 1991, nurse practitioner Donna Torrisi worked with the Abbottsford Homes Tenant Management Corporation to envision a health center in public housing. Rather than a traditional physician-led practice, they imagined a nurse-managed clinic grounded in a shared belief that care begins with listening. As community members and nursing leaders embraced that vision, efforts to bring it to life gained momentum.
Community leaders, like Dorothy Harrell, who helmed the Tenant Management Corporation at the time, was a fierce champion of the idea. Donna's vision and Dorothy's belief that nurses would truly partner with residents, listen to the needs, and respond to their priorities, rather than arrive with prescriptive solutions, laid the foundation for everything that followed.
With the support of the Tenant Management Corporation and other nursing and community leaders, Donna and Sue Heckrotte helped translate that vision into a federal grant proposal. In 1991, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced a competitive funding opportunity under a new statute. With Sue taking on a large part of writing the proposal, the team applied for HRSA’s funding. Only seven grants were awarded nationwide for the 1991–1992 cycle, and Abbottsford was among them. In 1992, Abbottsford Falls Health Center opened its doors, providing care for adults and children.
This nurse-led model of care was a first of its kind. As word spread about Abbottsford and its services, other communities saw an opportunity to bring this approach to more Philadelphia neighborhoods. Its success showed what could happen when nursing expertise and community leadership shaped care together.
Read more about the next phase of nurse-managed care.
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