Mercedes Chacón Porras

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Chacón and the second or maternal family name is Porras.
Mercedes Chacón Porras
Born(1896-09-11)11 September 1896
Died18 April 1963(1963-04-18) (aged 66)
NationalityCosta Rican
Occupationnurse
Years active1925-1963
Known forPioneer of Costa Rican social medicine

Mercedes Chacón Porras (1896–1963) was the first obstetrical nurse in Costa Rica and spread health care to rural communities throughout the country. In 2002, she was one of the inaugural women inducted into La Galería de las Mujeres de Costa Rica and the first national health center named for a woman bears her name.

Biography

Mercedes Chacón Porras was born on 11 September 1896 in Costa Rica.[1] In 1925, Chacón became the first obstetrical nurse of Costa Rica and worked toward providing prenatal care and preventing maternal and infant deaths. She was one of the few professional women working in the health field in the country and strove to bring health services to rural populations within their own communities.[2]

Death and legacy

Chacón died on 18 April 1963[1] and was posthumously inducted into La Galería de las Mujeres de Costa Rica in 2002.[3] A clinic in Aserrí, Costa Rica was named in her honor, breaking the custom of naming national health centers after men.[1]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Guías Costa Rica 2016.
  2. ^ Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres 2009.
  3. ^ La Nación 2002.

Bibliography

  • "Mercedes Chacón Porras". INAMU (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica: Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres. 2009. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  • "Mercedes Chacón Porras: 1896-1963". Guías Costa Rica (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica. 2 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  • "Mujer con todos los honores" [Woman with all honors]. La Nación (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica. 8 March 2002. Retrieved 7 September 2016.

Further reading

  • Valerín Román, Ileana (1998). Mercedes Chacón Porras mujer pionera de la medicina social (1934-1963) (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica: Editorial Nacional de Salud y Seguridad Social. ISBN 978-9977-984-73-5.