From 1912 until 1972, the Nebraska State Hospital for Tuberculosis operated in Kearney, Nebraska. It served as a place of employment and empowerment for women in the area. Dozens of women worked at the hospital in a variety of positions. Notable women such as Irene Mollard and Helen Kinnaman found personal and professional fulfillment working in the hospital kitchen, and Fern Worley supervised the non-medical staff for several years as Head Matron. Patients continually praised the dedication and care of the female nurses. For example, Nurse Wimberley was known for her “heart of gold” according to several patients. Women became such an integral part of the institution that they even chose a woman, Pearl Baker, to be serve as the hospital’s first superintendent. Baker also publicly affirmed racial integration at Kearney’s tuberculosis hospital, making it one of the first major institutions in the area that allowed blacks, Native Americans, and whites to live alongside one another.