Go Where the People Hurt: The Life of Dr. Ruth Janetta Temple

The Dr. Ruth Temple Health Center located at 3834 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, California, stands as a tribute to a remarkable woman physician, educator, and public health practitioner who slept in a chicken coop for years in order to provide badly needed health care services to Los Angeles' minority populations. When young, Ruth wanted to be a nurse unaware that women could be doctors. When she learned there were two women doctors working with Dr. John Harvey Kellogg she enrolled in Loma Linda University graduating as the first female African American physician in California. Dr. Ruth began a private practice and specialized in obstetrics and gynecology. Author DeWitt S. Williams recounts her journey to become the Director of Public Health for Los Angeles and the pioneering programs she implemented to bring health to the hurting and sick. Long before social awareness called attention to the special medical needs of poor people, Ruth Temple enrolled in the School of Medicine at the College of Medical Evangelists (now Loma Linda University). As a determined young African American focused on service, her eye never wavered from her dream. She set up practice in the poorest areas of Los Angeles and eventually became a moving influence throughout the entire city, creating public health awareness and a health system that served millions. Dr. Williams' recounting of this remarkable life is long overdue, and Dr. Temple's life continues to serve as a model for us all. Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH President and Chief Executive Officer Loma Linda University Health