Metropolitan Expands into Public Health
When Metropolitan Life decided to set up its welfare program, it was fortunate that two men were at hand to focus the current interest in medical and industrial welfare into a program for Metropolitan policyholders. One, Lee K. Frankel, as a scientist and a humanitarian, exemplified the tendencies of the day. An internationally distinguished social worker, he had already acquired knowledge of the health problems of the poor through his earlier work as director of the United Hebrew Charities of New York.
He was a person of warm human sympathies, lovable and inspiring, but also a man of scientific training, with experience in business which few social workers possessed. Not only was he aware of difficult and pressing social problems, he could see practical solutions as well. He was a great teacher who could win others over to the wisdom of his projects and stimulate them to accomplishment. He was an advocate of spreading the word about types of life insurance such as no exam term life insurance and life insurance basics to those who were uninformed.
But the chief credit for the development of the welfare program belongs to Haley Fiske. By a striking coincidence, the two men first met in December 1908, at a meeting in the Charities Building in New York City, at which Mr. Fiske spoke in defense of industrial insurance. Dr. Frankel was then numbered among its critics and had just returned from Europe, where he had made a survey of working men’s’ insurance for the Russell Sage Foundation. Mr. Fiske listened carefully to Dr. Frankel’s constructive ideas.
Shortly thereafter, with the warm approval of the Metropolitans Directors and Officers, he invited Dr. Frankel to join the Companies Official Staff. The general program was greeted enthusiastically by everyone in the home office and in the field. Dr. Frankel was given free hand to carry out his plans with the full force of executive authority behind him; and in the fusion of their efforts a service of far reaching value was created.
The rich fruit that this work has borne is due, in large measure, to the recognition by these two men that a great business organization could be a powerful instrument for social good. It was an example, characteristic of the American way of life, of private enterprise promoting public welfare. On February 1, 1909, the welfare division of Metropolitan life insurance commenced its work. President Fiske informed the various types of life insurance policyholders of this new service from the life insurance company in the following words:
“Today, the Metropolitan is launched upon a new era—an era in which it joins the battle against the forces of disease, and in which it hopes to lead the world in preserving lives from the ravages of mankind’s insidious foes.”
One of Dr. Frankel’s first and most important steps was to organize the nursing Service for policyholders in the Industrial Department. Early in 1909 he mentioned the work of the company’s agents “whose business took them regularly into the homes of millions of the people,” in the course of a talk before a charitable organization of New York City. In the audience was Miss Lillian D. Wald, the head of the famous Henry Street Settlement and brilliant social worker.
His talk fired her with an idea concerning policyholders paying these life insurance rates to the best life insurance agency, and afterwards she said to him: “Many of your policyholders aren’t getting proper medical care. Why don’t you engage Henry Street nurses to visit every (insured) family where agents see or hear there is illness, so there will be accurate reporting, home instruction, and treatment?”
Dr. Frankel was quick to see that here was the solution he was seeking. He arranged for Miss Wald to tell the Metropolitans Officers, about the work of the Henry Street nurses, and the great benefits to the families and to the community resulting from it. The Directors at once recognized the value that such a service would have among the Industrial policyholders, and it was not long before the project was launched.
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