Arne Beltz
Arne Beltz (October 27, 1917 – February 1, 2013) was an American nurse known for her dedicated work in public health across Alaska. She was born in Little Falls, New York, into a family of healthcare workers—her father was a doctor and her mother a nurse—so she chose nursing as her path. Beltz finished Rhinebeck High School in 1934, studied biology at Middlebury College, and earned a master’s degree in nursing from Yale School of Nursing. She also completed a public health nursing program at New York University.
Her career began in New York City with the Visiting Nurse Service. She served as an army nurse in the Philippines and later worked as a public health nurse in Georgia. In 1948, Beltz moved to Wrangell, Alaska, and worked in many communities around the state, including Kake, Angoon, Fairbanks, Unalakleet, and Anchorage. In Fairbanks she led the Fairbanks Health Center, and after the 1964 earthquake she helped establish diphtheria and typhoid clinics in Anchorage.
Beltz rose to become the manager of the Community Health Services Division of the Municipality of Anchorage Department of Health and Human Services, and she served as its president from 1973 to 1975. She helped create important programs such as the Child Abuse Board, Home Health Agency, Family Planning and Women’s Health, and the Women, Infants’ and Children’s Nutrition Program. She taught at the University of Alaska and was active in professional nursing groups, including the American Nurses Association and the Alaska Nursing Association.
In recognition of her work, Anchorage named the Arne Beltz Building, which houses the city’s Department of Health and Human Services, after her in 1990. Beltz was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame in 2013. She passed away in Anchorage at the age of 95.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 01:55 (CET).