Healthcare Museum

Sandra Huppenbauer

Healthcare has been and will always be a growing industry from new vaccines to new diseases. We would like to create a non-profit organization and open a Health Care Hall of Fame Museum. In this museum we will have various exhibits that have changed healthcare. I will give you a brief description of five that play a huge role in public health today. Public Health

Vaccine

First exhibit would be vaccine in the United States. Public health efforts have gained strength as the nation grew toward independence in the 1700s. World’s first vaccine was for smallpox in the 1970’s created by Edward Jenner. There were several events that helped better shape public health. There was a huge epidemic in 1793 yellow fever broke out in Philadelphia following the nations capital. Soon after congress had charged MHS with examining passengers on ships coming in that might have infectious diseases specifically for cholera and yellow fever. Also in1870’s and 1880’s scientist in Europe gave evidence that microscopic organism were the issue of several infectious diseases. Moving forward to our latest era in 2008 through legislation enacted by Congress, NICHD be renamed the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the institute’s 45th anniversary celebration

Birth

The second exhibit we would love to show case would be giving birth. Delivering babies has had a tremendous change in the healthcare industry. Starting back in the Middle Ages and renaissance. Barber-surgeons began trying monopolizing childbirth services. Women in that day and age were forbidden to practice medicine or midwifery, many midwives were accused of being witches and killed. Men were only allowed in medical schools. Barger-surgeon delivered most babies. In 17l6 New York City required licensing of midwives. Licenses placed the midwife in the role of servant of the state, a keeper of social and civil order. Around the turn of century late 1800’s anesthesia was introduced.

By 1920, doctors believed that “normal” deliveries were so rare that interventions should be made during every labor to stop trouble. 1930 The American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecology was established. This is just the for front of the timeline in the healthcare industry. There is a huge time line dating way back that would be great information in a hall of fame museum. To educate the public in birthing and what it has become today. Government

Third exhibit is how the government plays a huge role in public health. Prior to the great depression dated from 1929-41. United states citizens did not agree that the federal government should have any part with citizen’s health. But during the Great Depression the U.S citizens became desperate since then the governments role in the public health has expanded. Since that accrued two sections from the constitution were taken as allowing the federal government to intervene in the nation’s health. The first is the ability to tax people to provide for the “general welfare.” This allows for the collection of money to be used in support of health programs. Second, the federal government has the ability to regulate commerce.

The government can implement policies that limit the personal and property rights of individuals or businesses. This authority allows the rules and regulations of restaurants, sewage and water companies, product and drug safety, and other businesses that sell products to consumers. As citizens we go about our life not knowing the background or history in what we use in an everyday life the government has changed public healthcare drastically this is just a brief insight to what the government has done. Technology

Over centuries, healthcare has changed the face of healthcare with new medical developments and techniques. For thousands of years, people have been playing, planning, and exploring with the hopes to find the mystery of the human body. Public health has always combined the best form in treating cancer, delivering babies to dealing with heart attacks. Doctors and scientist have developed technology and improved techniques. The issue that doctors in this era face is broken medical systems and the right insurance company. Doctors will become better at tackling health problems and new techniques with technology as biomedical research improves.

Still on going but improving, the three main changes that are revolutionizing public health today are electronic medical records, clinical practice and population science. In the last few decades, medical billing and coding has switched from being a paper-based system to a computerized format. Under HIPAA laws, medical practitioners had to develop new software in order to send out electronic bills. Healthcare continues to evolve and so does medical technology and its use in every aspect of the public health. Public Health Insurance

Lastly, Health insurance has played a huge role and a on going development in the United States. Many believe the United States is on the edge of national healthcare reform. Healthcare cost seems to be unreasonable while 46 million American are uninsured. In the early 1900s proposals began to surface. In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Mosse party campaigned for health insurance. Moving to today’s day and age President Obama extends the state children’s Health Insurance program through 2013 and created the Obama care in with all citizens with the exception of some must have medical insurance. Public healthcare has developed from the World War to now, and is still continuing to change and evolve. This museum would be so beneficial to our organization and help educate and help our citizens better understand the history of public health.