National Jewish Health is a nonprofit, non-sectarian hospital and research center located in Denver, Colorado. It is dedicated to improving the health of children and adults through patient care, education and research. National Jewish Health has been ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 hospitals for respiratory disorders by U.S. News & World Report for more than 20 years. National Jewish Health is also a teaching affiliate of the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a part of Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Founded in 1899 as Denver’s firstJewish Hospital, National Jewish Health began serving patients with tuberculosis (TB). In those early years, one in four people died from TB in the United States. With no effective medical treatments available at that time, patients came to National Jewish Hospital from all over the world seeking a cure. Doctors and researchers at National Jewish pioneered many TB treatments that are now standard practice throughout the world. These include bed rest, good nutrition and fresh air – known today as the “Sanatorium Treatment” – which was developed at National Jewish and quickly adopted by other hospitals treating TB patients.
In addition to its work in treating TB, National Jewish has always been on the forefront of research into causes and cures for other respiratory diseases such as asthma, allergiesand pulmonary fibrosis; heart disease; diabetes; cancer; autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus; blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia; kidney disease; gastrointestinal disorders; genetic diseases; women’s health issues; infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDSand influenza; and environmental health concerns such as air pollution and secondhand smoke exposure. Today, researchers at National Jewish conduct more than 400 clinical trials each year – more than any other private institution in the world devoted solely to biomedical research – testing new treatments for all these conditions