Health and Wellness in the Intermountain West
Healthcare can take many forms. It can be a county hospital, a live-in care facility, a specialized clinic, or even a natural feature. The intermountain west has attracted people for centuries, many coming specially for their health and wellness. This tour covers five healthcare institutions, all of which addressed a different need. These sites show how health was and is an important part of everyone’s lives, from residents, to tourists, to people willing to leave everything behind to survive.
The Yampah Vapor Caves
As the United States became more and more industrialized in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Americans looked for relaxation and rejuvenation. In the West, they found natural spas marketed to restore their mind and body.
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Crystal Hot Springs
For centuries, people have used hot springs in the American West to restore health and well-being. These natural features attracted tourists and continue to be an important economic feature of the West.
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Childs-Drexel Home for Union Printers (Union Printers Home)
In an effort to provide relief for union members suffering from work-related lung disease, the International Typographical Union constructed a special health institution in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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National Jewish Hospital for the Treatment of Consumptives (National Jewish Health)
When a patient in the nineteenth century United States was suffering from tuberculosis, the only “cure” was fresh, dry air, such as in the American West. However, many who made the journey did not have enough money for treatment, so charitable organizations stepped in to care for the sick.
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Coconino County Hospital for the Indigent
Before the introduction of federal social welfare programs, Americans disagreed over who exactly should take care of the sick and poor members of their communities. Coconino County’s solution to this issue became known as the “poor farm.”
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