In 1939, the Home instituted the long-term residential treatment of children with intractable asthma. In the 1950s, medical, psychiatric, and research personnel were added to treat children with asthma and allergies. In 1951, Dr. Allan Hurst became the first full-time medical director, and Jack Gershtenson became the administrator, a position he held for nearly thirty years. The Home officially became non-sectarian in 1953. Dr. Murray Pershkin, chief consultant for the Home from 1940 until 1959, advocated “parentectomy,” the removal of the child from his or her home for up to two years. The practice was not popular among some of the children.

Child Receiving Treatment

Boy is breathing into tube to check his lungs.

In 1957, the renowned Children’s Asthma Research Institute and Hospital (CARIH) were created. At the time it was the only research facility in the country dedicated to asthma and allergic diseases. In 1966, Drs. Kimishige and Taruko Ishizake, a husband and wife research team at CARIH, discovered immunoglobin E, the physiological basis for asthma. In 1972, the Sheltering Home became the National Asthma Center. National Jewish Hospital had evolved from treating tuberculosis to addressing a broader range of respiratory diseases, including asthma. It was decided in 1978 that a merger of the two institutions would be beneficial. Patients remained at the NAC campus until 1981, when it was closed.

Girls Playing Basketball

Girls playing basketbal wearing CARIH andd NAC t-shirts