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Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

Canadian Museum of Health Care

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Kingston, ON
Canadian Museum of Health Care

Where Canada's Health History Lives! The Museum of Health Care is located at 32 George Street and is open to visitors Wednesday-Friday 10am-4pm.

06/01/2026

Happy Pride Month! 🌈⁠
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To celebrate this June, we’re highlighting Matt Edwards’ 2024 Margaret Angus Research Fellowship project on the history of s*x hormones and HRT in the Queen’s University medical school curriculum. 🏳️‍🌈📚 ⁠
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Their research explores how medical training spaces have reproduced anti-2SLGBTQI+ bias across decades of medical practice. ⁠
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We’re also sharing our interview with Dr. Ashley Waddington on gender-affirming care and the establishment of a Transgender Care Clinic in Kingston. 🏥 ⁠
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Inspired by the discussion, Matt’s latest blog post looks at how medical museums can support LGBTQIA+ communities by highlighting historical encounters between medicine and 2SLGBTQI+ people and sharing stories of how these communities have resisted, contributed to, and reshaped health care. 🏛️

05/29/2026

Join us for a hands-on PA Day adventure at the Canadian Museum of Health Care as we explore the amazing human body and the history of health care! Campers will discover how our bodies work through interactive activities, creative experiments, and engaging games. Participants will get the chance to examine real medical artifacts, try fun health-themed challenges, and create their own take-home projects. Perfect for curious kids who love science, history, and hands-on learning! 🩺🫀

Ages: 6-12

Hours 9am to 5pm

Location: Canadian Museum of Health Care, 32 George Street Kingston, ON

Cost: $50 per camper

Reserve your spot today today: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/museum-pa-day-camp

05/25/2026

The Canadian Museum of Health Care is seeking new members to join its Board of Directors!⁠
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We are seeking individuals with professional experience in one or more of the following areas:⁠
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- Business management and organizational leadership⁠
- Finance, accounting, or audit⁠
- Fundraising, development, or donor relations⁠
- Strategic planning, law, or community engagement⁠
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Beyond professional skills, we are looking for people who are genuinely passionate about Canada's health care heritage and the role museums play in building informed, healthy communities. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and strongly encourage applications from women, Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, persons with disabilities, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.⁠
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What the Role Involves⁠
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We welcome applications from candidates across Canada. Board meetings are held virtually, and we are committed to making board participation accessible regardless of where you are located. Board service is approximately 2-3 hours per month, including six meetings per year and optional committee participation.⁠
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How to apply:⁠
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Please send a current résumé and a short statement of intent (max one page) outlining your interest and the position you are applying for to [email protected] Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.⁠
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We look forward to hearing from you!

05/23/2026

This summer, we’re excited to welcome 4 new student staff members and a Collections Intern from Fleming College to the team! We look forward to working with everyone, and having an amazing summer. ⁠
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Thanks to Young Canada Works and the Queen’s Summer Work Experience Program for making these positions possible.

05/22/2026

May is Museum Month! We're celebrating the contributions of Ontario's over 700 museums, 35,000 volunteers, and 9,000 workers. This year’s theme is "the value of Ontario museums." Museums contribute to Ontario's collective memory and play an improtant role communities and tourists alike. ⁠
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Did you know that 3 in 4 Canadians agree that museums contribute to a sense of belonging and membership in a community?⁠
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05/21/2026

Today, we hosted a school tour for Queen’s medical students from the History of Medicine and Public Health Interest Groups. The students are pictured in front of the iron lung in the “Vaccines and Immunization: Epidemics, Prevention & Canadian Innovation” exhibit.⁠
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For the first half of the 20th century, the threat of paralysing poliomyelitis (polio) was an annual threat to Canadians and much of the developed world. ⁠
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Over the decades polio epidemics became increasingly severe and the average age of people affected rose. For many sufferers, the virus paralysed the muscles in the limbs, but one of the most serious and unexpected developments of the epidemic in 1937 was the large number of ‘bulbar’ cases of respiratory and/or throat paralysis. Bulbar polio impaired breathing and swallowing and usually caused death.⁠
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Ontario was particularly affected and it faced a shortage of electric tank respirators or ‘iron lungs’, then the only known treatment. An iron lung is a large chamber that works using a vacuum, pulling air in and out to change the pressure in the chamber. The pressure changes forced air in and out of the patient’s lungs. ⁠
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In a herculean effort, the Hospital for Sick Children began assembling ‘homemade’ iron lungs from standard parts in the hospital’s basement workshop. Financed by the province at a cost between $650 and $700 and working 24-hours-a-day over the next few weeks, hospital mechanics assembled 27 units. Some remained in Toronto and others were shipped to cities in Ontario and across Canada. ⁠
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Unit No. 11 was sent to Kingston General Hospital where it was used into the 1950s. It is believed to be the only surviving machine of the 1937 production.⁠
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To learn more, come visit the Canadian Museum of Health Care at 32 George St, Kingston!

05/19/2026

We are so grateful for MPP. Hsu’s visit to the Canadian Museum of Healthcare last Friday! ⁠
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We discussed the relevance of history to current issues, updates to the exhibits since his last visit, and enjoyed a tour of the Museum!

05/18/2026

Today is ! This year's theme is: Museums Uniting a Divided World.⁠
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On this day, we celebrate the importance of museums, and their impact on cultural exchange and enrichment.⁠
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If you want to learn more about global museums, check out the International Council on Museums

05/17/2026

Thanks for joining us at the Kingston Regional Heritage Fair on May 15! ⁠
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Visitors came up with an invention to solve a medical problem, using their imagination and creativity, then discovered historical artifacts and medical instruments used in the past.⁠
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We loved meeting everyone, and had so much fun! We hope to see you at more events this summer!⁠
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⁠To discover more about our collections, please visit us at 32 George St, Kingston!

05/16/2026

Happy ! This is the final post in our “The Life of a Kingston Nurse” series, exploring different nursing accessories.⁠
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Nursing shoes and ID badges have always been an important accessory in the life of a Kingston nurse! These 1919 low-heeled boots were made of durable leather to provide added protection from spills and sharp tools. If you worked the night shift, you would have had to change into slippers to avoid waking the patients. ⁠
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As nursing became more specialized, more supportive options emerged, like this 1970s pair. These shoes featured insoles that helped reduce fatigue and discomfort. ⁠
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The badges shown date back to 1936 for KGH graduate Nora Valleau and 1955 for KGH graduate Pauline Swain. ⁠
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Nurses today typically wear cushioned athletic sneakers or easy-to-clean plastic clogs, as well as ID badges which give them specialized access to different parts of the hospital.

Address

32 George Street/Ann Baillie Building
Kingston, ON
K7L2V7

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

613 548-2419

Website

http://www.museumofhealthcare.ca/, http://mhc.andornot.com/

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