Jeannette Connors | Article Author |

24 Feb 2022

Greenbelt Got an Early Start On Health Care for Residents

by Jeannette Connors

Picture it. Greenbelt. 1939. A young girl with inflamed tonsils. She is fortunate because Greenbelt has a hospital – the only hospital in Prince George’s County. The girl’s parents pay $4 for a semi-private room (the girl wants a private … Read More

13 Aug 2020

Greenbelters in the 50s Waited Long Years for a Polio Vaccine

by Jeannette Connors

From the Archives An epidemiological history of infectious diseases in Greenbelt must include a chapter on poliomyelitis, or polio, a life-threatening illness caused by the poliovirus, and the vaccines – two were developed – that eventually virtually eliminated the disease, … Read More

23 Apr 2020

Scarlet Fever in the 1940s Shows Public Health Efforts

by Jeannette Connors

The Greenbelt Cooperator column “Our Neighbors” reported in January 1941 that a young girl, eagerly awaiting the celebration of her fifth birthday – invitations sent, favors acquired, a cake with pink candles in the works – had the misfortune to … Read More