Theses
Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
First Advisor
Professor Benjamin Holtzman
Abstract
New York City's expansive network of hospitals and preventative health services has an intense history outside of the popular narratives of biomedical and technological advancement. This thesis will discuss the period between the 1950s and 1970s and the various movements and parties that shaped the city's health and hospital system. During this period, New York City's healthcare delivery system became increasingly privatized and commercialized; processes that improved the quality of healthcare yet simultaneously barred the poorest from accessing it. Communities, healthcare workers, and civil rights organizations worked to address perceived faults and extend their agency in health and hospital policy; particularly the radical activists in the 1960s and 1970s. The agency of health and hospital-related activism declined considerably after the fiscal crisis of 1975 due to the austerity measures on public services that followed. The developments in the healthcare system and activism during this period had profound impacts on New York City's well-being for years afterward.
Recommended Citation
Valcarcel, Andres, "New York City’s Health Governance and Activism From the 1950s to the 1970s" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/le_etds/33