National Medical Museum Joins Blue Star Museums To Show Appreciation For Active-Duty Military Members And Their Families This Summer
June 21, 2012, Silver Spring, Md.: The National Museum of Health and Medicine is proud to announce it is participating in the Blue Star Museums initiative this summer, a program that offers free admission to museums around the country for all active duty, National Guard and Reserve military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day (September 3, 2012).
Blue Star Museums, which was first launched in the summer of 2010 to show appreciation to those who serve and their families, is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, Joining Forces and the Department of Defense. Across the country, more than 1,500 museums are participating in the program, with leadership support provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families. Blue Star Families is a nonprofit organization that supports, connects and empowers military families. For more information about Blue Star Museums and a full list of participating museums, visit http://www.bluestarfam.org/support/blue-star-arts/blue-star-museums.
The National Museum of Health and Medicine, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary, recently opened with all new exhibits which focus on advances in military medicine, the Civil War, the brain, anatomy and pathology, forensic identification and more. Artifacts on display include iconic favorites, such as the bullet that killed President Abraham Lincoln, and new items that have never been available to the public before, such as a steamer trunk that belonged to renowned Civil War-era nurse Dorothea Dix.
NMHM is open daily, including weekends and holidays, at its new location in Silver Spring, Maryland. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. NMHM is closed on December 25. Admission and parking are free. A free, docent-led introductory tour is available on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, at 11:00 a.m. Visit the Museum’s website for further details about upcoming public programs.
About the National Museum of Health and Medicine
- The National Museum of Health and Medicine, a Department of Defense museum established in 1862 as the Army Medical Museum, inspires interest in and promotes the understanding of medicine—past, present, and future—with a special emphasis on tri-service American military medicine. As a National Historic Landmark recognized for its ongoing value to the health of the military and to the nation, the Museum identifies, collects, and preserves important and unique resources to support a broad agenda of innovative exhibits, educational programs, and scientific, historical, and medical research. NMHM is located at 2500 Linden Lane, Silver Spring, MD, 20910. For more information call (301) 319-3300.
