National Hospital Day

Red text around a blue illustration of a woman's head wearing a nurse hat on a white background

The first National Hospital Day was declared by U.S. president Warren G. Harding in 1921 as a way to rebuild the public's trust in city hospitals after the devastating 1918 Spanish flu pandemic claimed the lives of more than 675,000 Americans. National Hospital Day was designated as a day for hospitals to educate the public about medical care. It was originally celebrated on May 12, the birthday of famed nurse, Florence Nightingale, who had helped to establish hospital standards during the Crimean War of 1854. In 1953, National Hospital Day was expanded to National Hospital Week.