A History of African American Health in Twentieth Century Pittsburgh

<p dir="ltr">This dissertation documents the historical health experience of Black people in twentieth century Pittsburgh. This dissertation employed manuscripts, newspapers, public health records, organizational meeting minutes and other primary sources alongside secondary sources on African American history, the history of medicine and science, and the history of public health. There were several key findings from this research. In the early-twentieth century during segregation, African American healthcare activism and organizing was at its highest. They organized annual health events and tried to open the city’s first Black hospital. The federal government responded to the lack of healthcare facilities and staff by expanding federal spending into public and community health initiatives. These federal funds helped Black-run community health groups grow, and the nation’s first methadone clinic and Black-run ambulatory service opened in Pittsburgh. By the 1970s, Black-run community health groups were losing funding to competitors and struggled to maintain institutional leadership. These community health groups were further impeded by government regulations requiring medically trained professional staff onsite. By the late-twentieth century, healthcare costs were increasing, and physicians were becoming profit-driven. Public support for Black-run health organizations waned and federal funding ended. While the public will to address Black community health problems was gone, what remained was the health problems and economic inequality that made in difficulty for many Black people to address the problem alone.</p>