June 04, 2010 02:06am EST 

The Johns Hopkins Hospital opened in 1889, leading to the opening of the School of Medicine four years later. Between these four years, the concept of combining, research, teaching and patient care emerged, leading to a national and international reputation for excellence and discovery. Today, many of the largest medical institutions follow the model set by Johns Hopkins Medicine. The $5.38 billion system of physicians and scientists of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the health professionals and facilities remains one of the most respected health systems in the entire nation.
Located in Baltimore, Maryland, Johns Hopkins medicine is a nonprofit, combining its 120-year commitment to community care with groundbreaking research, teaching and medical services to patients worldwide. Its accolades are numerous, the most impressive of which is their 19 consecutive years as the number one ranked hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. There have been 20 Nobel laureates coming from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine scientists, most recently Professor Carol Grieder, who won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. With four academic community hospitals, four suburban health care and surgery centers, 18 primary health care outpatient sites employing over 3,850 physicians, Johns Hopkins Medicine continues to build and expand their health system — the most recent project being an all-new Johns Hopkins Hospital in East Baltimore.
Johns Hopkins Medicine is perennially at the forefront of medical research and discovery. In recent news, researchers at Johns Hopkins have made a discovery pertaining to blood vessel blockage, a common condition in old age or diabetes. Blood vessel blockage leads to low blood flow and results in low oxygen, which kills healthy cells and tissues. In the past, these blockages often requires amputation. Now, the researchers have developed new therapies that increase blood flow, improve movement and decrease the need for amputation. The new findings hold promise for developing clinical therapies.
Additionally, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center found that infection with the H1N1 virus, or as it is better known as, swine flu, causes more life-threatening complications than the seasonal flu in children with sickle cell disease. The findings, presented December 7 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology offer warning to parents and caregivers that such children may need emergency treatment, often in the intensive-care unit.
The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center offers one of the most extensive and complex pediatric medical programs in the country, and boasts treatment of over 90,000 children every year. As with the other institutions of Johns Hopkins, Hopkins Children’s is consistently ranked among the top in the nation. Johns Hopkins Medicine remains one of the leading health systems not only in the Northeast, but the United States and the world as well.