José Gregorio Hernández
notes: label: Description
content: This folk sculpture of Venezuelan doctor José Gregorio Hernández (1864-1919) belonged to Mary's Center pediatrician Maria Marquez, a Venezuelan immigrant to the United States. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Hernández provided medical care to Venezuelans in need and has become a symbol of medical charity, with the Catholic Church beatifying him in 2021. Marquez credits Hernández as one of her role models as a doctor, and during the first years of the Covid-19 pandemic, she kept this statue by the front door of her home as a source of inspiration for her as she faced challenging days at work.
label: Description
content: Mary’s Center, a community health center in Washington, DC, was founded in 1988 by nurse Maria Gomez, who had immigrated from Colombia to the United States as a teenager in the 1960s. Gomez founded the center to serve pregnant Latina immigrants. In many cases, the women had become pregnant as a result of sexual assault during their migration journeys. Over time, the center has expanded to serve children, families, and a diverse patient population by providing health care, education, and social services. Initially housed in a basement in Adams Morgan, the center, as of 2022, has multiple locations in Washington, DC, and Maryland and serves around 65,000 patients a year and has become a nationally recognized health center for underserved communities.
place: label: place used
content: United States: District of Columbia, Washington
label: Associated Place
content: Venezuela
topic: label: associated subject
content: Infectious diseases
label: associated subject
content: COVID-19 (Disease)
label: associated subject
content: Public Health
label: associated subject
content: 2019-nCoV disease
label: associated subject
content: Disease prevention
label: associated subject
content: 2019 novel coronavirus disease
label: related event
content: COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Philanthropy
label: Exhibition
content: Giving in America
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2021.0198.1
label: accession number
content: 2021.0198
label: catalog number
content: 2021.0198.1
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sculpture
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 21 cm x 6.25 cm x 5.75 cm; 8 9/32 in x 2 15/32 in x 2 1/4 in