Jewish Consumptives' Relief Society, 1904-1980

The Jewish Consumptives' Relief Society (JCRS) was founded in Denver, Colorado, in 1904 as a non-sectarian sanatorium to treat tuberculosis (TB) patients in all stages of the disease. The society was founded by a group of immigrant Eastern European Jewish men, many of whom were themselves victims of TB.  For decades patients flocked to Denver from all over the country and were admitted free of charge. In the early years, the sanatorium was headed by Dr. Charles Spivak as secretary (1904-1927) and by Philip Hillkowitz as president (1904-1948). The facility catered primarily to Jewish patients in a distinctively Jewish environment. In 1954 the institution changed its mission to cancer research and became the American Medical Center. Today it is known as the AMC Cancer Research Center.