Happy 20th Anniversary U-M Hospitals & Health Centers!
Two decades ago, Ronald Reagan was in office and George H.W. Bush served as vice-president. The Oprah Winfrey Show was new. The top-grossing films were Top Gun, Crocodile Dundee and Platoon. Dionne Warwick, Elton John and Gladys Knight sang "That's What Friends Are For." The Food and Drug Administration approved the first monoclonal antibody drug, known as Orthoclone OKT3, for treatment of transplant rejection, as well as the first genetically engineered vaccine for hepatitis B. Technology was revving up, and medical science was becoming ever more complicated.
It was 1986 when the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers was born. After 10 years of planning and at a cost of $285 million, the new 550-bed University Hospital replaced the 61-year-old hospital referred to as Old Main. On Feb. 14, 1986, Old Main became a memory, and patients, faculty and staff moved to the new 11-story University Hospital. The adjacent A. Alfred Taubman Health Care Center, with 120 outpatient clinics, also opened, signaling the trend toward more outpatient care.
"The opening of the University Hospital and Taubman Health Center 20 years ago was a historic moment in the history of the Health System and in shaping the achievements of the Hospitals and Health Centers over the next two decades," says Douglas L. Strong, interim chief executive officer, UMHHC. "This investment was a key factor in building the reputation, success and financial stability that we currently enjoy and deserve. We all have cause to celebrate."
In 1986, everyone wanted...
- to see Haley's comet
- the new Apple Mac Plus computer, which contained one megabyte of RAM, a new keyboard with cursor controls and a numeric keypad, and cost $2,600
- to see Bobby Ewing come back from the dead on Dallas (It was only a dream!)
- the first Nintendo game in the United States
- to watch Geraldo Rivera open Al Capone's vault
- a dad like Dr. Cliff Huxtable
| Then & Now |
1986 |
2006 |
| U.S. population; |
240 million |
297 million |
| World population |
4.9 billion |
6.5 billion |
| Life expectancy |
74.7 years |
77.6 years |
| Computers in U.S. |
30,000,000 |
164,100,000 |
| Postage stamp |
$0.22 |
$0.39 |
| Movie ticket |
$3.75 |
$9.50 |
Anniversary Celebration Events
Stay tuned to the Daily Bulletin for announcements on forthcoming anniversary celebration events. In the meantime, if you were working at the Hospitals and Health Centers during or around the move, share your memory with us. We may publish your submission in an upcoming issue.
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