POTTSTOWN PA – Facilities in Montgomery, Berks, and Chester counties affiliated with Penn Medicine – the University of Pennsylvania Health System – this year observe a milestone event: the 275th anniversary of the charter issued to its original location, “Pennsylvania Hospital.”

To commemorate the occasion, Penn Medicine has opened a new museum to the public.

Pennsylvania Hospital was founded by Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond, and opened its doors in 1751. Because it was the first chartered hospital in America, Penn reports Philadelphia can claim the title of “the birthplace of American medicine.”

The hospital, still in operation today, continues a long-standing tradition of patient care. One of its original buildings has now been repurposed as a museum.

Visitors there can explore galleries “filled with stories of innovation, compassion, and ground-breaking treatments,” the system says. Its exhibits “show how the work of yesterday continues to shape the care we provide across every Penn Medicine hospital, practice, and community we serve today,” the company adds.

The Pennsylvania Hospital Museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 800 Spruce St. Tickets, which cost $10 per person, are currently available online for reservations and purchase.

Photo provided by Penn Medicine

Therapist Writes Book for the ‘Highly Sensitive’

SCHWENKSVILLE PA – Elizabeth Venart, a private counselor and therapist who in 2008 founded the Resiliency Center of Greater Philadelphia, has written a new book.

Scheduled to be published Monday (June 1, 2026) by New Harbinger Publications, it is titled “Trusting Your Highly Sensitive Self: An Internal Family Systems Path to Healing and Wholeness.”

The Resiliency Center operates an affiliated office in Schwenksville, at 1000 Gravel Pk. Ste. 100; and also in Flourtown.

Venart specializes in working with highly sensitive individuals, including artists and therapists. Those affected tend to “notice details and nuances others miss, deeply process all (they) notice, and have heightened empathy,” she writes. They also are prone to “understand context and big picture patterns.”

Her work focuses on deepening self-trust, and “turning sensitivity from a source of struggle into a foundation for a rich, meaningful life.”

Book cover graphic provided by Amazon Books

Our local news reporting includes Healthy Living articles about healthcare, wellness, medical providers, and medical services within, or that affect residents of, Montgomery, Berks, and Chester PA counties. Find more health-related articles here. Also, see and follow the Pottstown Health page on Facebook.