The Cincinnati medical community, a regional health care center, has gained prominence for education, treatment, and research. The University of Cincinnati maintains the oldest teaching hospital/medical center in the country and is the place where Albert Sabin developed the first polio vaccine and Leon Goldman performed the first laser surgery for the removal of cataracts. In 1994, University Hospital joined with The Christ Hospital to form the Health Alliance, which consists of six hospitals—University Hospital; Christ Hospital; Jewish Hospital, where Henry Heimlich, when he was chief of surgery there, developed his famous maneuver; Fort Hamilton Hospital; and St. Luke Hospitals East and West—in Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. Children's Hospital Medical Center, one of the nation's largest and most respected pediatric hospitals, also operates the largest pediatric residency program and developed the first heart-lung machine.
More than 30 hospitals serve the Cincinnati area. Among the general care and specialized facilities are the Shriners Burns Institute, St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Good Samaritan, Bethesda, Deaconess, Providence, and St. Francis-St. George hospitals.