Santa Cruz County Tuberculosis and Health Association began operations in 1919 as a local committee of the state association, the California Tuberculosis Association. In the organization’s early years its meager funds went to help support Red Cross nurses, buy milk for malnourished patients, and help pay for tuberculosis treatments. In 1937 the organization incorporated Aptos, Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz, Soquel, and Watsonville areas. The first clinic was built in 1937, and the first x-ray camera purchased in 1944. The Santa Cruz County group, like the national organization, sold Christmas Seals every year. The county group’s operations were funded primarily by Christmas Seal sales. Between 1947 and 1949, they brought the camera to hundreds of sites throughout Santa Cruz County and parts of Monterey County. Its doctors offered free tuberculosis tests at regional schools and clinics, and also private businesses.
