CLEVELAND New health museum educates, entertains

The exhibits are aimed at all ages and are meant to invite laughter and play.
By REBECCA SLOAN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CLEVELAND -- Two years ago, the Health Museum of Cleveland was in an antiquated mansion with limited space for new exhibits.
After it became clear that an expansion was in order, the museum closed for two years while a new building was constructed.
Recently the public witnessed the grand opening of the new museum -- a cutting-edge facility called HealthSpace Cleveland that's sure to knock your socks off.
The 81,000-square-foot, multimillion-dollar building is slick, shiny and state-of-the-art with a plethora of innovative exhibits for all ages.
"Ninety-five percent of the exhibits are new. Knowledge of health is changing so fast in today's world, and we wanted the new exhibits to reflect all the latest knowledge," said the museum's executive director, Patricia Horvath.
The museum's exhibits examine a wide variety of health-related topics -- everything from childbirth to dental hygiene to what happens to our bodies after we die.
Education and fun
The goal of the exhibits is to not only educate people about current health issues but to also invite laughter and play.
For example, kids can have a ball at the "Kid's Camp" exhibit, a bright, junglelike environment where games, songs and stories will help tykes learn the importance of things such as hand-washing, nutrition and exercise.
At the "Rebuild Factory," kids can learn more about the human skeletal system by putting together skeletal puzzles, and at "Smiles by Cuspid," kids can assume the role of a dental professional and don a lab coat and face shield, or climb inside the model of a giant mouth.
But this museum isn't just for kids.
At the "Family Tree Nursery and Garden Center," adults can learn more about the mysteries of cell division, genetics and childbirth, and at the "Stress Yard," adults can get a closer look at exactly what happens to their bodies during stressful situations.
"We want to be a place for inter-generational learning -- a place that offers something to all ages," Horvath said.
Inspirational
That goal seemed to blossom into a beautiful reality during the museum's busy Nov. 8 grand opening when senior citizens, 30-somethings, preteens and toddlers mixed with ease, each finding something to capture their attention and perhaps inspire them to lead a healthier life.
"I always say that America's health issues today are based on how we make choices, on the lifestyles that we choose," Horvath said. "We strive to be a museum but also an educational center to help people make healthy choices in their lives."
HealthSpace Cleveland's lower level -- called the Frohring Education Center -- consists of classrooms and an auditorium.
Here, school groups, adults and senior citizens can discover special health educational programs or gather for school-based or community-health conferences.
The original Frohring Education Center opened in 1952 at the health museum's previous location, and issues such as AIDS, Alzheimer's disease and smoking cessation were discussed there.
The president of Cleveland's Academy of Medicine founded the original Health Museum of Cleveland in 1936, and it was opened to the public in 1940.
The new HealthSpace Cleveland is at 8911 Euclid Ave. and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, and free for children under 5.
XFor more information on HealthSpace Cleveland call (216) 231-5129 or visit www.healthspacecleveland.org on the Web.