First conceived in 1988 by founder James Low, the Museum of Health Care was born in 1991 when it began to build its collections of medical and general health objects and archives from across Canada. The Museum relocated to its permanent home in the former nursing-student residence at Kingston General Hospital in 1995. The Museum is a non-profit corporation and registered charity and has had a board of directors since 1996; it bills itself as Canada's only museum dedicated solely to preserving health care history. Dr. James Low, the Museum's administrative officer, was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014.