HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Wednesday’s hometown heroes are marking a milestone in keeping Pennsylvanians healthy.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society celebrated its 175th anniversary at the state capitol. The group is the voice of 15,000 physicians across the state. They have helped state officials set health policies through the decades.

They have addressed diseases such as Polio, Aids, and COVID in the past 100 years.

“Pennsylvania Medical Society is that link between the physician, between places like this, the capitol advocacy, whether it’s state or federal,” Dr. Edward Balaban, Board Chair for the Pennsylvania Medical Society. ‘It’s that organized medicine that provides that important bridge,” he added.

In 1848, the Pennsylvania Medical Society was founded in a church in Lancaster County. As more states formed their own medical societies, it led to the creation of the American Medical Association.