By Healthcare Facilities Today

Christmas came early this year for officials at Green Bay's St. Vincent Hospital, according to a story on the WBAY.com website.

Tucked away in the basement, they unearthed a treasure dating back some 50 years. Twelve boxes, never opened, full of Geiger counters and radiation detection kits, shipped from the Office of Civil Defense, dated 1962.

In the heart of the cold war, Americans had real fears a nuclear attack would become reality. The government spent 23 million dollars, a lot of money in the 1960s, preparing the nation. St. Vincent Hospital was no exception, the article said.

"Hospitals are obligated to care for their patients, their welfare, their safety, and that includes safety from terrorist events, and in 1962, from possible nuclear detonations, so that's what we did,"  Steve Pelch, St. Vincent Hospital's Director of Safety and Security, said in the article.

"They're all actually pristine condition. They're still in their original packaging with absorbent materials, and they've never been touched or put into use," said Pelch in the articles.

Read the article.