From the late 1800s'
As with all health care institutions, the history of the Hawkesbury hospitals is woven into the very fibre of our community. Their history starts in an old house, built in 1820 and owned by J.C. Murray, to serve as a stop-over for travellers between Montreal and Bytown (Ottawa). This house was later purchased and converted into a medical clinic by Dr. Frank G. Pattee.
Humble as it was, this beginning was followed by the Smith Clinic, founded by Dr. T. Walter Smith, at the turn of the new century. This hospital provided services ranging from appendix and hernia operations to the repair of bone fractures. The Smith Clinic, with its 10 beds, provided most of the hospital services to Hawkesbury and the region.
To the early 1920s'
Around the 1920s', Hawkesbury was experiencing intense economic and industrial development and the city's population had almost reached 6 000 people. Because of this industrial growth, the private hospitals, namely Smith and Pattee, could no longer cope with the local needs.
In 1925, Canon Joseph Gascon bought the Golden Lion Hotel, on the corner of Regent and William Streets and offered it to the community to be converted into a hospital. In 1927, the Grey Nuns took possession of the building and founded the Notre-Dame Hospital, adding 20 hospital beds to those already provided by the Smith Clinic.
The first physicians at this new hospital were Dr. J.R. Rhéaume and Dr. L.P. Beaudoin but, in addition, all physicians living and practicing in Ontario could care for patients in the hospital. Statistics for the first year of operation for the Notre-Dame Hospital included 276 patients admitted, 108 surgical operations, 68 X-rays, 7 births and 9 deaths.
In 1930, Dr. E.P. Kelly purchased Dr. Pattee's clinic. He changed the name of the clinic to Kelly Hospital which continued its operation until Dr. Kelly's death in 1956.
In 1932, the Notre-Dame Hospital expanded to 30 beds. The increased number of beds was made possible by using every nook available as linen rooms and small pharmacies on each floor. The medical staff had grown to 5 active members and 4 associate members. The Notre-Dame hospital experienced its last expansion in 1955 when the construction of a wing brought its capacity to 39 beds.
In 1937, Canon J.R. Guindon founded a home for unwed mothers called Maria Centre, which later became the Bon Pasteur Hospital, operated by the Sisters of Bon Pasteur. The Bon Pasteur Hospital, which expanded in 1956, was re-named the St-Coeur-de-Marie Hospital and specialized in providing services to women. In 1957, the Notre-Dame Hospital closed its obstetrics and gynecology departments to rationalize services between the two hospitals.
Little by little, the Notre-Dame Hospital and the St-Coeur-de-Marie Hospital worked toward integration, finally becoming known as Annex A and Annex B of the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital. At this time, the hospitals had a total capacity of 79 beds.
In the meantime, during the 1940s', Dr. T. Walter Smith was joined by his two sons, Dr. H. Drummond Smith and Dr. Irwin T. Smith. The Smith doctors, father and sons, continued their work until 1952 when they decided to build new facilities for their patients. The result was an addition of 16 new beds and 3 new physicians.
In 1961, the Smith Clinic expanded to 50 beds, providing medical, surgical, obstetrics, gynaecology and psychiatric services and a complete emergency service which eliminated the need for emergency cases to be transported to Ottawa for treatment.
To the 1980s'
The culmination of this long and noble history of health care was the amalgamation of the 3 sites into a new and modern 110-bed hospital, built in 1984. Pleasant surroundings, ultra-modern equipment and thoughtful personnel all help to give the new hospital, an atmosphere which is essential for patient confidence, care and recovery.
To the future
Today, the Hawkesbury & District General Hospital is a 69-bed healthcare center which offers a broad variety of inpatient and outpatient services to a community which has grown throughout the years. Our hospital is directed by proactive board members and managed by spirited administrators.
The Hawkesbury & District General Hospital unveiled its
revised redevelopment plans in January 2010. These new plans were the end result of twelve months of work on a functional and technical program, following the reception of a $1 million planning grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in August 2008. Specialized consulting firms were hired to thoroughly study the population needs for the next fifteen years. Compared to the initial project presented in 2007, the overall construction surface area is doubled (120,000 sq.ft.) and the cost of the project is now estimated at $93 million. The project submitted to the Ministry consists of three construction phases:
• A new Ambulatory Care Pavilion will allow consolidation of outpatient services (specialized clinics, rehabilitation, hemodialysis, medical day care, cardiology and electrophysiology).
• The courtyard infill will allow relocation of the Perioperative Services (operating rooms, day surgery, endoscopy, minor surgery and recovery room).
• The East Wing will be extended, doubling the size of the Emergency Department and adding a new Intensive Care Unit.
On May 26, 2010, the project was presented to the Board of the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), which designated it as a high priority for the region. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is presently reviewing the project. The Hospital has requested authorization to proceed to the pre-construction stage in 2010/2011.