The history of HGH begins at the dawn of the 19^th century in a house built in 1820 to serve as an inn for travellers between Montreal and Bytown (Ottawa). This house was acquired and converted into a medical clinic by Dr. Frank G. Pattee. These humble beginnings as a hospital were followed by the Smith Clinic, founded by Dr. T. Walter Smith at the beginning of the 20^th century. This hospital offered all the early surgical services, including appendicitis and hernia operations and fracture repairs. With its 10 beds, the Smith Clinic provided most of the hospital services in the area.

In the early 1920s, Hawkesbury was experiencing intense economic activity and already had a population of nearly 6,000. The private Smith and Pattee hospitals were no longer able to meet local needs, which were driven by the industrial boom of the time.

In 1925, Canon Joseph Gascon bought Hôtel Lion d’Or, located at the corner of Regent and William streets, and offered it to the community intending to turn it into a hospital. In 1927, the Communauté des Soeurs Grises de la Croix acquired it to found Notre-Dame Hospital, thereby adding 20 new beds to those already offered by the Smith Clinic. The first doctors were Drs. J.-R. Rhéaume and L.-P. Beaudoin, although any doctor authorized to practice in Ontario was allowed to treat patients there.

The statistics for the first year of operation speak for themselves:

• 276 patients
• 108 surgical procedures
• 68 X-rays
• 7 births
• 9 deaths

In 1930, Dr. E.P. Kelly bought Dr. Pattee’s clinic and changed its name to Kelly Hospital, an institution that closed its doors with the death of its founder in 1956.

In 1932, the Notre-Dame Hospital increased its capacity to 30 patients. The number of beds increased by using every nook and cranny to install linen rooms or small floor pharmacies. The medical staff then consisted of 5 active members and 4 associate members.

In 1937, Canon J-R Guindon founded a shelter for single mothers, which was called the Maria Center and then the Bon-Pasteur Hospital, under the direction of the nuns of the same name.

Notre-Dame Hospital then reached its peak in 1955, when the construction of a wing increased its capacity to 39 beds.

In 1956, a new hospital reserved for women was added to the Bon-Pasteur Hospital and took the name of St-Cœur-de-Marie. The following year, Notre-Dame Hospital granted it its obstetrics and gynecology services to rebalance the services between the two hospitals.

Little by little, Notre-Dame Hospital and St-Coeur-de-Marie Hospital moved towards integration and were finally identified as Annex A and B of Hawkesbury and District General Hospital, which had a total capacity of 79 beds.

Meanwhile, in the 1940s, Dr. T. Walter Smith was joined by his sons, Drs. H. Drummond Smith and Irwin T. Smith. The doctors, father and sons, continued their practice until 1952, when they decided to build new medical facilities for their patients. This resulted in the addition of 16 beds and the hiring of three new doctors. In 1961, the Smith Clinic expanded to 50 beds to provide medical, surgical, obstetrics, gynecology and psychiatry services, including a full emergency department avoiding the need to transport patients to Ottawa for treatment.

March 1975 – Launch of a fundraising campaign with the tagline “Every day…we need it. Today…the hospital needs us.”

April 1981 – The Federal Minister of Justice, Mr. Jean Chrétien, accepts the honorary presidency of the fundraising campaign, while the vice-presidency is entrusted to Mr. Claude Bennett of the Ontario provincial cabinet. (see photo)

May 20, 1981 – Groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction work and the launch of the public subscription campaign.

January 1983 – Despite investments from the Ontario Ministry of Health and funds raised through fundraising campaigns, there was still a $6 million shortfall to complete the new hospital. Following a call for tenders, the American firm American Medical International (AMI) won the contract, investing the missing amount and agreeing to manage the hospital for 13 years. Thanks to the experience and expertise of the general manager, Mr. John McLaughlin, the organization that was in financial difficulty was able to recover and become profitable. After many years of deficit, the hospital ended its first year under Mr. McLaughlin’s management with a profit of $275,000.

Novembre 1983 – The talk about the hospital these days is not about bedpans or budget cuts but about Florida. The door prize at the staff Christmas Party is a trip to Florida for two, courtesy of the hospital, which wants to say thanks for helping it save $275,000 so far this year.

HGH

At the end of this long and noble history came the merger of the three sites into a wonderful collective project, that of a brand new, modern 110-bed hospital, built in 1984. Pleasant physical surroundings, state-of-the-art equipment and the welcome of attentive staff aim to create that hospitable atmosphere essential to building patient confidence, care and recovery.

March 1984 – The open house was a huge success, with no fewer than 7,000 people taking the opportunity to discover the premises of their new hospital.

April 29, 1984 – The 34 patients hospitalized at the old General Hospital on McGill Street and the Smith Clinic were transferred by ambulance to their new beds. The move had been meticulously planned for several months with the help of numerous collaborators.

“It was a beautiful day! Our offices were located close to the main entrance, and we could see the patients arrive. Everyone was happy! It was amazing to move into a new hospital where everything was nice and new: desks, equipment, and a nice cafeteria with large windows. It was exciting,” say Nicole Drouin and Diane Blais, hospital employees at that time since 1972 and 1965, respectively.

“It was a very big project, but everything was well planned. As we had to get used to a new environment and make sure everything worked as expected, there were several tests done during the weeks prior to the move,” explains Suzanne Sauvé, Administrative Assistant to the General Manager back then.

Employed at the hospital for 43 years, Marc Larivière was a Registered Nurse at Smith Pavilion; he is now responsible for Infection Prevention and Control. “It was very exciting as a project! We had several training sessions to prepare for our new work environment. On moving day, everything was ready.”

May 23, 1984 – Official Opening of HGH

August 16, 1984 – Premier William Davis had the honour of cutting the hospital’s inaugural ribbon with a scalpel and surgical forceps. Davis was able to attend the ceremony thanks to the OPP helicopter that transported him to the police station on Highway 34.

Name

In 1984, the hospital was known as:

Hôpital Général de Hawkesbury and District General Hospital Inc.

On 28 June 2017, the HGH Board of Directors passed a resolution to amend the corporation’s Patent Letters, including the legal name. Previously, the legal name was bilingual.

Effective October 1^st, 2017, the legal name consists of two unilingual versions that can be used independently.

• The legal name in French is: Hôpital général de Hawkesbury et district
• The legal name in English is: Hawkesbury and District General Hospital

Logo

Hospital logo in 1984.

New logo approved in February 2000.

In 2013, the brand image was redesigned and adapted to reflect the upcoming transformation at the HGH. The sign HGH is highlighted, and three words are added: Compassion, Innovation and Excellence.

The logo adopted in 2000 was retained because it reflects community solidarity. The corporate colours were also kept. Blue is associated with life and well-being and, by extension, with the hospital’s healthcare mission. Yellow is associated with warmth and renewal. Closer to home, it represents one of the typical colours of the Prescott-Russell agricultural landscape.

• Compassion: The institutions that preceded the current hospital, the former hospitals founded by the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa and the Smith Clinic, served the community from the beginning of the last century. These institutions were known for their mission of charity and compassion. When they were relocated to the current site within the new Hawkesbury General Hospital and District in 1984, this legacy of compassion was embedded in the walls of the new building. The culture of compassion bequeathed by the founders remains, to this day, the soul of the HGH.
• Innovation: Taking advantage of its modernisation in 1984, the HGH embarked on several innovative projects. The first facility to operate a home hospital service in Ontario, the HGH was the forerunner of several other administrative and clinical initiatives that served as models for others. Sustained investments in information technology have enabled the HGH to be a leader in health informatics. Over the years, this spirit of innovation has taken root at HGH and continues to grow.
• Excellence: With the addition of several new services in recent years and the redevelopment project, HGH is now focused on excellence. Staff training programs, university affiliation and the implementation of rigorous quality management programs are essential steps in pursuing new heights. The performance results achieved in certain areas are already convincing. The commitment to excellence will foster a new wave of progress at HGH in the coming years.

HGH would not be the same without the invaluable help of its volunteers. The mission of the Friends of the HGH is to help the hospital improve the quality of life of patients and enrich the hospital environment while raising funds for the Foundation. Through their smiles and attentiveness, they help make hospital visits and stays more pleasant and less stressful for patients and their families.

The history of the Friends of HGH dates back more than a century. The first group of volunteers, called the “Dames Patronnesses,” was founded on January 10, 1928, at Notre-Dame Hospital in Hawkesbury. They were later renamed the “Ladies Auxiliaries of the Hawkesbury & District General Hospital.”

In 1985, the administration decided to further structure the existing volunteer movement and entrusted Ms. Carmen Cottée with the task of coordinating it. Subsequently, the internal coordination of volunteer services at the HGH was carried out by various hospital employees.

The current organization of the “Friends of the HGH” was founded in 1989, and the following individuals have served as president: Mrs. Louise Miner, Mr. Clément Tarzi, Mr. Lionel Piette, Mr. Gaston Charette, Mrs. Diane Carrière, and Mrs. Mireille Lauzon-Dauth.

History of the Foundation

The need for a Foundation was raised in 1986 by Joanne Myre, coordinator of the founding members’ committee. At the time, the Foundation’s president was Fernand Lortie.

On 3 April 1987, the provincial Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Commerce legally recognized the HGH Foundation under the charter granted to it.

The first radio telethon was held in 1994, with the theme ‘My hospital… I care about it!’

Achievements of the HGH Foundation

Thanks to the generosity of the community and its valued volunteers, the Foundation continually contributes to improving patient care and adding new services to HGH.

From 1990 to 2006, the Foundation purchased more than $2.5 million of medical equipment for the hospital. During the Heart and Soul campaign in 2006, the Foundation raised $7 million for the hospital’s major renovation project. This essential amount allowed the hospital to move forward with its expansion plan.

From 2015 to 2019, the Foundation raised $4 million with its major campaign, Access 2018, which provided the hospital with two pieces of state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging equipment—a new CT scanner and the GAH’s first-ever magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. During the pandemic, from 2020 to 2022, the Foundation contributed more than $700,000 to various COVID-19 related initiatives and towards new programs.

In 2023, as part of the We’re So Good at Home campaign, the Foundation made a generous contribution to HGH to fund the purchase of endoscopy and cardiology equipment. The Foundation donated $10,000 to the HGH’s Children’s Rehabilitation Program in Eastern Ontario.

As part of the celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the HGH, the Foundation launched a special project to raise funds and celebrate unforgettable moments at the HGH. In a special mailing, donors were asked to write their fondest memory or what makes HGH so special on a paper brick. The messages were displayed, creating a wall of bricks at the hospital, and a generous $35,000 was raised through this special mailing.

Visit their website: HGH Foundation