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| RMH: Growing with the Community | | Print | |
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Lindsay, May 2, 2008
The Hospital opened its doors in 1902 - a gift to the community from James Ross in memory of his parents. In building the Hospital, he'd been given the promise that the community would maintain it, and so it has been for more than 100 years. Indeed, after its first year in operation, it was clear that without contributions from the Town of Lindsay and Victoria County, "the institution could not be maintained". That financial assistance was enhanced by local churches, service clubs, and families. In 1904, the RMH Auxiliary was formed, which supported the operations of the Hospital by fundraising and donating linens and their mending services. That year "friends of the institution" contributed $900 to provide an ambulance. It's interesting to witness the community's perception of the "Institution" reflected in the Annual Reports. In 1905, the Board chair, J.D. Flavelle wrote: "It has to be recognized that the latent prejudice against going into a Hospital, which prevails in all communities, where the great benefits of skilled nursing are not fully understood and appreciated, is still a formidable barrier to the accomplishment of what the Hospital is capable of doing for the people for whom it has been so generously provided." However, by 1907, that barrier was no longer a concern. "A change in conditions has come, and it is now a question of how to provide adequately for the care and treatment of all who would gladly avail themselves of the benefits afforded, and to give the nurses the accommodation they need ..." It was James Ross who responded to the Hospital's first crowding challenge with the construction of a Nurses' Residence, named for his wife, Annie Ross. As much as that addition helped to free space for patients, quarters became increasingly cramped during and following the First World War. The Annual Report of 1919 voiced a growing concern: "Although in its inception the Hospital was not to be expected to give attention to maternity cases, the pressure for service has become so urgent that the Superintendent with the consent of the Board has been constrained to admit many more cases than the available accommodation reasonably permits. Many of the applications came from the rural parts of the County. The serious shortage of help in the homes and the growing appreciation of the service obtainable account almost entirely for the change in relation of the community and the Hospital with regard to social conditions which are of such vital importance." Once again, it was a change in thinking within the community that led the Hospital to its next progression. By 1928, the obstetrics obstacle was explained to the community this way: 81 babies had been delivered at the Ross Memorial that year, almost the same amount of babies as had been born there during its first 12 years. The following year, County Council made a $50,000 donation for a maternity wing. The Victoria Wing was completed in 1931, at a total cost of $80,000, increasing the Hospital's bed capacity from 23 to 60. This increase in accommodation allowed for the addition of a mental health clinic. At that time, the population of Victoria County was 31, 841. However, if the Hospital was to thrive with the community, so too would it suffer. Over the next 10 years, during the Great Depression, the Hospital cared for an increasing number of patients who couldn't pay the daily rate of 50 cents. "The burden of the Hospital in caring for indigent patients was again very heavy this year and has reached very serious proportions," wrote the Board Chair. During this time, each Annual Report began with the amount owed to the Hospital that had to be written off. But with the help of donations from the community and the dedicated service of the Auxiliary, the Hospital maintained its course and even managed to upgrade its X-ray equipment and install a fire escape onto the Nurses' Residence. Local conditions turned around in the 1940's. Patients were benefiting from the "splendid results we are having in many cases by the use of penicillin. This is a new drug introduced since our last meeting", according to Superintendent Ethel Reid in 1944. Then in 1945, the first Laboratory Technician, Miss Jeanette Disney, was hired, "one of the greatest improvements made in the Hospital since the installation of the first X-ray equipment". With the end of World War II came two factors that would impact the Hospital: the baby boom, and the growing belief in preventative health care. "One war is over, but not the war against disease," said Dr. Malcolm McEachern. "Prevention is the keynote of the newest battle against disease and increasingly the Hospital is becoming a check-up station - a health centre - in addition to its function of caring for the ill and injured." This change in thinking would evolve over the coming decades. In the 1950's over-crowding was becoming a serious problem once again. It was past Board Chair T.H. Stinson who challenged the community to find a solution in 1953. "Let me say that your Hospital is hanging in the balance today. It must either go forward and develop or close, and you are the persons who must make the decision." In that year the Hospital treated 2,470 inpatients and 749 outpatients, delivered 644 babies, performed 1,291 operations and 1,291 lab exams, 361 blood transfusions and 260 electro-cardiographs. The Ross consistently operated well over its capacity of 54 beds; on more than one occasion there were as many as 77 patients, some in alcoves and corridors. An expansion committee was created. The advent of the Ontario Hospital Insurance Plan in 1958 helped alleviate the Hospital's financial pressures, and on December 10, 1960, the Federal Minister of Health & Welfare Waldo Montieth opened the new wing, which brought bed capacity up to 139, at a cost of roughly $7 million. Almost immediately, it was apparent that the Hospital would require still more bed capacity. By 1962, "the Hospital is faced with the same old story of having more patients than is recommended for our bed capacity ... the Board is mindful that it will not be long until a further extension of the Hospital will have to be seriously considered." At that time Lindsay was enjoying an industrial boom. Board Chair S.R. Pitts made mention of this in the Annual Report of 1964: "Lindsay is undergoing a period of considerable industrial expansion which will result in accompanying population increase." The Ontario Hospital Services Commission confirmed that statement in its findings that same year: expansion would soon be necessary. As the Hospital operated over 100% capacity with lengthy waiting lists for elective surgery, construction plans were laid out. The sod-turning ceremony took place in 1972, and the new wing, which replaced the original building, was opened two years later. From the time planning had started in 1965 until then, the demand on the Hospital's services had grown by 287%. The population of Victoria County was approximately 43,500. By the late 1970's, the lack of nursing home beds in the community was creating a crisis in the Hospital. While patient demands increased, financial constraints, imposed by the provincial Ministry of Health, grew more onerous. With the next decade came a delicate balancing act of cost-cutting and growing patient need. Luckily, with the generous support of the community, the Hospital was able to add Ultrasonography to its services and recruit several specialists, so patients needn't be referred to other hospitals for care. In 1986, the Hospital launched "Project 2006", which would create a long-range plan to identify the future range of services and resources required to meet the needs of the community. Among the priorities was a significant increase in nursing home beds. This look forward renewed connections between the Hospital and its community partners. With occupancy on Medical and Surgical floors at 117% in 1989, it was vital to establish strong connections with local services such as home care. By 1991, the local population had swelled to 63, 332. The After Hours Clinic was established and eased the pressure on the Emergency Department, treating more than 7,300 patients in the first 11 months. That year, the Hospital cared for 6, 075 inpatients and 99, 989 outpatients. The incorporation of the Hospital Foundation in 1989 helped to focus fundraising efforts, connecting donors with appropriate capital and equipment needs within the Ross. Its involvement was instrumental as plans progressed for more renovations in 1997. This time, the "Make Us Better" redevelopment would include a new Maternal Newborn Unit, which hadn't been upgraded in 40 years, an enhanced Intensive Care Unit, and improvements on both the Surgical and Medical Units. The cost of these enhancements, $4.5 million, was completely funded by public donations. The Annual Report in 1997 applauded the community's involvement: "The success of the fundraising campaign is an inspiration to our staff, who are more committed than ever to providing exceptional health care services to the community." The very next year, as the Hospital continued to battle with funding cuts and bed closures, the Health Services Restructuring Commission released its report on health services throughout the province, and ruled in favour of expanding and enhancing the Ross yet again. With this massive project in its infancy, the community helped the Hospital to purchase a CT scan. With overcrowding and physician shortages posing ongoing challenges in 2002, the community celebrated as the "Caring for Tomorrow" campaign was launched and the Hospital broke ground on what would be a $49 million expansion. It would double the size of the Hospital and increase bed capacity from 156 to 218 beds. Construction included a new Continuing Care wing with new Palliative Care and Rehabilitation programs, a new outpatient centre and additional acute inpatient beds. A Mental Health program was established, and the Emergency Department doubled in size. Local donations contributed more than $7 million to the cost of the expansion. From 2001, when construction was set to begin, to 2006, when the dust had settled, the population of the municipality (now the City of Kawartha Lakes), had jumped from 69, 179 to 75, 561. The percentage of seniors continued to be significantly higher than the provincial average. During that time, the need for local dialysis services was escalating. This set the stage for the next chapter of growth at the Ross. In 2007, the Hospital opened a temporary 6-station Dialysis Unit that would help to serve up to 36 local patients until a new 15-station Dialysis Unit could be constructed. When it's complete, in the summer of 2008, it will accommodate 90 local dialysis patients. Those patients will no longer have to travel to other communities, three times a week, for their care. And as it has done for the past 106 years, the community has rallied to provide for our patients' needs. The "On the Horizon" campaign is approaching its goal of $2.2 million, which represents the public share of the total cost of the project, $6.5 million. Residents have proven, over time, through their consistent support, that this Hospital is more than just a building; it's a piece of our history, and a testament to the values of this community.
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