GUELPH – Guelph General Hospital celebrated a milestone on Aug. 14: 150 years of serving the community.
There was cake. There were dignitaries. There was free food from Harvey’s for staff and visitors.
And in the background there was construction going on and patients entering and leaving the hospital.
Hospitals never stop, not even for big anniversaries, although a large number of staff stopped by to enjoy the festivities.
The hospital’s story begins in 1872, when residents of Guelph raised $3,046 to purchase land on Delhi Street for a hospital.
With support from local government and churches, the hospital was constructed and opened to patients on Aug. 16, 1875.
The 12-bed facility included a small infectious ward and dispensary, all of it run by three nurses.
The original Guelph General Hospital building in 1875. The citizens of Guelph and the surrounding area raised more than $3,000 to help build it. At opening, the hospital had 12 beds and the original steward and nurses would farm the property to supply patients with eggs, milk, vegetables, and meat. Advertiser file photo
It grew as the city grew, adding the Jubilee Wing in 1888 and the Albert Wing in 1897, making it a 90-bed hospital.
“By the mid-20th century, it was time to build a new hospital, which was constructed in 1951 adjacent to the original buildings,” states the Guelph General Hospital website.
“This is the hospital we still occupy today, with only north and east wings at that point.”
Over the years it has grown in stature as well as scope.
In 2007 it installed Guelph’s first magnetic resonance imaging machine. In 2008 it was named the lead hospital for a regional vascular services program.
And in 2009 was designated one of four bariatric centres of excellence in the province.
It now employs almost 2,000 doctors, nurses and associated staff and has a robust volunteer force of 106 individuals, who provide a variety of functions critical to improving the patient experience.
Cindy Good experienced the growth of the hospital from inside its walls.
She and her three sisters, Ruby, Kathy and Ginny, all worked at GGH and have a combined 150 years of service.
Cindy is now retired after 42 years working at the hospital, as are Ruby and Kathy, while Ginny still works there.
(Guelph General Hospital image)
Cindy said she worked in almost every department and now works as a volunteer in the maternity unit.
She said the hospital is in her blood and she wouldn’t miss such an important milestone.
“We all love medicine and helping and community,” she said of her family’s involvement at Guelph General.
“It’s a big hospital now but still a tight community.”
A century and a half after its early beginnings, growth is still a challenge at Guelph General said president and CEO Mark Walton.
“The big challenge is how to last another 150 years with the infrastructure we’ve got,” he told the Advertiser.
He noted the parking lot is full beyond capacity, the emergency department is undergoing an expansion and then every inch of the property will be used.
“We’ve got nowhere to expand. So we’re working with governments to plan for a new hospital in the city. That’s my biggest challenge right now,” he said.
Walton said he was pleased to see Guelph MP Dominique O’Rourke, Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner and Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie at the celebration, so he could bend their ears and impress on them the urgency of building a new hospital elsewhere in the city.
But for now, redevelopment of the emergency department is underway, and the addition of a new mental health and addiction unit is expected to be completed in 2026.
These changes will add capacity and improve services to patients, Walton said.
