Dr. A.R. Perry purchased the home of Alex Martin on the corner of Dublin and Princess Street in Mount Forest in the early 1900s and established Strathcona Hospital, a 10-bed private hospital.
In 1923, a group of citizens headed by G.L. Allen changed Strathcona Hospital into a public hospital. Wentworth Marshall, a local pharmacist, generously bought the hospital from Perry. Marshall’s mother, Louise, was the supervisor at the hospital until she became ill with cancer. It was closed in 1921, but a year later was reopened under a new name, Mount Forest General Hospital.
In 1928, the deed of the Hospital was turned over to the town and the name was changed yet again to Louise Marshall Hospital in honour of Marshall’s mother. Letters Patent to change the name were issued in 1930.
A new wing at hospital opened was opened at Dec. 9, 1955.
In 1964 Percy Gardiner donated funds to purchase land for new hospital and work on a new one-story hospital across from the old hospital on Dublin Street began the same year.
An opening ceremony was held for the new Louise Marshall Hospital on June 16, 1965.
Planning and construction for an expansion of the new hospital began in 1971 and in 1975 an opening ceremony for the expanded hospital was held, with provincial health minister Frank Miller in attendance.
Construction of a heliport for the hospital begain in December, 1982, with the first landing on the new heliport occurring on Jan. 28, 1983.
The latest hospital upgrades to the ER and Ambulatory/Oncology departments were announced in 2011. Ground was broken in August of 2019 and the new facilities opened in September, 2021.
Today, Louise Marshall Hospital is a community hospital operating 15 inpatient beds serving the health care needs of the Wellington North catchment area.
Located in the town of Mount Forest, the fully accredited hospital offers a range of primary and secondary services including 24-hour emergency services, inpatient and outpatient care, specialist clinics and supportive diagnostic services.
The hospital has an active staff of seven family physicians as well as consulting staff in General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Radiology, Anesthesiology, Pathology, Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Courtesy of North Wellington Health Care