Red Deer Memorial Hospital in 1912 |
Red Deer Regional Hospital in 1982 |
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April of 2004 marks the centennial of the Red Deer Hospital. The beginnings of the hospital can be traced back to Canada's participation in the Boer War. Three local men, Angus Jenkins, Archibald McNicoll, and Charles Cruikshank, died in South Africa while serving with Lord Strathcona's Horse regiment.
On October 21, 1900, local residents attended a memorial service held at the Methodist Church for the three men buried in South Africa. Not long after, a decision was made to build a hospital for the people of Red Deer as a lasting memorial for the men. Lawyer George W. Greene took charge of a board of directors and launched a fundraising campaign. In two short years, numerous donations were gathered including large gifts from both Lord Strathcona and the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON).
Debate began on a possible location for the hospital. Initially the site was to have been north of the river, east of the present Gaetz Avenue traffic bridge. Two prominent businessmen, Edward Michener and John T. Moore, later offered generous financial assistance towards the purchase of a property on the South Hill. The board agreed to their proposal and construction commenced on the hospital in the spring of 1903.
Construction soon slowed. The board ran out of money and the Town Council had to provide assistance. The new building was completed in spring 1904 at a cost of $12,000. According to the local newspaper the hospital had:
Eleven private wards and two public wards, each of the latter with accommodation for six beds, thus affording facilities for the treatment of twenty-three patients. There is, besides, a reception room, a commodious operating room with surgery, and a fine, large kitchen. The attic is lofty and well lighted and can if necessary be utilized for dormitories. These conveniences…make it a credit to all who have had any part in its establishment and commend it to …those who wish to share in promoting its mission of mercy. (Advocate 26 May 1904)
The first hospital matron, Miss M.H. Wright of the VON, was hired at a salary of $50 per month. The board set admission fees for patients at $7.00 for public wards, and $10.00 for private rooms. The board also set out a fee schedule for the hospital's operating room. Patients were expected to provide their own medicine and surgical dressings. Some local businesses purchased a form of hospital insurance for their employees at $1.00 per month for each worker.
The first patient admitted to the newly opened hospital was W.N. Snider of Evarts, diagnosed as suffering from typhoid fever. He did not recover from his illness and passed away a few weeks later. Later in the same year, Dr. Henrietta Denovan, assisted by her husband, Dr. Howard Denovan, performed the first surgical operation at the hospital.
During the hospital's infancy, a number of local groups recognized the importance of supporting the fledgling institution and contributed much to its development. Two of these groups, the Hospital Ladies Aid and the Alexandra Club (a young women's organization), worked tirelessly to raise money and supply furnishings. They also often acted as volunteer nurses.
Interestingly, the constant need for fundraising activities precipitated the creation of two women's hockey clubs, the Stars and the Skookums. The women's teams competed in front of paying crowds against each other as well as against any male challengers. All proceeds from the games went to the hospital fund.
When it opened, the Red Deer Memorial Hospital was the only hospital between Calgary and Edmonton. It drew patients from much of central Alberta. As the population of Red Deer and region expanded, so too did the hospital to keep pace with the growth in patients. Over the years there were a series of expansions, renovations and new facilities added to the hospital site on the South Hill. In 1961, the original hospital building was torn down to make way for a new auxiliary hospital.
While its name has changed over the years (from the Red Deer Memorial to the Red Deer Municipal to the Red Deer General to the Red Deer Regional Hospital) the present-day hospital in Red Deer still reflects the ideals and vision of its founders a hundred years ago.
