Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston, Milestones

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Sister Jane Leahy, Superior of the Hotel Dieu, Kingston (1872-1877, 1881-1886)

Founded in 1845, the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston has a rich history spanning 175 years.

Below are some significant milestones in the history of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph of Kingston and the hospital they founded.

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Re-enactment of the arrival of the RHSJs in Kingston (1986)

1845— Sept. 2 —Four Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph arrive in Kingston

1845— Sept. 4 —RHSJ Move into Hospital Building (229 Brock St)

1845— Sept. 7 or 12 — RHSJ See their first patient, Mrs. Delaney, “a very sick woman”

1845—Late Oct.— RHSJs Move into their Monastery (233 Brock St)

 

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Detail from the Register of the entrance of postulants of the Hotel Dieu Hospital Kingston showing the entrance of Lucy McDougall (18 Nov. 1845)

1845 – November 18 – First postulant to enter the Hotel Dieu, Kingston: Lucy McDougall of Kingston

1847—Summer—Beginning of new hospital building (now 227 Brock St.) Completed in 1848.

1847—Typhus epidemic arrives in Kingston. Sister treat Irish immigrants stricken by the disease at the fever tents on the shore. Dec. 24th—70 Irish orphans are brought to the Hotel Dieu Orphanage.

1848—Construction of building connecting hospital & monastery (231 Brock St.) for Chapel and Novitiate.

1869—May-Dec.—Enlarged monastery built (235 Brock St)

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Hotel Dieu Hospital, Cornwall, founded 1897 by the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph of Kingston. The original hospital building, Ivy Hall, can be seen on the right.

1892—26 Feb.— RHSJ sign the preliminary agreement to acquire the former Regiopolis College Building on Sydenham St.; lease formally signed in Sept.

1892—Late Dec.—after extensive renovations, the Hospital is moved into the new building.

1894-5—Hospital Chapel built

1897—Sisters' Monastery building built

1897—The RHSJs of Kingston found the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Cornwall, ON. From Kingston, they would also go on to found hospitals in Chicago, IL (1903), Polson, MO (1916), Hartford, WI (1926), & St. Catharines, ON (1944).

1899—Modern surgical theatre built on corner of Sydenham & Johnson Sts.

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Agreement between Queen's University Medical School and the Hotel Dieu (1902)

1902—Agreement signed with Queen’s University to formally allow medical faculty to use wards and operating room for clinical instruction of medical students.

1905—Women’s Auxiliary (now Volunteer Services) founded

1909—Brock St. Wing expansion built on corner of Sydenham and Brock Sts.

1910—Orphanage is transferred to the Sisters of Providence and the Obstetrics Dept. is opened.

1912—School of Nursing founded by Sister St. Charles (Louise O’Connor) with first formal classes held June 1913.

1920—Hotel Dieu becomes one of the first hospitals in Ontario to be accredited, earning a recognition for excellence.

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List of the first executive of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Hotel Dieu (28 June 1905)

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Constitutions & By-laws of the Nurses' Alumnae, Hotel Dieu Hospital (21 Feb. 1922)

1922—Alumnae of the St. Joseph’s School of Nursing founded.

1923—Construction of the second nurses’ residence (now known as the Mary Alice Wing) began replacing the first nurses’ residence in 235 Brock St.

1929-31—St. Joseph’s Wing on Brock St. built.

1934—School of Medical Record Librarians opened by Sister Florence Campion, the first school of its kind in Canada. The school at the Hotel Dieu, along with that of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, were the first schools to be approved by the Canadian Association of Medical Records Librarians in 1936. The School was later re-named in honour of Sister Campion

1948—Jeanne Mance Nurses’ Residence began (initially with 2 floors, with an additional 3 floors completed in 1955).

1949—School of Medical Technology opened.

1950—Centennial Wing on Johnson St. built, replacing the surgical theatre.

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Constitution of the Hotel Dieu Hospital Advisory Board (1951)

1951—Hospital Advisory Board created.

1952—The RHSJ English Generalate (later St. Joseph Province) and novitiate moves from the hospital to Mount St. Joseph on Perth Road. In 1957 they would move to the St. Joseph Provincial House in Amherstview.

1966—Johnson Wing built, replacing the Sisters’ Monastery.

1966—Eric Brown is appointed first lay CEO of the Hospital.

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Pastoral Care Coordinator Sister Loretta Gaffney with a "patient" (1971)

1966—Gastroenterology Unit established, one of the first integrated units in Canada. The Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit was established in 1982. Both would be renamed after their founder, Dr. Ivan Beck, in 1989.

1971—Pastoral Care Department established.

1972—Kingston Health Sciences Complex inaugurated linking local hospitals and Queen’s University in order to increase cooperation and access to shared funds and to reduce duplication of services.

1973—Obstetrics Department transferred to Kingston General Hospital.

1974— Last class of the St. Joseph’s School of Nursing graduates. 

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A history Native Patient Services and Geaganano
Residence at Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston

1974-76—Construction of the Family Medicine Centre on Bagot & Johnson Sts.

1976-81—Murray Building constructed in the former Public Library building on Bagot St.

1978-84—Jeanne Mance Wing built on site of former nurses’ residence.

1983—Detoxification Centre opened.

1984—Child Development Centre and Child’s Outpatient Centre, both begun at KGH in the 1970s, open at Hotel Dieu as pediatric services are consolidated at HDH.

1985—Native Patient Services established and Geaganano House opened.

1997—Emergency Department closed and Urgent Care Centre is opened.

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Bumper sticker produced as part of the fight to "Save the Dieu" from closure as ordrered by Health Services Restructuring Report for Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (1998)

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RHSJ Health System President Sister Rosemarie Kugel giving a speech at Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston (2000)

1998—23 Feb. —Health Services Restructuring Report for Frontenac and Lennox & Addington released ordering HDH closed; “Save the Dieu” campaign begun. RHSJs fight the HSRC order to the Supreme Court of Canada but are ultimately unsuccessful. Order to close is not rescinded until May 2006.

1999—Official opening of the Breast Assessment Centre.

2013—Redevelopment Project begun in 2010 is completed, transforming floors 4 & 5 of the Jeanne Mance Wing into clinical space - 80 clinics are transferred from KGH with an annual increase of 50,000 patient visits to the hospital.

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Logo of the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (2017)

2016—28 June— Announcement made that Hotel Dieu and Kingston General Hospitals would integrate.

2017—1 April— KGH and HDH become the Kingston Health Sciences Centre.

2020 - Sept - Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston, celebrates its 175th anniversary.

Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston, Milestones