The Huron Expositor, 1989-11-22, Page 22Page 3
SEAFORTH COMMUNITY HOSPITAL under construction. 1988-8g
ea ort
• Shortly after World War I. local 'doe -
tors felt there was a great need for i,
hospital, as nursing help in the homes
was becoming hard to procure
Recognizing this need. Alex A. McLen-
nan sold the Commercial Hotel m 192
purchased a large home and opener',
'the Seaforth Memorial Hospital in
• Victoria Street. This hospital serves'
Seaforth and district' for several years
and Margaret. • Wilson we. the
superintendent
A $40.000 bequest fromt he scot'
brothers. William and Matthea, fo
the purpose of establishing a hospita'
in or near Seaforth, led to the openinf.
of the Scott Memorial Hospital it
1927, the Hospital Board purchased the
former D.D. Wilson home on James
Street from 'W.E, Southgate and com-
menced alternations ° and im•
provements on the building to convert
it into a hospital. The official openme
of Scott Memorial Hospital took place
on October 22, 1929, Miss Wilson was
also the superintendent. here from 192',
to July 1945.
Accommodation however. became
limited in the 1940s and at the war's
end patients were m the halls and
every departent was crowded for
space. After many meetings and .con•
sidermg many proposals, one of the
former Port Albert RCAF buildings
was purchased and tits formed the
basis of the west wing of the Jame:
Street hospital. At the same time the
main hospital building was renovated
and changes carried out to reflect the
standards of that time. The enlarged
facilities were opened, on June 30, 1948
By the late 1950s it became apparel;
that additional changes tparticular0
in the operating, x-ray and kitchen
departments in the original builduig
were badly needed
hosp:Eta F
Architects Heider and Hyman of
Kitchenr were called in to consider
changes and perhaps a new wing
Hospital, by this time, had become the
responsihility of the OntarioHospitai
Service Commission and the chairman
I.'. J.B. Nielson, met with the -boars
ant: carefully inspected the entu•e
hospital., considering the changes for
which the board was, seeking approval
While there was some hesitancy with
regard to the vein substantial cost
that would be involved, it was not
many maweeks until the board was 'm
unanimous agrement that there was
no alternative to a new building.
In July 1964 a.contract was granted
to McDougall Construction of London
4- years
for $800.000 the !owes; of sever.
tenders. A sod turning ceremon} , at•
tended 'b} OHS( chatrmar Dr
Nielson, was held on July 17 and se;
the building program in motion
Despite man problems. including
contractor financial- difftculttres
delays m arrangements for mumcipa.
services and a strike which stopper
work for some weeks, the work mov-
ed forward anc a cornerstone
ceremony took place on December 20,
1964.
The first patients were moved in or,
September 1. 1965 with the entire
transfer completed within a couple of
days Details for the transfer were
turn to page 24
Expansion improves . facilities
Representatives of the provincial and
federa. government. and the local
hospital.. turned the first sod for the
renovation and addition project for the
Seaforth Comrnunitr Hospital on Oc-
tober 29. 1988 The Waterloo firm of
Mellou!-Blame} Construction was
awarded the contract
The project. which provided for e
10,900 foot addition to the north side of
the hospital, accommodates a new and
enlarged out patients and emergency
department, an enlarged physiotherapy
department and increased x-ray and
laboraton accommodations All plans
for the project had received official ap-
proval from the Mirustry of Health
The total project cost in excess of $2
million with ministry funding covering
two-thirds of that cost. The remaining
money was„raised •through various fun-
draisuig efforts by°the hospital and the
community. A door-to-door. canvass was
held in .the early spring of 1989
An addition to the east side of the
hospital. provides accommodation for
enlarged heating, mechanical and elec•
trical services required by the addition.
and cost approximately $700,000 to com-
plete. The old system has since been.
updated, the patient area of the hospital
serviced with air conditioning. and a
central computer to monitor the heating
of the hospital installed
Prior to the addition, a neµ and up-
dated fire alarm system was installed
in the existing hospita;
Further down the road, the hospital
may consider expansion to the interior
of the hospital, the addition of a
sundeck, and closing in. of the, current
patio in order that the cafeteria may be
extended.