Stewart Memorial Health Centre: A History

1974 was a year of upheaval for  Stewart Memorial Health Centre.  In May of that year, the nursing staff quit en masse and the hospital was closed until September.  The community was deeply divided and a public meeting at Ellerslie Consolidated Elementary School in November attracted over 600 people who voted on a board motion of confidence.

Ellerslie School principal Allan Graham was asked by the Stewart Memorial Health Centre's board to write the history of the hospital from its beginnings in 1949.  They wanted area residents to be reminded of what they had achieved together.  It remains the only published history of Stewart Memorial.

Now that changes to the services offered at Stewart Memorial Hospital have been announced by the government, it is a good time to revisit this history.  Allan Graham went on to publish many books of fiction and non-fiction and was awarded the Order of Prince Edward Island in 2002.  He has kindly granted permission to the SMH Auxiliary to scan this important document and it is now available here for people to read or download.

In his introduction to the book, Mr. Graham wrote of the vital role the hospital had played in the lives of thousands of residents.  His words are certainly just as true today:

Every institution which deals with the public is going to have its ups and downs and Stewart Memorial is no exception.  Each time it has recovered as healthy or healthier than before.  Each time the people of these twenty-two school districts have seen fit to stand behind their hospital and the Board they elected to run it.  Each time this cooperative effort has brought the hospital back to life again when it has become temporarily dormant.  1974 has seen another such crisis in the life of Stewart Memorial and probably the most potentially-damaging one so far but I am confident that the people of the founding districts will get together and forget the divisions of the present, look to the future and bring the Stewart Memorial Health Centre back as strong as ever.

Allan Graham, Bideford, October 12, 1974

The History of a History

We received an interesting email a couple of weeks ago from David Crawford, Emeritus Librarian at McGill University.  The Osler Library of the History of Medicine at McGill has a collection of all published Canadian hospital histories and Mr. Crawford is helping them find those they are missing.

Google brought them to us!  Luckily one of our members had an extra copy and we were able to send it off to the Osler Library where it now is part of their collection.

Stewart Memorial Health Centre: A History was written in 1974 by Alberton writer and educator Allan Graham.  Proceeds from the sale of the book were used to support the hospital. The copy we sent to McGill was the second edition, so it seems to have sold well!  But the book served a more tactical purpose, too.

The hospital closed in the spring of 1974 when the nursing staff resigned in protest over differences with the medical director, Dr. Humphrey Booth.  It reopened in September 1974 with a new medical director, Dr. Joyce Madigane, and Dr. Booth was refused admitting privileges by the Board.

Large public meetings were held over the year, culminating in a November meeting at Ellerslie Elementary School of over 600 people where a vote of confidence on the hospital board was held.

This was an emotional time in our area, dividing friends and families.  The Board commissioned Mr. Graham to write the 36-page-book to remind residents of the hospital's proud history and of the good work of the board over it's 30 years of service.  They wanted the community members to remember what they had built together and how important it was that they continue to work for the good of the hospital.

It seemed to have worked, as the hospital has remained open to this day.  Our community members have always known that healthcare is about more than dollars and cents.  Caring for each other is an emotional endeavour and one the Auxiliary have taken seriously for over 63 years.