To Love and To Cherish

Erma and Richard Found lived in Bideford for 25 years from 1937 to 1962 while Mr. Found worked at the Ellerslie Biological Station.  They were both very active community volunteers.  Mr. Found was the first chairman of the Stewart Memorial Hospital board and drew up the plans for the hospital, while Mrs. Found was an active Auxiliary member.

Mrs. Found wrote her memoir entitled To Love and To Cherish in 1975.  In it she related many of the challenges of living in rural Prince Edward Island, especially the precarious nature of healthcare available at that time.

The following excerpt from her book rings true today.  Sadly, we no longer have a local board, but we certainly have the dedicated staff and volunteers!

“For a district without the services of a local doctor, there were mounting difficulties in times of emergency to bring medical aid from Summerside, some twenty-five miles away.  We couldn’t expect a doctor to assume the responsibilities of an isolated community without a well-equipped small hospital, however small.  Murmurings of concern came from every district, so it was finally decided to build our own hospital.

What does a community need to begin a hospital?  A hospital cannot be built without hard work or without dedicated men and women.

A community needs leadership to draw together these men and women – someone who has enough faith and determination to see the project completed in spite of many discouragements that attend such an undertaking.

A community needs women.  They’re the ones who have uncanny capacity for raising money for the hospital requirements.

In order to build a hospital, a community needs a Hospital Board of fine, farsighted people who have confidence and faith in their community.

The final requirement is a staff of dedicated nurses and a doctor with integrity, ideals and ambition, who support the hospital for what they can put into it and not for what they can get out of it.

When we decided to build a hospital in our district, we recognized that all these qualifications had to be in our community.  We would name our hospital “The Stewart Memorial Health Center” in memory of a former doctor who had given his life for this community years ago."

Show Your Pride!

The Friends of Stewart Memorial Hospital have been working very hard preparing for the April 15 rally against the recently announced changes at SMH.  The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Ellerslie Elementary.  The Auxiliary are helping with this meeting and now we need your help, too.  It would really just take a couple of minutes of your time.

We are looking for photos of people holding a sign that says Proud of MY Stewart Memorial Hospital.  The one we created can be downloaded here for printing.

If you have a group, you can download and print a sign that says Proud of OUR Stewart Memorial Hospital here.

Be as creative as you like, just make sure we can see you and your sign. (If you want to make your own PROUD sign, please do, but keep it simple and suitable for all ages!)

When you've taken your photo, email it to smhauxiliary@gmail.com.  We need them by April 14, so you have a chance to get photos of lots of people!

Then come out to the April 15 rally and see us all united and proud of our wonderful hospital.

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.

Dance Postponed

Due to the impending snowstorm, our Valentine’s Dance scheduled for the Ellerslie Legion on Saturday, February 9 has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 23, again with the band Old Habits at 8:30 p.m.  Hope to see you then!

The Heart Of Fundraising

The Royal Canadian Legion, Ellerslie will be hopping on Saturday, February 9^th as the Stewart Memorial Hospital Auxiliary roll out their 26^th Annual Valentine’s Dance. In addition to great dance music from the band Old Habits, there will also be a 50/50 draw and lots of door prizes donated by local businesses.

“It’s a fun event that people return to year after year,” said Auxiliary President Pam MacKinnon.  “There is great love for our hospital and everyone does their part to make sure it receives full support.”

The Auxiliary is now in their 63^rd year of fundraising for the hospital.  When Stewart Memorial first opened in 1951, Auxiliary members worked with local Women’s Institutes to ensure the hospital was ready to accept patients.  The Auxiliary helped furnish the hospital with medical equipment such as an x-ray machine and a baby incubator, but also supplied very basic items such as canned food, curtains and hospital gowns.

More recently the group has been upgrading the activities department equipment.  “We’ve been able to expand the number of therapeutic and fun activities offered to the residents and patients.  Our main goal is to purchase items for the care and comfort of those in the hospital,” said MacKinnon.

Auxiliary members are also selling raffle tickets, with the following prizes: two nights accommodation, breakfast and dinners, donated by the Rodd Mill River Resort; a hand-hooked mat, made and donated by Olive Grigg; two Adirondack lawn chairs, built and donated by Evan Locke; and a CBC jacket and hat.  Raffle tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5, and the winners will be drawn on the night of the dance.

Valentine’s Dance tickets are $12 each and can be reserved by calling Wanda at 831-2684 or Cindy at 831-2662. 

Stewart Memorial Hospital Auxiliary life member Marilyn Ramsay (left) and

Auxiliary President Pam MacKinnon (right) with a couple of the door prizes that will be awarded at the Auxiliary's 2013 Valentine's Dance on February 9.

Will You Be Our Valentine?

Stewart Memorial Hospital Auxiliary’s 26^th Annual Valentine’s Dance will be held Saturday, February 9th at 8:30 p.m. at the Ellerslie Legion, 1136 Ellerslie Road.  Great dance music by the band Old Habits, lots of door prizes, surprises and a 50/50 draw.

This is one of the Auxiliary's major annual fundraisers and proceeds will be used to support hospital projects.  The Auxiliary's purpose is to raise money to purchase items for the comfort and care of SMH residents and patients.  With the wonderful support of our community, we have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over our 63 years!

Tickets are $12 and can be reserved by calling Wanda at 831-2684 or Cindy at 831-2662.  We'd LOVE to see you there!

The Auxiliary is also selling raffle tickets four great prizes that will be drawn the night of the dance:

1st Prize:  2 nights accommodation for 2 with breakfasts, dinners and special extras, donated by Rodd Mill River Resort.

2nd Prize:  Hand hooked mat, made and donated by Olive Grigg.

3rd Prize:  2 Adirondack lawn chairs, made and donated by Evan Locke.

4th Prize:  A CBC jacket and hat.

Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5 and are available at the Tyne Valley Post Office, Murphy's Tyne Valley Pharmacy and from any auxiliary member.