How a dream became a reality….
The residents of Dunnville wanted to commemorate the soldiers who had fought
overseas in the First World War. William Fry, publisher of the Dunnville
Chronicle, obtained property on John Street between Lock and Broad, formerly
owned by the late Judge Swayze. Dunnville Mayor B. Edgscombe and businessman
turned politician Frank R. Lalor were approached and Lalor used $5000 he
had earned as a Member of Parliament to purchase the property.
On October 15, 1920 he turned the deed over to the Dunnville Women’s Patriotic
Society. One stipulation was that the property was to be used as a public
hospital to be called Haldimand War Memorial Hospital in memory of the
brave soldiers who gave their lives in the war. A permanent board of governors
was selected in order to take advantage of the experience and knowledge
acquired from the hospital’s inception. The deed was given to the Dunnville
Women’s Patriotic Society due to the fact that they were the only chartered
philanthropic society in Haldimand and so were legally qualified to hold
property.
The Hospital opened February 3, 1920 with 20 beds, a small nursery, a small
operating room and a portable x-ray machine, usedonly for fractures. Today
we have 12 Long Term Care beds, 22 Acute CareBeds (including a new Palliative
Care Room), and 2 Respite Care Beds. Our surgical services have expanded
to include General Surgery, a variety of Laparoscopic procedures, Endoscopy,
minor Urology and ENT procedures and basic Orthopaedic surgery. Our Diagnostic
Imaging department has replaced that single x-ray machine with many services,
such as: General Radiology, Gastrointestinal x-rays, I.V.P.s (kidney x-rays),
Ultrasound examinations, Mammograms and Needle Localization, Operating
Room Radiology, Bone Density, Electrocardiograms and Holter Monitors. Visiting
specialists also hold clinics to provide a complete range of care for our
community.
From its inception, Haldimand War Memorial Hospital was started to serve
its community by providing the best possible care for its residents. Through
the years, and many changes later, we are proud to say that goal has remained
the same.
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