Norfolk General Hospital memories and milestones
- Contributed
- May 13
- 4 min read
NGH in 1940.
Norfolk General Hospital has its roots in the community.
In 1915, James Allgeo of Simcoe bequeathed his estate of $11,212 to the Town of Simcoe for “the purpose of establishing a public hospital in Simcoe.”
A Spanish Influenza epidemic in 1918 raised concerns about the lack of hospital facilities in Norfolk County. The Walsh Women’s Institute called a meeting of municipal and county officials to begin plans for building a hospital.
In 1920, William P. Innes, philanthropist and founder of Canadian Canners, left $5,000 to the Hospital Fund. His son, William L. Innes donated five acres of land in December 1923 as a site for the hospital.
Harry J. Brook organized a county-wide fundraising canvass with 3,000 subcribers. A total of $56,000 was pledged and the hospital project was underway.
May 20, 1925
The original Norfolk General Hospital was officially opened with nearly 2,000 local residents celebrating its birth and Lieutenant-Governor Harry Cockshutt in attendance.
“All said it was wonderful, marvelous, superb…” reported the Simcoe Reformer in 1925.
“I must term the completion of this splendid institution a unique accomplishment, for seldom am I called upon to go to a town for the sake of the entire county. You may be justly proud of this hospital, which will bring peace and comfort to your sick and unfortunate ones,” said Cockshutt during the ceremony.
Soon after, the Simcoe Rotary Club raised over $6,000 to build sunrooms and an elevator at the hospital.
1926
An anonymous $1,000 donation led to the hospital purchasing and installing new X-ray equipment
Carrie McCall, Mrs. Jessie Laing and her children, Marion and John Laing, donated toward the ‘McCall Nurses Home’ in memory of their father and grandfather, the late Senator Alexander McCall, who had presided over the laying of the hospital’s cornerstone ceremony in 1924. The building was completed in 1927.
1930
NGH was running out of room and an expansion was necessary. There was no separate children’s ward and clothing dressers were often as bassinets. The number of beds increased from 23 to 36 and they added four cribs and 10 bassinets.
1938
With a growing population during the Great Depression, another expansion was required. The Simcoe and Delhi Kinsmen donated $31,000, and with a $5,000 donation from Mrs. A.W. Donly, and support from the Town of Simcoe Council, County Council, and community, the Kinsmen Wing opened in 1938.
1940
NGH capacity increases from 29 beds in its first year to 76 beds. The hospital is valued at $235,000.
“Truly the Norfolk General Hospital is a community-owned enterprise, made possible by Norfolk people and operated for their benefit,” stated a hospital brochure. “It cares for the sick and injured, as well as the needy and unfortunate. It is not a money-making institution, indeed it could not successfully carry on without the aid of its many friends and interested public bodies. Its sole purpose is to serve the community, to alleviate suffering and counteract disease.”
1950
Usage of the hospital had increased by 60%, well beyond the building’s capacity, and there was new momentum for expansion. Adding beds, bringing the number to 106, was not enough. All services needed to be upgraded.
1954
Grants from the County of Norfolk, Simcoe Council, Provincial and Federal governments, and community support, led to the opening of a $1 million expansion on Oct. 20, 1954.
1959
Urgent need for more beds led to accommodations doubling to 215 beds and 33 newborns.
1967
There was need for a new heating plant, operating rooms, X-ray department, laboratory, kitchen, cafeteria, physio department, delivery rooms, nursery and pediatric ward and offices. A new four-storey wing emerged, costing $4.5 million, officially opening on June 7, 1967.
Within six months, it was overcrowded.
“We had hoped that when the use of the new hospital became available, it would serve us for a good many years,” stated Chairman James W. Holden, Board of Governors, in a Simcoe Reformer story, citing a larger population, prepaid medical and hospital care, and too few doctors to treat patients other than in a hospital.
“We had excellent consultants for the expansion. But as you know, we are already hard-pressed for accommodation in some areas, particularly in the medical wing.”
Planning began for an adjoining 80-bed nursing home with homes purchased on Robinson Street and Elgin Avenue to make room for a new parking lot.
1975
The Norfolk Hospital Nursing Home officially opened.
1983
The ‘Thanks a Million’ campaign helped fund a state-of-the-art eight-bed ICU and eight-bed Step-Down Unit opened in 1984.
1986
The Norfolk General Hospital Foundation was incorporated on Nov. 24, 1986 as a fundraising arm for the hospital, receiving and managing community donations towards the work of the hospital.
1995
Celebrating 70 years, NGH is committed to ‘doing things even better,’ satisfying patients at a cost the community can afford, and looks forward to caring for the community with dedication and commitment – “now and in the future.”
Other major additions and improvements include:
2005 – Emergency Room Expansion & Redevelopment
2006 – CT Scanner Installed
2007 – Intensive Care Unit Redevelopment
2009 – Digital Mammography/ PAC-MED
2012 – Electronic health records from NGH and several surrounding hospitals were amalgamated
2014 – Portable ‘Giraffe’ X-Ray
2015 – Automated Drug Dispensing Cabinets
2016 – Telemetry Units
2020 – New 128 slice CT Service
From the Norfolk General Hospital’s 1995 Memories & Milestones fundraising brochure, 1940 NGH brochure, NGH website & Simcoe Reformer files
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