The St. Paul Hospital, named after both Bishop Paul Durieu and Saint Paul, is the oldest of the seven Providence Health care facilities in Vancouver. The history of the hospital began in 1843 when Mother Emilie Garmelin founded the Sister of Providence in Montreal, which is a community of women who establish schools, hospitals, orphanages, homes and asylum across Canada, United States and many other countries. The St. Paul Hospital was founded in 1894, eight years after the incorporation of the City of Vancouver. It was designed and constructed by Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart, and Mother Mary Fredrick was the administrator who led its charge. Keeping with the philosophy of the Sisters of Providence, they pledged to provide compassionate care for everyone in need.
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The hospital began as a 25-bed compassionate care and was very innovative, being the first hospital to open their own X-Ray machine, and school of Nursing in the early 1900s. In the early 1910s, the building was demolished and replaced with a new structure to accommodate 200 patients, which costed $400 000. Eventually 500 more beds were added after the South Wing combined with the North Wing. In 2010, the St. Paul Hospital introduced the first Baby hatch, the “Angel’s Cradle”, in Canada where mothers could anonymously provide their newborns to the hospital rather than abandoning. Today the hospital is recognized provincially and internationally for its strong focus on HIV/Aids treatment, and care for the disadvantaged.
Written by Wayne H. |