Celebrating South Street Hospital

2012 IABC Virtuoso Award Submission Mary Gillet, London Health Sciences Centre

Division 1: Communication Management - Category 13: Special Events – Internal or External Time Period: October 2010 – September 2011

Celebrating South Street Hospital – A special event to celebrate the legacy of LHSC’s South Street Hospital

Table of Contents Tab 1 Work Plan including electronic version (CD) Tab 2 Work Sample

1) Communications and event planning a. Communications Plan – Celebrating South Street Hospital: Internal and External

Communications Launch, May 2011 b. Celebrating South Street Hospital: Media Relations Strategy and Communications Roll-

Out c. Activity Chart

2) Launch a. All staff broadcast email from Bonnie Adamson “Celebrating South Street Hospital” sent

on May 5, 2011 b. Media release sent on May 5, 2011

3) Online tactics a. Website screenshots – www.lhsc.on.ca/south-street b. Facebook fan page screenshots – www.facebook.com/southstreethospital

4) Volunteer communication a. Article in the Page staff newsletter “Join the fun: volunteer during Doors Open London”

published June 15, 2011 b. Pre-event volunteer information sheet c. Fact sheet on South Street Hospital, sent before the event

5) External communication a. Invitation letter to key stakeholders from Bonnie Adamson sent in July, 2011 b. Letter to the neighbourhood – sent in early September, 2011 to residents of the area

where South Street Hospital is located 6) Special section

a. “Celebrating South Street Hospital” insert in The London Free Press on September 10, 2011

7) Event logistics a. Visitor brochure b. Samples of photo displays and area descriptions c. Gift shop and commemorative items (Celebrating South Street Hospital mug, magnet and

bookmark) 8) Event photos 9) Comments and feedback

a. Sample messages from event guest books b. Sample emails from event visitor, event volunteers and LHSC leaders

10) Media relations a. Media advisory sent September 14, 2011

http://www.lhsc.on.ca/south-street

http://www.facebook.com/southstreethospital

b. Media coverage – “It’s hip, it’s heritage” in The London Free Press on September 15, 2011

c. Interview opportunities for media sent September 17, 2011 d. Media release sent September 19, 2011 e. Media coverage – “Doors Open before closing for good” in London Community News on

September 22, 2011 11) Post event internal communication

a. All staff broadcast email from Bonnie Adamson “Thousands of visitors celebrated SSH during Doors Open” sent on September 19, 2011

b. Special edition of the Page staff newsletter 12) Thank you letter to key project contributors

a. Letter to event volunteers from Bonnie Adamson

Celebrating South Street Hospital Special Event hosted by London Health Sciences Centre

IABC Virtuoso Awards Submission

Division 1: Communication Management Category 13: Special Events – Internal or External

Submitted by: Mary Gillet

1 Celebrating South Street Hospital, Mary Gillet

2012 IABC Virtuoso Award Submission Mary Gillet, London Health Sciences Centre

Division 1: Communication Management - Category 13: Special Events – Internal or External Time Period: October 2010 – September 2011

Celebrating South Street Hospital – A special event to celebrate the legacy of LHSC’s South Street Hospital 1. Need / Opportunity London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is one of Canada’s largest acute care, multi-site teaching hospitals with over 15,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers providing health care for more than one million patients a year. After years of planning and redevelopment, the impending closing of South Street Hospital and opening of the new North Tower created a unique communications opportunity to highlight the past, and future, of health care in London and area; to strengthen the LHSC brand in the public eye; to provide a sense of closure for audiences associated with the past of South Street; and to create a sense of new beginning for those involved with the North Tower opening. With one hospital closing and another hospital building opening an important historical moment for health care in London was being created. The challenge of having both buildings closing and opening in phases meant the events would be largely symbolic and closely timed. The decision was made to leverage the Doors Open program, which is a two-day event in September that opens up spaces throughout London, free of charge, for local residents and visitors. As a result LHSC opened the doors of the hospital on South Street for self-guided tours for the first and last time in its 136 year history of providing compassionate and innovative care to the community. The tours provided visitors with a one-time opportunity for a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at many spaces in the hospital including the emergency department, operating rooms and the morgue. LHSC also partnered with Museum London to create historical vignettes with hospital artifacts and archival photographs throughout the hospital. 2. Intended audiences Our primary target audiences were current and former LHSC staff, physicians, student and volunteers as well as members of the broader community that felt a connection to the old South Street Hospital- most typically as former patients or family of patients. Internal: LHSC past and current staff, physicians, nurses, staff, volunteers and students; LHSC partners (Children’s Health Foundation, Fanshawe College, Lawson Health Research Institute, London Health Sciences Foundation, The University of Western Ontario); London Health Sciences Centre Auxiliary; nursing alumni associations.) External: Community (primarily residents of London, Ontario and Southwestern Ontario, but also residents from other areas who worked, trained, volunteered or received care at LHSC); local media, City of London (Mayor and Councillors); MPP’s, MP’s and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care; Local Health Integration Network (South West LHIN); “SoHo” community association (facilitates events and shares news about the SoHo, South of Horton, neighbourhood where South Street Hospital is located). 3. Goals and objectives Goal: Implement a high profile event to celebrate the legacy of South Street Hospital, the community’s first hospital site where countless individuals worked, trained, volunteered, researched and received care for 136 years. Objectives: 1. Community Relations: Foster engagement with individuals within the London community and beyond through a celebration event commemorating SSH’s history. MEASURES: Doors Open London advised us that the highest attended site over their 10 year history had been 2000 visitors and we set that as our benchmark. We also wanted to achieve participation on our newly established Facebook page. Positive feedback from visitors about the celebration to event volunteers, online or in the media was also a key measurable for us. 2. Internal Relations: Bring together current and former staff, physicians and volunteers for a celebratory event recognizing LHSC’s accomplishments. Provide opportunities for participation in the event, either as visitors, volunteers or other contributors. Engaging former staff was key to implementing the event. MEASURES: Recruitment of a minimum of 150 event volunteers from current and former staff and physicians. Contribution of historical information, photos and artifacts for use in the initiative. 3. Media Relations: Work with media contacts to share key messages and enhance LHSC’s reputation in the


community; key element in promoting event to external audiences. MEASURES: Coverage by local media outlets which is positive and consistent with key messaging. Production of a special section featuring the Celebrating SSH initiative to be distributed in a local news print publication. 4. Solution overview Planning and research regarding how to best acknowledge the closing of the South Street Hospital began in 2008 by the Joint Communications Framework Committee (consisting of the CEOs and Communication leaders from the hospital, its two foundations and its research institute). An independent consultant was hired to develop scenarios and a communications plan. As the date approached to open the new hospital building it became clear that SSH would still be partially occupied by a few remaining clinical programs and could not be officially declared “closed”. As a result, it was determined that the event should be more about celebrating South Street Hospital than closing SSH. A decision was made to leverage the popular Doors Open London, which is an established and recognized annual event in the community celebrating spaces in London with architectural, historical, social and cultural significance. This initiative was consistent with the goals of the Celebrating SSH and the reputation and popularity of Doors Open could be leveraged to increase visitors to SSH and engagement of the community. Several spaces in the main hospital building were selected to be opened to the public for a self-directed tour for the first and last time in the hospital‘s history. Areas located on four different levels of the hospital were opened for visitors, including the former emergency department, morgue, catheterization laboratory, critical care and operating rooms. LHSC also partnered with Museum London given that a collection of LHSC artifacts is housed at Museum London. During Doors Open London 2011, Museum London coordinated displays of LHSC artifacts in the areas where they would have originally been used. Promotional opportunities in conjunction with the museum were leveraged to increase visits to SSH. The following key messages were developed: 1. For 136 years, South Street Hospital has served the community, growing and adapting to meet the needs of residents in London, Southwestern Ontario and beyond. The community is invited to join in the celebration that will commemorate this legacy of care, research and history at the hospital. 2. London Health Sciences Centre’s South Street Hospital is a participating site in the Doors Open London 2011 weekend on September 17 and 18. -LHSC is opening the doors of its hospital on South Street for self-guided tours for the first and last time in its 136 year history of providing compassionate and innovative care to the community. -This event, organized in partnership Museum London, is a unique, one-time opportunity for a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at many spaces in the hospital including the emergency department, operating rooms, critical care and the morgue. 3. Of course, the buildings are not the whole story of South Street Hospital. It is what happens within those buildings – exceptional experiences, extraordinary people and engaging partnerships – that make South Street Hospital the landmark that it truly is. Communication Tactics - implemented a wide range of tactics for intended audiences Launch (May): Announcement of SSH as a participating Doors Open in partnership with Museum London and launch of Celebrating SSH website and Facebook fan page. Internal tactics: all-staff email from spokesperson Bonnie Adamson, LHSC president and CEO; article in the Page staff newsletter (also distributed to former staff); message in weekly all-staff email broadcast E-Cast; feature on intranet site homepage; event listing on corporate calendar. External tactics: media release sent to local outlets following Doors Open media release, Facebook messages; feature on external website homepage. Online Engagement (May - Sept): To promote the celebration event and increase engagement of audiences. A website was created to share historical information and archival photos with the community, recruit event volunteers, encourage discussion through use of the Facebook commenting system and to connect visitors to the site based on their connection with the hospital (e.g. web page for nurses, physicians, etc.). Event email account set up to respond to inquiries. A Facebook fan page was created to drive traffic to the website, encourage visitors to share memories and promote the event through “friend” relationships. Event Promotion (June - Sept): To increase event attendance and encourage online engagement. Internal tactics included all-staff email, promotion in the Page, messages in E-Cast and intranet feature. External tactics included invitation letter to key stakeholders from Bonnie Adamson (leaders of LHSC’s partner organizations, local


government officials, past LHSC leaders and staff, SoHo communication association and SW LHIN); web feature; letter to neighborhood (mail drop in area surrounding SSH with invitation to event and warning of additional traffic during event); media preview tour on Sept. 15; media pitches to local media for onsite interviews with former SSH staff members on Sept. 17; jumbo mobile sign on closest main road to SSH for month of September. Special Section: 12-page special section in The London Free Press newspaper distributed on Saturday, September 10, highlighting the hospital’s history, the areas being opened to the public for the event, and the hospital’s foundations representing the community’s contributions to the hospital. Volunteers Recruitment (June - Sept): Application available in volunteer services offices distributed in the Page and posted on website. Article in the Page, messages in E-Cast, “Reader to Reader” submission to The London Free Press newspaper and messages on the Facebook. Post-event communications: Media release announcing the record number of visits to SSH; special edition of the Page with event review, photos and comments from visitors; all-staff email; feature on external website homepage; thank you letters from Bonnie Adamson to volunteers and event partners. Creative: Honey Design Marketing and Communications created the event logo and design for communication tactics. LHSC provided all content and overall direction for design of the logo and tactics.

5. Implementation and challenges Resources -Initial strategy and planning developed by LHSC corporate communications and public relations and external communications consultant Kelly Rowcliffe. -A steering committee, chaired by Mary Gillet, Director of Communications and Public Relations, was created with members who were critical in planning and implementing the celebration event. This team included representatives of internal departments, such as facilities, volunteer services, customer support and security services; LHSC’s partner foundations; Doors Open London and Museum London; and former LHSC staff who worked at the South Street Hospital site. A dedicated communications associate, Laura Tyrrell was hired on contract to support the implementation. - Members of the corporate communications and public relations team also implemented key communications and event tactics. They were also on-site during the weekend event responsible for overall event coordination and specific roles such as media liaisons and photography liaisons. Handset radios rented to facilitate communication among team when in different areas of the building. - LHSC’s President and CEO, Bonnie Adamson, was at the front doors of the hospital during the entire event to greet guests as they entered the building. -Approximately 150 volunteers were needed to act as greeters throughout the tour to assist visitors and provide information about the site. All volunteers were current or former staff and volunteers of the hospital or partner organizations. This opportunity provided a unique way for internal audiences to participate in the event and many volunteers were able to share their own stories of the hospital with visitors. Volunteers were provided with information packages before the event and brief orientation sessions when starting their shift. Logistics and other tactics for public self-guided tours of the hospital - Most areas being opened for event had already been vacant for five years. Worked with internal partners to clean, move equipment, and address various maintenance issues, such as lighting, temperature regulation and exposed wires in spaces across four levels of the building. - Directional signage posted throughout the self-directed tour to assist visitors (branded with event logo). - Visitors given visitor brochure with maps of tour areas, special highlights and amenities (e.g. washrooms, cafeteria, rest areas which were set up for visitors). - Poster boards with archival photos and historical information displayed in all main tour areas. -Security plan developed to restrict access to areas not a part of tour: security staff in designated locations, barriers using stanchions, elevators programmed only for open levels, and two designated entrances / exits. -Historical video: edited a LHSC corporate video and additional footage of SSH to produce a short video about the hospital’s history which was available for viewing by visitors during the event. The video was well-received by visitors and later posted on the website following several requests for copies. -Guests books were available at the exits for visitors to sign. LHSC’s photographer and communication team recorded the event and stories of the hospital shared by visitors. -The hospital auxiliary was asked to participate in the event by facilitating a gift shop. Available to visitors were


commemorative items created for the event and a historical DVD sold by the auxiliary. All proceeds from sales were donated to the hospital foundation. -Meeting rooms and guided tours facilitated for interested alumni groups. Budget: Costs for this initiative were covered by a designated budget to celebrate the milestones of the hospital restructuring. Costs of the special section were partially covered through advertisers.

ITEM COST ITEM COST Creative / printing 19,655.22 Gift shop - set up 57.03 Historical video 800.00 Cleaning services 3,103.65 Special section 1,3478.64 Stanchions 723.20

Jumbo mobile sign 1,74.16 Radio rental 282.22 Visitor brochure – additional copies 694.31 Staff costs – catering 568.69 Guest books 161.59 Volunteer application print 16.68 Photo displays 2,974.85 Volunteer t-shirts 1,232.66 Commemorative items 5,316.72 Water for volunteers 492.24

Total cost was $40,762.22. All tactics delivered on time and within budget. Challenges -Challenge: Due to a delay in the transfer of some outpatient clinical programs, a small number of patients were still receiving care at South Street Hospital and would be in the building on the Saturday of the weekend event. Solution: Leaders of these programs were made aware in advance of the event and expectations of the number of visitors to the site. Parking spaces and a hospital entrance were reserved for these patients. Additional security measures and signage were implemented to ensure that visitors were not able to access the floor where patients were receiving care. -Challenge: During early planning stages, Doors Open projected 2,000 visitors to the SSH site. Due to the success of LHSC’s communications tactics and advanced publicity, this projection was increased to 5,000 visitors just days before the event. Solution: Additional brochures were printed and security measures were reviewed. Additional security staff were scheduled; stanchions and volunteers were moved to key areas where the traffic of visitors would be the highest. A community phone line and recorded message with event details was used for phone calls from the public. 6. Evaluation 1. Community Relations - Nearly 6,000 visitors toured the South Street Hospital setting a new record for the highest number of visits to one site during the Doors Open weekend in the ten year history of the annual event. - Event volunteers reported overwhelmingly positive comments from visitors, including one submission to the media. Over 1400 signatures were made in event guest books, citing memories of the hospital and appreciation for visiting the site “one last time.” Visitors were impressed to be personally welcomed by LHSC’s president and CEO. Online Engagement -Facebook: 344 lifetime likes (total number of people who have liked the page); 69,084 post views (by fans and non-fans); 290 post feedback (responses to page posts); 29 photos posted. People not only interacted with the fan page by responding to posts, but also engaged in discussion with each other. -Website: 80 total comments; 51 total likes (from integrated Facebook commenting system); 5 photos submitted; 25 emails to the Celebrating SSH email account requested information about the event. 2. Internal Relations: Over 200 volunteers were on site during the event. Volunteers gave positive feedback on their experience, with some returning for a second, unscheduled shift and many thanking the event organizers for the opportunity to participate. Volunteers sent “thank you” email messages and positive comments on the website and Facebook. Staff in selected clinical area provided information, photos and artifacts which were displayed at the event. 3.Media Relations: Event was featured or highlighted 20 times by local media outlets between May and September, 2011; 14 times in print media, including one “Reader to Reader” submission and one “Letter to the Editor,” and 6 times in broadcast media. Coverage was consistent with key messaging and the tone was positive. Special section distributed by The London Free Press, a print publication with a weekly reach of 245,100; section also posted online.

Celebrating South Street Hospital – Activity Chart

TACTIC Last Updated: August 29, 2011

Timeframe Responsibility

Creative Design RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Meet with Honey Design to discuss project March Laura / Cathy Send Honey creative brief and material required to produce logo concept

March Laura / Cathy

Review critical path As needed Laura Logo concept – review and approval April Committee

members Website design – main page and subpage April Laura / Greg Stakeholder invitation June Laura Visitor package – maps, template for other items By Aug 17 Laura Design template for wayfinding signage By Aug 2 Laura Area descriptions (10) By Aug 17 Laura Guest books By Sept. 2 Laura Planning Management - Steering Committee RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Establish steering committee and schedule meetings March Laura Book and confirm meeting rooms / t-con number. Every two

weeks Laura

Prepare agenda and meeting minutes / action items; send to committee members with any needed additional materials.

Every two weeks

Laura

Chair and attend committee meetings Every two weeks

Mary / Cathy / Laura

Budget monitoring As needed Cathy/Mary Celebrating SSH Mini Site RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Select photos from VH Archive collection March Laura Scan all photos to create digital files March Laura Brainstorming and follow up session April Greg / Marek/

Committee Members

Site architecture and programming April Greg Request CelebrateSouthStreet email address April Cathy Draft copy April Laura Select photos per era – First set of photos April Laura Site to go live May 5 Greg Monitor and respond to comments on website and in emails Within 1 week Laura Addition of content to website (photos, timeline, stories, Weekly Laura / Greg



etc.) Celebrating SSH Facebook Site RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Set up profile and fan page April Greg Draft page information April Laura Post comments 3-5 per week Laura Respond to posts Within 1 week Laura External Partnership – Doors Open London RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Meet with DOL about LHSC’s participation January Mary / Cathy /

Laura Invite to attend LHSC committee meetings – send schedule end send agendas

May Laura

Submit application March 31 Laura Update application – new website and partnership with ML May 20 Laura Coordinate communications / media relations where possible (blog post, LFP insert)

As needed Laura

External Partnership – Museum London RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Arrange for use of LHSC artifacts during event March 2 –

letter sent Laura

Meet with Director to confirm details of partnerships April Mary / Cathy / Laura

Request quote and logo from comms; incorporate in media release May 5

By May 4 Laura

Provide access to the facility As needed Laura Provide historical information and contacts for oral histories June Laura Confirm LHSC artifacts to be included in selected vignettes Aug. 8 Laura Arrange for transportation of LHSC artifacts to for vignettes at SSH during event

For September 9

Laura

Arrange and supervise for transportation of artifacts from LHSC collection and photo displays to Museum London

For September 19

Laura

Communications Launch – May 5 RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Contact SOHO community and City of London By May 4 Mary / Cathy Media prep with spokesperson Sent for review

April 29 Laura / Sarah

Mini site to go live May 5 Greg Memo and presentation to LHSC Board May 4 Laura / Cathy All staff email from spokesperson May 5 Laura / Cathy Media release and follow up with selected media May 5 Laura Opening event listed on LHSC Corporate Events Calendar May 5 Laura



Web Feature May 5 Laura / Greg E-Cast message – May 5 Submitted by

May 3 Laura

Article in the Page – May 15 edition Submitted by May 4

Laura

Intranet Homepage Feature May 5 Laura Volunteer Management RESPONSIBILITY: Greg FOLDER: S:\LS\CORPCOMM\Assignment_Laura\Celebrating SSH\Volunteers Draft and format volunteer application By June 6 Laura / Cindy /

DATA Arrange for print copies of application to Volunteer Services offices

By June 15 Laura

Request online application form from ITS Laura Leader email from spokesperson June 12 Laura Second leader email from spokesperson July 20 Laura Front page story in the Page By June 3 Laura All staff email from spokesperson June 15 Laura Add volunteer information to Event Details page on website By June 15 Laura / Greg Wall posts on Facebook page June 15 and

ongoing Laura

The Page online exclusive June 15 Marek E-Cast messages June 23 and

ongoing (every 2 weeks)

Laura

Arrange for print volunteer applications to be distributed as insert in July edition

By July 4 Laura

Confirmation email sent after volunteer application received First email sent July 18 As needed – within 1 week

Laura Greg / Volunteer Services

Select volunteers and place in roles By August 26 (application deadline August 19)

Greg / Volunteer Services

Confirm volunteer shift and role details with volunteers By September 9

Laura / Greg / Volunteer Services

Volunteer t-shirts – production By Aug. 17 Laura



Draft copy and print volunteer package Print by Sept. 9

Laura / Volunteer Services

Volunteer check-in area - Assist in distributing volunteer package and t-shirt,

and ensuring volunteers are in the designated locations at the start of their shift

- Ensure volunteer room set up (tables, chairs, signage)

- Arrange for refreshments to be available

Day-of; arrange logistics by Aug. 17

Greg / Volunteer Services

Thank you to volunteers By Sept. 30 Laura Stakeholder invitations RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Compile and confirm invitation list By July 8 Laura Compile contact information for high profile donors for invitation list

By July 9 Foundations – send to Laura

Draft invitation to stakeholder By June 24 Laura

Email stakeholder invitations as PDF from spokesperson By July 15 Laura Post photos and stories from stakeholders on SSH mini site and announce on Facebook page

As needed (within 1 week)

Laura

October Special Edition of the Page Newsletter RESPONSIBILITY: Kelly FOLDER: S:\LS\CORPCOMM\Assignment_Laura\Celebrating SSH\the Page Special Edition Confirm date for special edition Week of Oct.

10 Mary / Cathy / Laura - consult with Kelly

Meeting with the Page editor to discuss requirements for special edition – timing, budget, etc.

July 20 Laura / Kelly

Gather material Laura / Kelly Draft copy Kelly Select photos Kelly Edit / approval Kelly Print and distribution Kelly LFP Special Insert – Sept 10 /2011 RESPONSIBILITY: Michele M. FOLDER: S:\LS\CORPCOMM\Assignment_Laura\Celebrating SSH\Signage Meet with Editor and Director of Advertising from LFP May 13 Laura / Cathy /

Mary Review and confirm quote and options for insert By June 30 Cathy / Mary /



Laura – committee members

Provide outline of content and resources By July 27 Laura / Michele Provide list of LHSC vendors and partners to LFP By July 27 Laura Draft and send letter to LHSC vendors and partners By July 27 Laura Select photos and draft copy By Aug. 17 Michele Submit to LFP By Aug. 19 Michele Approval process Last edit Sept.

7 Michele

Print and distribute Sept. 10 LFP Visitor Package RESPONSIBILITY: Mandy FOLDER: S:\LS\CORPCOMM\Assignment_Laura\Celebrating SSH\Visitor Package Request copies of floor plans May Laura / Phil Review floor plans in SSH to determine rooms, hallways, stairwells, elevators, etc. that will be open

By June 1 Committee members

Review floors plans with event info with Honey Design By July 15 As needed

Laura Mandy

Draft copy By August 8 Mandy Approve/edit/print By August 17 Mandy Arrange for distribution at entrance areas By Sept. 15 Mandy Wayfinding Signage RESPONSIBILITY: Marek FOLDER: S:\LS\CORPCOMM\Assignment_Laura\Celebrating SSH\Signage\Wayfinding Identify wayfinding needs throughout SSH By July 22 Laura / Marek Draft copy and complete signage By August 17 Marek Print signage By August 17 Marek Post signage By Sept. 9 Marek Remove signage Sept. 19 Marek Photo Displays / Area Descriptions RESPONSIBILITY: Cory to coordinate Photo Displays: Julia Area Descriptions – Operating rooms: Bärbel Laboratory Services: Cory Critical Care: Bärbel Colborne Bldg: Michele M. Cath Lab: Bärbel ED: Rachelle Busby Room: Michele M. Morgue: Cory Chapel: Bärbel FOLDER: S:\LS\CORPCOMM\Assignment_Laura\Celebrating SSH\Signage



Select photos from VH Archive collection March Laura Scan all photos to create digital files March Laura Select photos per area (previously arranged by time era) By July 15 Laura Draft copy for photo displays – titles and captions as needed

By August 17 Laura / Julia

Select photos for area descriptions, based on those not used in photo displays, and draft captions

By Aug 17 Julia / Cory / Laura

Draft and edit copy (Interviews, historical archives, hospital publications as resources)

By Aug. 17 Consultants as listed above; Cory to edit for consistency

Arrange for formatting and printing from DATA By August 17 Julia Set up display in corresponding areas By September

9 Laura / Julia / Cory

Remove displays and arrange for transportation to Museum London for use in their exhibit

By September 19

Laura

“Busby” Video and A/V Services RESPONSIBILITY: Bärbel FOLDER: S:\LS\CORPCOMM\Assignment_Laura\Celebrating SSH\Busby Video Quote for video editing (Producer’s Post) By Aug 10 Laura / Bärbel Identify resources; select content and visual material (5/125 video; SSH tour with Bill Brown and Annabel Sels; David Hill speech material at 2010 ACM)

By Aug 5 Laura / Bärbel

Create time code for video footage and send to Producer’s Post for editing.

By Aug 12 Bärbel

Assist with scriptwriting, editing and duplication as needed By Aug 17 Bärbel Arrange for presentation of video during event in Busby Room, including A/V equipment

By Sept. 9 Bärbel

Confirm event photographer (1 photographer, 1 day, 1-2 hours)

By July 15 Laura

Confirm event videographer (Flip cam; 1 day, 1-2 hours) By Sept. 9 Laura Gift Shop RESPONSIBILITY: Cathy (production of items) / Greg (coordination) FOLDER: S:\LS\CORPCOMM\Assignment_Laura\Celebrating SSH\Gift Shop Arrange for Auxiliary to facilitate the gift shop June Cindy Collins Liaison - Provide Auxiliary with equipment and information needs

As needed Cathy / Greg / Cindy

Assist in arranging transportation of historical photos from former SSH Auxiliary office to gift shop

By August 17 Greg



Production and order of commemorative items By August 17 Cathy Order of other LHSC, LHSF, CHF items as needed By August 17 Cathy Arrange for set up of items in gift shop By Sept. 9 Greg Arrange for shipping unsold items to designated locations Shipping date:

September 19 Greg

Communications RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Reader to Reader pieces in LFP First by July 8 Laura Staff invitation via E-cast September Laura Staff invitation via upcoming events in the Page September 15 Laura Notice to outpatient programs at SSH about weekend activities

By August 26 Laura

Mail-out to residents near South Street Hospital, including Victoria Tavern

By Sept. 7 Laura

Bolt sign on Wellington near South Street (before bridge) By September 2

Laura

Media Relations RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Develop media relations plan / schedule By August 31 Laura Pitch proactive stories to media leading up to event – unique stories and photos received from public

September Laura

Media Release Laura Media Advisory Laura Media Prep / Q&A Laura Backgrounder Laura Kits for media attending Laura Facilitate media interviews with spokesperson(s) Comm team Parking RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Confirm with Customer Support – All parking lots open By Sept. 9 Laura / Sab Environment / Cleaning RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Assess cleaning needs, including equipment to be moved Feb - April Laura / Sab/ Phil

/ Alex Asses any environmental risks – animals, temperature, etc. and implement solutions as needed

As needed Laura / Sab / Phil

Arrange for clean up of all areas open to the public during event

By August 30 Sab

Arrange for furniture and equipment not used in event to be moved

By August 30 Laura / Alex / Phil

Arrange for walk-through tours of areas prior to event Aug. 31 Sept. 15

Laura



As needed Customer Support RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Ensure rest areas available on each open floor, as is available (Waiting area floor 2 and cafeteria floor 1)

By Aug 30 Laura

Arrange for Tim Horton’s and cafeteria to be operating during event (at least open cafeteria area)

By Aug 15 Sab

Arrange for 1 washrooms on each open floor clean and accessible for visitors

By Sept. 9 Laura – Housekeeping

Determine and sign accessible entrances and washrooms By Sept. 9 Laura Security RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Arrange for additional security during the event to manage visitor traffic flow and ensure no entry into restricted areas

By Aug 31 Laura / Ron

First Aid By Aug 31 Laura Arrange for headsets to be available for selected volunteers By Aug 31 Laura Walk-through to ensure access for visitors regulated Sept. 15

Sept. 17 Sept. 18

Laura / Mary / Cathy / Ron / Perry Schwab

Room Staging / Storytelling RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Select rooms for staging By July 15 Laura Select furniture and equipment for staging By July 29 Laura / Alex Arrange for moving of items to selected rooms By Aug 30 Laura / Alex Stage each room By Sept. 9 Laura / Alex

(may need Facilities)

Order, set up delivery and arrange for placement of stanchions

By Sept. 9 Laura

Provide opportunities for guests to share their memories during the tour – guest book

By Sept. 9 Laura

Post photos and video from event on Facebook page post-event

By Sept. 23 Laura

Facilitate meeting space for groups of nursing classes (reunions) RESPONSIBILITY: Laura Respond to requests and liaise with group’s representative As needed Laura Book meeting rooms – ground floor Education Building June 10 Laura Book groups for selected rooms and set up needs As needed Laura Ensure access to meeting rooms Day-of Laura Media and “VIP” preview tour – Sept 16 Confirm if preview event will take place By Aug 1 Committee



members Confirm in Bonnie’s schedule and invite Doors Open London and Museum London to participate

By Sept. 2 Mary / Laura

Contact Deb Matthews, Joe Fontana and City Councillor for this ward to attend “VIP” tour

By Sept. 9 Mary

Implement event logistics – same as for weekend event By Sept. 15 Laura Post-Event Communication RESPONSIBILITY: Laura All-staff email from spokesperson Sept. 18 Laura Web Feature Sept. 19 Laura Intranet Feature Sept. 19 Laura

Laura Tyrrell, Communications Associate CONFIDENTIAL

Celebrating South Street Hospital

Media Relations Strategy and Communications Roll-Out Communication Objectives:

1) To celebrate the legacy of the hospital by showcasing the history and accomplishments of the hospital.

2) To provide a sense of celebration for staff, patients and the community. 3) To build excitement and interest in the build up to the event.

Audiences: Internal External LHSC physicians, nurses, staff, volunteers, students and unions

Community at large

Past LHSC physicians, nurses, staff, volunteers and students

Media

Patients and families Donors and sponsors LHSC Partners: Children’s Health Foundation (CHF), Fanshawe College, Lawson Health Research Institute, London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF), The University of Western Ontario

Key government officials

Past and current board members, committee members, senior leadership and presidents

LHIN

London Health Sciences Centre Auxiliary

Community Organizations

Nursing Alumni Association Community Doctors


Strategy: The focus for this project will be to celebrate South Street Hospital’s long history. These tactics are meant to be celebratory in nature, highlighting the long service of the hospital, its role within the community, important accomplishments and historical information. Most important are the stories from the hospital and the role it has played within the community. Doors Open London is an established and recognized event in the community with approximately 50 participating sites in 2010. Promotional opportunities in conjunction with DOL can be leveraged to increase attendance at the celebration event.

• The goals of the DOL event are similar to those of the SSH celebrations: to open up meaningful spaces to the community so that they may experience London’s past, present and future.

• In addition to the popularity and excitement surrounding this annual event, audiences will be drawn to the unique, one-time presentation of SSH buildings and history.

A collection of artifacts from LHSC’s 136-year history is housed at Museum London. During Doors Open London 2011, Museum London will be coordinating displays of LHSC artifacts in the areas where they would have originally been used. Promotional opportunities in conjunction with Museum London can be leveraged to increase attendance at the celebration event. Due to a delay in the move of Dialysis to an off-site location, South Street Hospital will not be closed by fall 2011 as originally planned. Some outpatient programs will be operating at the South Street site during the celebrating event in September. A media event with photo opportunity will be held for the official closing after all the remaining inpatient units have moved to new locations. Spokesperson:

Bonnie Adamson President and CEO, LHSC

Key Messages: 1. For 136 years, South Street Hospital has served the community, growing and

adapting to meet the needs of residents in London, Southwestern Ontario and


beyond. The community is invited to join in the celebrations that will commemorate this legacy of care, research and history at the hospital.

2. London Health Sciences Centre’s is South Street Hospital is a participating site in

the Doors Open London 2011 weekend on September 17 and 18. • LHSC will be opening the doors of its hospital on South Street for self-

guided tours for the first and last time in its 136 year history of providing compassionate and innovative care to the community.

• This event, organized in partnership with Doors Open and Museum London, is a unique, one-time opportunity for a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at many spaces in the hospital including the emergency department, operating rooms, critical care and the morgue.

3. Of course, the buildings are not the whole story of South Street Hospital. It is what happens within those buildings – excellence in patient care, research and health care education that makes South Street Hospital the landmark that it truly is.

• Since 1875, South Street Hospital has provided compassionate and high quality care to the community, made numerous breakthroughs in medical research, and trained generations of health care professionals. Many individuals have left a legacy, contributing to the hospital’s deep commitment to patient care, research and training.

Communications Tactics

• Special supplement in London Free Press (LFP) o Special section placed in LFP distributed on Saturday, September 10 o Additional copies of special section printed to be available as keepsakes o LHSC partners, vendors and suppliers should be solicited for paid

advertising space in supplement (help offset costs) o Promote celebration events in supplement

• Media Relations

o Pitch feature stories to media, as is available Assist in generating interest and excitement for celebration events LFP has expressed interest in featuring stories leading up to the

event Focus on stories of SSH from current and past patients, staff,

students, researchers, physicians, nurses, volunteers, leaders, etc. • 65th Nursing Reunion (Media pitch or story in LFP insert)


• Dr. Ferguson story – former Clinical Director of the Emergency Department at Victoria Hospital

o Media preview event Thursday, September 15: Arrange media tours with members of news media and LHSC, Doors Open London and Museum London spokespeople for event.

o Weekend event: Communications staff available on-site to facilitate media escorts. Arrange for individuals to be available for interviews with media where possible, for example nursing reunion groups, former SSH staff and event volunteers.

o Post event media – record number of visitors to a doors open site Communications Critical Path DATE AND TIME TACTIC July Invitation to key stakeholders 7 – 10 days prior to event Letter to neighbourhood September – ongoing Event promotion on Facebook page September 8 E-Cast message September 8 - 18 Web Feature - Promote Doors Open

London at South Street Hospital on September 17 and 18

Saturday, September 10 Celebrating South Street Hospital special section distributed in The London Free Press

September 12 - 18 Intranet Feature Wednesday, September 14 TIME

LHSC Media Advisory - media preview tours September 15 Follow up calls to local media

September 15 Event promotion in the Page staff newsletter

Thursday, September 15

All staff broadcast email from Bonnie Adamson – invitation to event

Thursday, September 15 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Preview tours for media); Bonnie Adamson and spokespeople from Doors Open London and Museum London available for interviews.


September 15 (media at preview tour) September 17

Pitches to local media - 65th Anniversary Nursing Reunion - Dr. Ferguson

Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18

Media and impromptu VIP visits facilitated during weekend event as needed

Monday, September 19

All staff broadcast email from Bonnie Adamson

Monday, September 19 Media Release – serves as online thank you

By September 20 Event photos posted on Facebook page

Week of October 15 October 15 Edition of the Page staff newsletter

October 17 Thank you letter to volunteers from Bonnie Adamson

CONFIDENTIAL

1

Celebrating South Street Hospital: Internal and External Communications Launch – May 2011

COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

(April 27, 2011 Draft #1)

Laura Tyrrell, Communications Associate

CONFIDENTIAL

2

Purpose of the Document: This document describes and defines the communications strategy for the internal and external launch of the “Celebrating South Street Hospital” project. Scope: This is a draft communications plan done in consultation with the Director and Manager of Corporate Communications and Public Relations, LHSC. The lead communicator for this project is Laura Tyrrell, Communications Associate. A steering committee for this project has been formed with internal partners and external partners as needed. Communication Objectives:

1) Celebrate and display the history of South Street Hospital (SSH). 2) Encourage the community to learn more about the people, stories and

buildings within which the legacy of the hospital has been built. 3) Promote LHSC’s participation in the Doors Open London 2011 as the

main celebration event for SSH. 4) Provide the community with a sense of celebration by commemorating

the hospital’s history and buildings in advance of its closure. 5) Promote the partnership with Museum London.

Situation Analysis: The main event to celebrate SSH will be a display of archival photos and artifacts as part of a self-guided tour of the hospital buildings. SSH will be a participating site of Doors Open London 2011, taking place September 17-18, 2011. Staff and media will be invited for an open house preview event on Friday, September 16, 2011. Considerations

• Only hospital buildings on the south side of South Street will be opened during Doors Open London 2011 and featured in communications tactics.

Target Audiences:

• Current and past LHSC physicians, nurses, staff, volunteers, students and researchers

• Current and past board members and senior leadership • SSH neighbours and the SOHO community organization

CONFIDENTIAL

3

• Community at large • Patients and families • LHSC Partners

Spokesperson: Bonnie Adamson President and CEO, LHSC Key Messages: 1. London Health Sciences is pleased to announce that South Street Hospital

will be a participating site in the Doors Open London 2011 weekend on September 17 and 18.

• LHSC will be opening the doors of its hospital on South Street for self-guided tours for the first and last time in its 136 year history of providing compassionate and innovative care to the community.

2. LHSC is delighted to be part of the Doors Open program which brings

communities together to experience some of the province’s most unique and interesting sites.

3. This event, organized in partnership with Museum London, will be a unique,

one-time opportunity for a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at many spaces in the hospital including the emergency department, operating rooms and the morgue. Hospital artifacts and archival photographs will be displayed for visitors throughout the weekend.

4. Visit the “Celebrating South Street Hospital” webpages (www.lhsc.on.ca/south-street) and Facebook page to learn more about the event, the hospital’s history and share memories through words, photos or video.

Additional Internal Messages • Every effort is being made to ensure programs and departments still

operating at SSH will experience the least disruption as possible during the celebration events.

• The Facebook page for this project has been created as part of the research

component of the Enabling Technologies Plan for social media at LHSC.


CONFIDENTIAL

4

Communications Strategy: Due to the delay of the program move for Dialysis until late spring 2012, SSH will not be officially closing in September 2011 as planned. The celebration event and related communication tactics are now a “celebration” of SSH. LHSC will launch the announcement of the SSH celebration event in alignment with the Doors Open London public announcement to ensure communications opportunities are fully leveraged. In addition, Museum London has confirmed their partnership with LHSC on this initiative (and their own plans to have a 4 month SSH exhibition at the Museum following the Doors Open event). As a result, communications will include a strong partnership message. As part of the research component of the Enabling Technologies Plan for social media, LHSC will implement a Facebook page for this project, called “Celebrating South Street Hospital.” The main goals of the page are to engage audiences, encourage attendance at the Doors Open Event, encourage submissions of the community’s “memories” of the hospital, and drive visitors to the LHSC public website. Facebook users will have the ability to post unedited comments, photos and videos directly on the Facebook page; however, all submissions will be monitored by Corporate Communications. Communications Tactics: Celebrating SSH mini site – LHSC public internet site

• Online location for all information about SSH celebrations • Pages would be housed on the LHSC public website with links from LHSC

intranet and partner internet / intranet sites; webpage design based on overall creative design for the SSH celebrations

• Content: o Historical information (timeline, featured stories, etc.) o Celebration event details – Doors Open London o Story and photo project

CONFIDENTIAL

5

Post archival photos asking audience to identify information (e.g. who is in the photo, where is was taken, what the equipment was used for, etc.)

Call for stories (video, photo and words) about SSH Link to Facebook page for celebrations

o Link to Facebook page Social Media - Facebook

• “Celebrating South Street Hospital” will be created to drive audiences to the mini site and promote the Doors Open London 2011 event

• Include basic event details on the Facebook page, linking to the LHSC site for more information

• Use Facebook's commenting system on LHSC web pages to keep visitors on our site

• Visitors can do the following: o Post comments on the main page (“Wall”) or on the posted videos

and photos (small collection to promote photos on mini site) o Follow Celebrating SSH from the LHSC website or the Facebook

page o “Like” individual pages, photos, & videos on the LHSC site.

Media Relations

• Media release sent to confirm LHSC’s participation in Doors Open London, highlight Museum London partnership, give an overview of planned activities at SSH, and announce the Celebrating SSH mini site and Facebook page.

Internal Communication

• All Staff Memo from CEO • The Page (LHSC staff newsletter) - announcement and promotion of LHSC

participation in Doors Open London, as well as Celebrating SSH mini site and Facebook page.

• Celebration events listed on Corporate Events Calendar (internal) • Links to Celebrating SSH mini site and Facebook page on LHSC and

partner internet and intranet sites • Regular e-cast reminders

CONFIDENTIAL

6

Communications Critical Path: Date and Time Tactic Before launch Contact SOHO community and City of

London to provide “head’s up” Thursday, May 5, 2011 10:00 a.m.

SSH Celebration mini website goes live (with links from LHSC intranet site and intranet homepage)

Thursday, May 5, 2011 10:00 a.m.

SSH Celebration Facebook page goes live


All-staff broadcast email from Bonnie Adamson – Announce Doors Open event, SSH mini website and Facebook page


Doors Open London media release – public announcement of participating sites


LHSC Media Release – sent to local, regional and national media; posted on LHSC internet site


Media pitches to Metro, A-Channel and LFP


Web Feature – Celebrating SSH logo and link to mini site


Intranet homepage feature – Celebrating SSH logo and link to mini site

Thursday, May 5, 2011 12 noon

Doors Open London event listed on LHSC Corporate Events Calendar

Thursday, May 5, 2011 12 noon to 3:00pm

Media Interviews with Spokesperson (CEO)

Friday, May 6, 2011 TBD

Media Interviews with Spokesperson (CEO)

Week of May 9, 2011 Meeting with LFP to discuss SSH insert and other opportunities

May 12, 2011 and ongoing

E-Cast Submission – Review of Doors Open event details and reminder to staff to visit mini site and Facebook

May 15 edition (Deadline May 4) Promotion in the Page and the Page online

“Celebrating South Street Hospital” Work Sample

1) Communications and event planning a. Communications Plan – Celebrating South Street Hospital: Internal and External

Communications Launch, May 2011 b. Celebrating South Street Hospital: Media Relations Strategy and Communications

Roll-Out c. Activity Chart

MEDIA RELEASE For Immediate Release:

May 5, 2011

South Street Hospital to be a

Doors Open London site Visitors will get a “behind-the-scenes” view of this unique site

LONDON, Ontario –London Health Sciences Centre is pleased to announce

that South Street Hospital will be a participating site in the 2011 Doors

Open London weekend on September 17 and18. LHSC will be opening the

doors of its hospital on South Street for self-guided tours for the first and

last time in its 136 year history.

“The community is invited to join us in celebrating South Street Hospital;

the first site of LHSC‟s proud tradition of compassionate, innovative and

high quality care to the people of London, Southwestern Ontario and

beyond”, says Bonnie Adamson, President and CEO, LHSC. “We are

delighted to be part of the Doors Open program which brings communities

together to experience some of the province‟s most unique and interesting

sites.”

Hospital artifacts and archival photographs will be displayed during the

event. Museum London will provide curatorial support and will assist with

interpretation and tours. “South Street Hospital is a significant part of

London‟s story,” says Museum London Executive Director Brian Meehan.

“We are pleased to be able to lend support in sharing this story with the

community while there exists an opportunity to walk the halls and explore

the facility firsthand.”

The South Street celebration will be a one-time only opportunity for a

„behind-the-scenes‟ look at some spaces where countless Londoners have

received care and worked, practiced, trained, researched, and volunteered

for 136 years.

LHSC is also launching a website to provide up-to-date event details and

to share the history and memories of the hospital on South Street. Visit

www.lhsc.on.ca/south-street or the “Celebrating South Street Hospital”

Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/south.street.hospital for

more information.

About London Health Sciences Centre

London Health Sciences Centre has been in the forefront of medicine in Canada for 135

years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on

the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic

teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children‟s Hospital, South

Street Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, two family medical centres, and two

research institutes – Children‟s Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research

Institute, a joint research initiative with St. Joseph‟s Health Care, London. As a leader in

medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of

over 50 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from

around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for

the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in

Southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital‟s nearly 15,000 staff, physicians,

students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year. For

more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca

- 30 -

For media inquiries contact:

Laura Tyrrell

Corporate Communications and Public Relations

London Health Sciences Centre

519-685-8500, ext. 75724

[email protected]

Visit the LHSC Media web site at www.lhsc.on.ca/media


http://www.facebook.com/south.street.hospital

http://www.lhsc.on.ca/


2) Launch a. All staff broadcast email from Bonnie Adamson “Celebrating South Street

Hospital” sent on May 5, 2011 b. Media release sent on May 5, 2011


3) Online tactics a. Website screenshots – www.lhsc.on.ca/south-street b. Facebook fan page screenshots – www.facebook.com/southstreethospital


http://www.facebook.com/southstreethospital

-

EVENT DETAILS

During the Doors Open London 2011 event, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) will be opening the doors of its hospital on South Street for public tours for the first and last time in its history. Visitors to LHSC’s Doors Open London site can take a self-directed tour through many areas of the main hospital building on the south side of South Street. The former emergency department, operating rooms, hospital morgue, clinical laboratories and more will be open to the public.

A collection of artifacts from LHSC’s 136-year history is housed at Museum London, an organizing partner for this event. During Doors Open London at SSH, Museum London will be coordinating displays of LHSC artifacts in the areas where they would have originally been used. Archival photographs will also be displayed throughout the hospital. VOLUNTEER ROLE Volunteers will act as greeters throughout the hospital, assisting visitors during their self-directed tour. Volunteers will provide information as needed about the location of tour areas and amenities open to the public, as well as share your own knowledge and stories about South Street Hospital. More details will be provided when you arrive for your volunteer shift. Please note that some areas in the hospital are not air conditioned. PARKING All hospital parking lots will be open free of charge during the weekend event. The site map of South Street Hospital shows the location of the parking lots. The main entrance at 375 South Street, Entrance 1 on the site map, is open for volunteers and visitors. Once you enter the building, proceed down the main hallway. Volunteer Registration is located on the right side of the hall in room C100. VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION

1) Please advise us if you are unable to attend your volunteer shift(s) by September 9, 2011 by email to [email protected].

2) Volunteers must register with event volunteer services before their shift. If you are

mailto:[email protected]

volunteering on both event days, you must register before each shift on Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18. Our event volunteer services team will provide you with additional information to assist with your volunteer role and direct you to the area of the main hospital building where you will be volunteering.

Volunteer Registration is located in room C100, Floor 1 of the main hospital building. ATTIRE Volunteers will receive a Celebrating South Street Hospital t-shirt and are asked to wear this t-shirt for the duration of their volunteer shift. Please dress comfortably with closed-toed shoes. FRAGRANCE-FREE POLICY Please be advised that London Health Sciences Centre supports a fragrance-free environment. All staff and volunteers are asked to refrain from using, wearing, and bringing scented products and materials into LHSC properties and buildings. PERSONAL BELONGINGS London Health Sciences Centre does not take responsibility for the safety of the personal belongings of individuals volunteering during the celebration event at South Street Hospital. Volunteers are encouraged NOT to bring personal belongings with them during their volunteer shift(s). Thank you for your support of the Celebrating South Street Hospital event.

See you there!

Did You Know? Fast Facts on South Street Hospital

SOUTH STREET HOSPITAL

This site was originally named London General Hospital and was the first

permanent hospital site in London, Ontario. The 56-bed facility was officially

opened on November 3, 1875.

In 1882, the hospital was the first site of The University of Western Ontario’s

medical school.

The first class of the London General Training School for Nurses commenced in

September 1883 with only three students enrolled in the program. The program

remained at Victoria Hospital until 1975 and students stayed in residence during

their training.

On November 16, 1899, Londoners gathers onto South Street to celebrate the

opening of Victoria Hospital, an impressive new building that commemorated the

60th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne.

The site was renamed South Street Hospital in 2005.

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

The Emergency Department opened in the early 1940s.

The department treated a wide range of conditions and was the city’s busiest

emergency department.

In the early years was staffed a physician, intern, nurse, orderly and clerk.

Its final year of operation was in 2005 when the department treated on average 143

patients per day.

MORGUE

The morgue was opened in the early 1940s and handled a combination of cases

from within the hospital and coroner’s cases from London.

It operated seven days a week, 365 days a year, and conducted between 500 and

600 autopsies per year.

The original porcelain exam table was used from the first day of operating in the

1940s, right up until the morgue relocated to University Hospital in 2000.

CHAPEL

The Chapel was opened as part of the hospital’s Y Wing addition in 1954.

A special dedication service was held in the chapel with 250 guests in attendance.

The floor of the chapel was carpeted wall to wall with the gold carpet that was used

at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

COLBORNE BUILDING

Colborne Building is a three story building built in 1904; it is the oldest existing

building on the South Street site.

When built, it provided first class accommodations with single and double rooms

including fireplaces, as well as the first children’s ward in the hospital.

In 1954, the first two floors were renovated to accommodate public wards. Care for

those who could not pay was an important part of the hospital philosophy.

MEEK MEMORIAL LABORATORIES

Opened in the early 1940s, the Meek Memorial Laboratories occupied the entire

second floor of the North Wing of South Street Hospital.

The labs served as diagnostic and clinical support for the entire hospital, with a

regular staff of 12 to 15 full-time members. Medical students and lab students

were on call for emergencies outside of the regular operating hours.

Long before the age of automation, all tests and procedures were done manually by

staff.

BUSBY LECTURE THEATRE

Busby Lecture Theatre is a 100-seat ampitheatre located in the Y Wing.

This lecture room was opened in 1954 and named after Dr. Eldon Busby, a urologist

and surgeon who died suddenly in 1950.

The room was used for meetings and physician, teaching and grand rounds, a form

of medical education where medical cases are presented to an audience of doctors,

residents and medical students.

CATHETERIZATION LAB

Opened in the early 1950s as part of the Y Wing addition to the hospital.

There were two “cath labs” in this area, which are examining rooms with

diagnostic imaging equipment used to support the catheterization procedure.

During a cath procedure, a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into a

vein. The catheter is then guided into the heart and its surrounding blood

vessels to perform tests or to treat heart problems.

OPERATING ROOMS

The operating rooms in the North Wing addition of the hospital opened in the

early 1940s. From its earliest days, operating rooms were used for both surgery

and teaching.

There were several world and Canadian first which took place in the ER, such as

the first neurosurgery, the first closed and open heart surgeries, the first cardiac

stent insertion and a groundbreaking surgical procedure for aneurysms.

Surgical procedures took place in the ORs at South Street Hospital until 2005.

CRITICAL CARE TRAUMA CENTRE

This intensive care unit opened in the late 1960s as part of the Middlesex Wing

addition to the hospital.

This department provided care for patients who required intensive care

following multiple trauma or surgical procedures, or who needed support for

complex medical disorders.

CCTC closed in 2005 when many of the acute care services at South Street

Hospital transferred to Victoria Hospital at Commissioners and Wellington

Roads.

Join the fun: Volunteer during Doors Open London 176 words SSHVolunteer.jpg LHSC’s South Street Hospital will be a participating site in Doors Open London 2011. Organized in partnership with Museum London, LHSC will be opening the doors of its hospital on South Street for self-guided public tours for the first and last time in its 136-year history. The Celebrating South Street Committee is looking for staff and former staff to act as volunteer greeters throughout the hospital during this unique event celebrating LHSC’s legacy of care, training and research. This opportunity is open to everyone, including staff who worked in the areas being opened for the event such as the former SSH emergency department, cath lab, morgue, CCTC and more. Volunteer shifts will be approximately three hours between 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 18. Volunteers will be required to stand or walk during this time. The application for this one-time volunteer opportunity is available online by visiting the Celebrating South Street Hospital website at www.lhsc.on.ca/south-street. Print volunteer applications are also available at the volunteer services offices at UH and VH.



4) Volunteer communication a. Article in the Page staff newsletter “Join the fun: volunteer during Doors Open

London” published June 15, 2011 b. Pre-event volunteer information sheet c. Fact sheet on South Street Hospital, sent before the event

Dear neighbours,

London Health Sciences Centre is proud to be partnering with Doors Open London 2011 in a celebration of the South Street Hospital’s rich heritage of health care in this city. The doors of the hospital on South Street will be open for self-guided public tours for the first and last time in its history.

This will be a one-time opportunity for a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at many spaces in the main hospital building, including the former emergency department, operating rooms, morgue, laboratory services, and more. In partnership with Museum London, hospital artifacts and archival photographs will also be displayed along the tour route.

The legacy of the South Street Hospital dates from 1875 when London General Hospital opened on Ottoway Avenue, now South Street. An integral part of the city’s past, the hospital has expanded to meet the needs of the community while fulfilling its mission of patient care, teaching and research and formed the foundation upon which today’s London Health Sciences Centre is built.

As the hospital’s closest neighbours, you have been witness to the latest part of South Street’s long journey and I am pleased to extend this personal invitation to you to join us during the Doors Open London weekend. The South Street Hospital will be open to visitors on Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free parking is open to all visitors joining us for this celebration.

As the hospital has positively touched the lives of so many people, we expect a large turnout for this event and that will mean increased traffic in the areas surrounding South Street Hospital over the weekend. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

For more information about the celebration event or to share your own memories of South Street Hospital, please visit our website at www.lhsc.on.ca/south-street.

I look forward to welcoming you at South Street Hospital.

Kind regards,

Bonnie Adamson President and Chief Executive Officer London Health Sciences Centre

LHSC0039_SSLetterhead_1A.indd 1 11-09-07 2:26 PM

Dear neighbours, London Health Sciences Centre is proud to be partnering with Doors Open London 2011 in a celebration of the South Street Hospital’s rich heritage of health care in this city. The doors of the hospital on South Street will be open for self-guided public tours for the first and last time in its history. This will be a one-time opportunity for a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at many spaces in the main hospital building, including the former emergency department, operating rooms, morgue, laboratory services, and more. In partnership with Museum London, hospital artifacts and archival photographs will also be displayed along the tour route. The legacy of the South Street Hospital dates from 1875 when London General Hospital opened on Ottoway Avenue, now South Street. An integral part of the city's past, the hospital has expanded to meet the needs of the community while fulfilling its mission of patient care, teaching and research and formed the foundation upon which today’s London Health Sciences Centre is built. As the hospital’s closest neighbours, you have been witness to the latest part of South Street’s long journey and I am pleased to extend this personal invitation to you to join us during the Doors Open London weekend. The South Street Hospital will be open to visitors on Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free parking is open to all visitors joining us for this celebration. As the hospital has positively touched the lives of so many people, we expect a large turnout for this event and that will mean increased traffic in the areas surrounding South Street Hospital over the weekend. Thank you in advance for your understanding. For more information about the celebration event or to share your own memories of South Street Hospital, please visit our website at www.lhsc.on.ca/south-street. I look forward to welcoming you at South Street Hospital. Kind regards, Bonnie Adamson President and Chief Executive Officer London Health Sciences Centre


800 Commissioners Road EastLondon, Ontario N6A 5W9

LHSC0039_SSEnvelope_1A.indd 1 11-09-07 2:32 PM


5) External communication a. Invitation letter to key stakeholders from Bonnie Adamson sent in July, 2011 b. Letter to the neighbourhood – sent in early September, 2011 to residents of the

area where South Street Hospital is located

celebratingsouth streethospitalestablished in 1875

2011 Doors Open LondonSeptember 17 and 18, 2011 • 10 AM - 4 PM • 375 South Street

Celebrating South Street hoSpital • Saturday, September 10, 2011

A Message to Our Community

P e t e r J o h n s o n

B o n n i e a d a m s o n

2

more than 136 years ago when the city was

not much more than a collection of dirt

roads, when those we treated were often

a day’s journey by wagon, our doctors

and nurses were busy caring, treating and

restoring people to health. Our beginnings

were modest. In 1876 when this site was known as the London

General Hospital, our physicians treated a single cancer patient,

performed two surgeries and monitored two people with heart

disease.

In 1897 to honour Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee the

hospital was renamed Victoria Hospital. Since those very first

days, Victoria Hospital has stood as a symbol of service in this

community, always being there for those who need us. World

Wars called doctors and nurses overseas to care for the wounded

and had impacts far beyond the battlefield. The Depression

meant hardship for thousands of families, and sent many to our

doors desperate for care even when “thanks” was all they could

offer in return for their treatment. The polio epidemic signaled

another dramatic shift for our hospitals, the crippling disease

helped us to understand that children need care that is very

different from adults. In 1922, the War Memorial Children’s

Hospital of Western Ontario was built and funded by the Imperial

Order of the Daughters of the Empire London Chapters (IODE).

As a result of the nursing school and medical school,

countless health care providers have trained here and spread

across the globe. Important contributions to medical research

and the advancement of medical care made here at South Street

Hospital have changed how medicine is practiced.

The hospital changed and grew over the years in response to

a changing and growing city and region. In 1977, Westminister

Hospital became part of Victoria Hospital. In 1995, Victoria

Hospital and University Hospital merged to become London

Health Sciences Centre and the site name became South Street

Hospital.

The South Street Hospital facilities served their time. They

were old and in need of constant repair, so the hospital’s future

was planned at the “new” Victoria Hospital at Wellington

and Commissioners Road where the legacy of care could be

maintained for generations to come.

But buildings are not the story of South Street Hospital. The

walls of our buildings are only our face to the world. It is what

happens within those walls – excellence in patient care, research

and health care education that makes South Street Hospital the

landmark that it truly is.

Please join us on the weekend of September 17 and 18 as

South Street Hospital will be a participating site in the 2011

Doors Open London in partnership with Museum London.

During this celebration event, LHSC will be opening the doors of

its hospital for self-directed tours behind the service areas for the

first and last time in its history.

We hope to see you there!

Bonnie Adamson Peter JohnsonPresident and Chief Executive Officer Chair, Board of DirectorsLondon Health Sciences Centre London Health Sciences Centre

1874

london builds new hospital Judge Daniels gives four acres of land to the city and the first hospital building is erected at the South Street site. The approximate cost of this new hospital: $25,000.

Nov 3, 1875

london General hospital opens Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, D.A. MacDonald officially opens the 56 - bed London General Hospital on Ottaway Ave., now called South Street. “London General” operated by the City of London, becomes the first public hospital serving Southwestern Ontario.

1882

a tradition of teachinG beGinsUniversity affiliation begins with the establishment of the Medical Department of the University of Western Ontario (UWO). Sixteen medical students are enrolled by the end of the first year. Clinical instruction in medicine and surgery is given in a cottage on St. James Street, by professors largely chosen from London General’s medical staff.

London General a Centre for Care, Education and Training

new or & ambulance service London General Hospital adds a new surgery and operating room. Beds nearly double to 104 and an Ambu-lance Wagon is purchased. (ca. 1900)

1874 - 1 885 1883

third nursinG school in canada established Making London the third city in Canada to offer this training. Sister Emma Lincke and Miss Florence Cottle run the School, which starts with three students.

1883

3

s part of the largest hospital restructuring project in London’s history, South Street Hospital will soon close its doors. South Street Hospital

will be a participating site in the 2011 Doors Open London weekend on September 17 and 18. During this celebration event, LHSC will be opening the doors of its hospital on South Street for public tours for the first and last time in its history. “The community is invited to join us in celebrating South Street Hospital; the first site of LHSC’s proud tradition of compassionate, innovative and high quality care to the people of London, Southwestern Ontario and beyond,” says Bonnie Adamson, President and CEO, LHSC. “We are delighted to be part of the Doors Open program which brings communities together to experience some of the province’s most unique and interesting sites.” Hospital artifacts and archival photographs will be displayed during the event. Museum London will provide curatorial support and will assist with interpretation. “South Street Hospital is a significant part of London’s story,” says Museum London Executive Director Brian Meehan. “We are pleased to be able to lend support in sharing this story

with the community while there exists an opportunity to walk the halls and explore the facility firsthand.” Visitors to this Doors Open London site can take a self-directed tour through many areas of the hospital buildings on the south side of South Street. The former emergency department, operating rooms, hospital morgue, clinical laboratories and more will be open to the public. This is a unique, one-time opportunity for a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at some of the spaces where Londoners have received care, worked, practiced, trained, researched, and volunteered.

doors open ~ south street4

This is a unique, one-time opportunity for a

‘behind-the-scenes’ look at some of the spaces where

Londoners have received care, worked, practiced, trained,

researched, and volunteered.

4

morgue

t he morgue at South Street Hospital was opened in the early 1940s. During the early years of operation,

prior to the advent of sophisticated imaging and diagnostic techniques, the morgue served as the ultimate quality assurance for hospitals. Often times it wasn’t until after an autopsy was completed by pathologists that a definitive answer could be obtained to the question of why someone had passed away. As such, morgues at the time provided great

contributions to the evolution of patient care. Pathologists worked closely with hospital physicians and surgeons, passing along information and data garnered from their autopsies. This allowed clinical and surgical care to continue to improve. The morgue at South Street Hospital handled a combination of cases from within the hospital, as well as coroner’s cases from London. It operated seven days a week, 365 days a year, and conducted between 500 and 600 autopsies per year. The original porcelain exam table was used from the first day of operation in the 1940’s, right up until the morgue relocated to University Hospital in 2000.

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

2011 Doors Open LondonSeptember 17 and 18, 2011 • 10 AM - 4 PM

Join us for a unique, one-time opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look!

Please note free parking is available in the hospital parking lots. • 375 South Street

8

aThe autopsy room with porcelain exam table.

1887

board of hospital trustees appointed A Board of Hospital Trustees replaces the Number 3 Committee of City Council as the new management structure for London General Hospital.

Nov 16, 1899

Celebrating a Diamond Jubilee

1886- 1 899contaGious diseases pavilion opens The Isolation or Contagious Diseases Pavilion opens. This detached 50-bed facility proves to be inadequate to contain a series of epidemics in the first years of the 20th century (1901 smallpox epidemic, 1903 scarlet fever & diphtheria, 1906 smallpox).Graduate nurses from the London General Hospital’s

Training School of Nurses.

hospital renamed for Queen’s Jubilee Following extensive additions and alterations, London General Hospital is officially renamed Victoria Hospital in Honour of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. More than 10,000 Londoners flock to see the new hospital.

1899

Commemorative medal issued in 1897, the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

4

Colborne Building

LefT: An old-style oxygen tent is used to deliver oxygen-rich air to a child patient with respira-tory problems Above: Public Women’s Pavilion.

opened in the early 1940s, the Meek Memorial Laboratories occupied the entire second floor of the North

Wing of South Street Hospital. As a result of a bequest, the space was named in memory of Hamilton King Meek, son of Dr. Harry Meek, and was comprised of several individual labs, including Chemistry, Haematology, Pathology, and Bacteriology. The labs served as diagnostic and clinical support for the entire hospital, and conducted tests on everything from sugar and protein levels in blood to surgical and autopsy pathology. Staffed with between 12 and 15 full-time members, the labs operated from 7 am to 5 pm, five days a week. Medical students and lab students were required to be on call for emergencies outside of these normal operating hours. Students received free room and board in the Nurses Residence in exchange for being on call one night a week, and one weekend in every five.

Long before the age of automation, all tests and procedures were done manually by staff. In the early years of the labs’ operations, the labs were staffed with Laboratory Techs. Techs had no formal education, but rather had learned their trade with on-the-job training. Many learned the trade while working in

the army. It wasn’t until the 1950s that formal training programs for Laboratory Technologists were set up at universities, and Laboratory Technologists began working in hospital labs.

t he Colborne Building is a three-storey building that was built in 1904 and attached to the main hospital building.

It was called the Colborne Building as its entrance faced east to Colborne Street. Built in the era before publicly-funded health care, the building provided first class accommodations with single and double rooms and included fireplaces. As well, this building had a number of wards including the first children’s ward in the hospital. Once the Y wing addition opened in 1954, the single and double rooms were moved to the new building and the first two floors of the Colborne Building were renovated to become the first public wards for Londoners who could not afford to pay $1.60 a day for medical care and hospitalization. Care for those who could not pay was an important part of the philosophy leading to the creation

of Victoria Hospital and it was the hospital that absorbed the cost for the patients. Public wards were overflowing, accommodating as many patients as

possible and had individuals with many medical conditions all in one large room without any privacy or space. The third floor was later converted to house doctors’ offices.

Did You Know?4 4 4 4 4 4 4

8

In 1875, the average number of patients per month was 15.

In 1975, the average number of patients per day was 750.

In 2010, the average number of patients per day was 2,700.

4The average length of patient

stay in 1875 was 46 days.

The average length of patient stay in 1975 was 8.97 days.

The average length of patient stay in 2010 was 7.3 days.

Laboratories

4 4 4 4 4 4 4Above: Routine chemical analysis laboratory, 1950’s.

May 1905

5

children’s pavilion opens The Children’s Pavilion opens. Mrs. Harriet A. Boomer, a pioneering advocate for children’s care and President of the London chapter of the National Council of Women, plays a decisive role in establishing and funding the new facility.

new nurses’ residence opens A new three-storey nurses’ residence housing 60 is opened in the west wing of the hospital.

t he Emergency Department opened in the early 1940’s. In the early years, staffing of the department consisted of a physician, intern,

nurse, orderly and clerk. Many of the doctors who worked in the ED were also family physicians, who would often use operating rooms in the department for minor patient surgeries and procedures. Given that it was across the street from the original War Memorial Children’s Hospital, the department also treated many paediatric patients and would transfer these patients to the children’s hospital via a tunnel, which is still in use today. The department treated a wide range of conditions and was the city’s busiest emergency department. In the late 1970’s, the department was expanded to accommodate additional patient care needs. Emergency Medicine was recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as a specialty in 1980. In 2005, its final year of operation, the department treated on average 143 patients per day. Today, both University Hospital and Victoria Hospital

provide emergency care to adults, with Victoria Hospital also providing paediatric emergency care. Combined, the emergency departments treat over 150,000 patients yearly.

emergency department

1900- 1 909May 3, 1900

Critical Care in London began when Dr. W.E. Spoerel consolidated patients who required breathing support to a single area of the hospital – a four-bed ward he created

on 6 East of the hospital’s Y wing. When the Middlesex wing, an addition to the east section of the Y wing, opened in 1967, an 18-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was introduced, which included six to seven cardiovascular surgery beds. By 1970, technology in the form of bedside cardiac monitors and ventilators with greater sophistication began to appear. After 1976, exponential change and growth began. State-of-the-art technology became standard, and the specialty of Critical Care Medicine emerged. The unit expanded to 26 beds -Critical Care Trauma Unit, 1984 - and in 1985, the care of critically-ill children was transferred to the new Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. By 1990, the Critical Care Trauma Centre consisted of 30 beds. Today, critical care at LHSC is located in the Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital, which primarily cares for critically ill neurosurgical/neurology and solid organ transplant patients, and the Critical Care Trauma Centre at Victoria Hospital, which primarily cares for oncology and trauma patients.

Critical Care trauma Unit

RighT: The first artificial kidney machine (dialysis) in Canada was developed at victoria hospital in 1948. The Kidney Dialysis unit was located in the “Middlesex Wing” as part of the same 1964 addition when the intensive care unit was constructed.

Did You Know?8

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The first surgical instruments were purchased by the City in 1878.

The first skeleton for teaching purposes was donated in 1889.

Insulin was first given to diabetic patients at Victoria Hospital in 1925.

The average cost per day to stay in the hospital was 44 cents in 1875.

The average cost per day to stay in the hospital was $145.00 in 1975.

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LefT: emergency Department entrance RighT: Patient care in the emergency Department. in 2005, many of the acute care services from the outdated facilities at South Street were transferred to modern spaces at victoria hospital (Wellington & Commissioners Road).

Nov 17, 19211916

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World War 1 and the Optimistic Twenties

veterans care now manaGed federallyThe Hospital’s Isolation buildings are transferred to the federal government’s Military Hospitals Commission to accommodate 200 wounded & convalescent WWI soldiers, beginning the federal management of veterans care. In return, the Commission is to build new buildings on hospital grounds for treating contagious & infectious diseases.

medical school at south & waterlooA new medical school opens at the corner South & Waterloo Streets, where it remained until the 1965 move to the main campus of UWO.

community supports new children’s hospital Children’s War Memorial Hospital opens on South Street across from the main hospital building. Operated by Victoria Hospital, the 60 bed paediatric hospital is financed by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE) with support from other local groups.

1911- 1 927fire in old nurses’ residence A severe fire in the old nurses’ residence forces the quartering of more than 50 nurses in vacant wards of Children’s Hospital and eventually leads to the building of new quarters.

1923 1924

Graduate nurse Marcele sMithNurse Marcele Smith, graduate of the nursing school of victoria hospital in 1923.

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operating rooms

ToP: operating room - 1943. Above: operating room - first open heart Surgery 1957.

siGnificant firsts in the ssh ors

1884 First hysterectomy performed in Ontario, outside Toronto, by Dr. F.R. Eccles.

1951 First neurosurgery in Western Ontario performed by Dr. Charles Drake.

1956 First closed heart surgery performed in London by Dr. J.C. Coles.

1957 First open heart surgery performed in London by Dr. J.C. Coles.

1958 Dr. Charles Drake pioneers a surgical procedure for aneurysms at the base of the brain, called basilar aneurysms.

1989 The first cardiac stent insertion in Canada is performed at Victoria Hospital.

1990 First laparoscopic gallbladder surgery in London, second hospital in Canada to perform this procedure.

F rom its earliest days, the operating room at Victoria Hospital was used both for

surgery and teaching. According to records from Dr. Robert Kains, the first house surgeon at the hospital, during the initial three months of 1876 two major operations were performed, one for a strangulated femoral hernia, and one for necrosis. More than 100 years later, in 1978, there were 12 operating rooms running every day. There was an operating room for general surgery, general vascular surgery, orthopedics, pediatrics, cardiac, neurosurgery, open urology, closed urology, ophthalmology, gynecology, dentistry, general thoracic and ears nose and throat. ORs 1, 2, 11 and 12 had observation rooms for students to view surgery. The operating rooms had windows

which became quite old as the years went by but at least from the 6th floor you could see sunshine. Many firsts were marked in these operating rooms. In 1884, the first hysterectomy in Ontario, outside Toronto, was performed. Both the first closed heart surgery and the first open heart surgery in London were performed here in 1956 and 1957 respectively. World-renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Charles Drake pioneered his surgical procedure for aneurysms at the base of the brain in these operating rooms in 1958. In 1990, Dr. T McLarty pioneered the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder) with Dr. M Girotti, only the second hospital in Canada to perform this procedure. The South Street operating rooms moved in 2005.

GREAT HISTORY

SALUTES SOUTH STREET

HOSPITALS

Salutes South Street Hospitals Great History

LF64993228.indd 1 9/7/11 2:16:41 PM

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new residence in honour of Gartshore A new, larger nurses’ residence housing 130 additional nurses in training opens across from the hospital, named in honour of Colonel W.M. Gartshore, a proponent of the new residence and Chair of the Hospital Trust 1926-31.

new “north winG” opens New six-storey “North wing” of Victoria Hospital opens.

gartshore Residence and School of Nursing

1927

Graduate nurse Marcele sMithNurse Marcele Smith, graduate of the nursing school of victoria hospital in 1923.

1927

1940

psychiatric ward for female patientsA Psychiatric Ward for female patients is established. Previously, mental health services were not provided as part of the general hospital.

1930- 1 945sept 1941

The Great Depression and W W 2

the ChapelFor many patients and their families, the

South Street Hospital Chapel contributed to their healing and comforting. New babies were

brought to the chapel for baptism. Young people received Confirmation. Marriage vows were spoken. And once, a memorial service was held for a patient who had wished to donate her body upon death to the search for a greater knowledge of disease. The story of the chapel began before it opened in 1954. In 1953, a committee was formed and plans formulated. Graduates from the School of Nursing were contacted and given the opportunity to make a contribution. Gifts were received from many in the United States, several from Europe and of course, across Canada. From the donations, the committee was able to purchase furniture, the stained glass window, and a very special carpet. When it opened, the chapel featured wall-to-wall gold carpet that had been used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The room shone at the special dedication service held in the chapel with 250 guests in attendance, crowding the chapel, the hall and the adjoining room. Services of worship were held each Sunday. Sometimes only a few patients attended, while other times it was very crowded. Wheel chairs, crutches, even patients in stretchers were accommodated. The chapel Guild members, formed by the hospital auxiliary, were present to assist patients at the Sunday morning services.

two cardiac catheterization labs opened in the new Y wing of South Street Hospital in 1954. Cardiac

catheterization is the insertion of a small catheter through a vein in an arm, leg or neck and into the heart. It enables the detection of cardiac anomalies, planning of operative approaches, and implementing appropriate care. At South Street Hospital the cardiac cath labs were used to provide diagnostic and interventional care for both adults and children. The labs were also the site of some very pioneering work. In 1989, the first cardiac stent insertion in Canada was performed and in the early 1990s, Canada’s first rotational arthrectomy was performed. These significant firsts brought, for a short period of time, physicians and trainees from around the world to the South Street Hospital cath labs as they became a training centre for these groundbreaking procedures.

Cardiac Catheterization Lab

A dedication service was held in the small chapel built in the new Y wing of the hospital in 1954. The floor of the chapel was carpeted wall-to-wall with the actual gold carpet used at the Coronation of Queen elizabeth ii.

LefT: Catheterization Room circa 1950s

the Busby Lecture room

the Busby Lecture Room, a 100-seat amphitheatre located in the Y Wing of South Street Hospital,

opened in 1954. The lecture room was named after Dr. Eldon Busby, a urologist and gifted, hard-working surgeon who died suddenly in 1950. Over the years the Busby Room has been used for meetings and rounds including physician, teaching and grand rounds. Rounds are a form of medical education and inpatient care, consisting of presenting the medical problems and treatment of a particular patient to an audience of doctors, residents, and medical students. The crush space in front of the lecture room was built to accommodate patient

beds for doctors and interns to discuss the patient’s medical case. Over the past 50 years, thousands of staff and physicians have sat in this room for meetings.

1947

8

The Post War Years

new winG of nurses’ residence opens Victoria Hospital opens a new wing of the nurses’ residence.

canada’s first artificial kidney machine Dr. Jacobus van Noordwjik, who had worked under Dr. Kolff in Holland, spent a year in London instructing physicians on how to build and operate the first artificial kidney machine in Canada.

medical discovery of cellular sexual dimorphism Dr. Murray Barr and Dr. E. Mike Bertram discover sexual dimorphism in cells. This discovery opened the way to new knowledge of the relationship between sex chromosome abnormalities and human disease.

world’s first “cobalt bomb” radiation therapy World’s first “cobalt bomb” (Eldorado A Cobalt-60 Beam Therapy Unit) used to deliver radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer patients at Victoria Hospital, under the direction of Dr. Ivan H. Smith, Director, London Clinic of the Ontario Cancer Foundation.

1946- 1 9691948 1948 1951

LHSC is improving the lives of patients everyday. Since 1948 LHSC has achieved over 60 Canadian, North American and world firsts in patient care. Our staff, physicians

and scientists are recognized internationally for the significant contributions they have made towards the advancement of medicine. It was not long after the opening of Victoria Hospital that our doctors and researchers were innovating and changing the way patients were cared for.

Discovery of the Barr BoDy – New era of research iNto geNetic DisorDers

Dr. Murray Barr was born in Belmont Ont. After serving in the Second World War, he studied the effects of fatigue on the central nervous system. In 1949, with a $400 research grant, he used an electrical device to stimulate the nerve cells of cats. He was puzzled at a mass of chromatin in nerve cells in some cats, but not in others, and concluded that this could be attributed to the sex of the animals. He published his findings on the “sex chromatin” later that year. Later studies by Barr revealed that the single Barr body in normal cells is one of the two X-chromosomes in a highly condensed and genetically inactive state. The other X-chromosome is in the diffuse state and is genetically active. The discovery enabled Barr and his co-workers to devise a relatively simple diagnostic test for certain genetic abnormalities, in which cells rubbed from the lining of the mouth cavity (a buccal smear) were stained and examined microscopically. For instance, individuals suffering from Turner’s syndrome, which affects females who have only one X-chromosome, lack the Barr bodies. In contrast, males affected by Klinefelter’s syndrome possess an extra X-chromosome and exhibit Barr bodies in their cells, where they would normally be absent. The start of genetic testing, even before the discovery of DNA was done at Victoria Hospital. This was done many years earlier than the beginning of the Human Genome Project in 1989.

caNaDa’s first artificial kiDNey Up until the late 1940s patients diagnosed with kidney failure had a death sentence. Dr. Kolff, working in Holland, was quoted as saying after seeing several patients die of uremia he became frustrated by the profession’s ignorance of this disease. So he began investigating the kidney with the prospect of mechanically replicating its functions and in the end he built two different artificial kidney machines. In the spring of 1948 Dr. Jacobus van Noordwijk, who had worked under Dr. Kolff in Holland, decided to spend a year in London instructing physicians how to build and operate the first artificial kidney machine in Canada. The device consisted of 120 feet of special cellophane tubing stretched around a drum, which in turn revolved in a special solution designed to remove the blood impurities. Dr. van Noordwijk began work on the machine at Victoria Hospital in August 1948, and by the following January Canada’s first artificial kidney was put on public display.

coBalt BoMBJust three years later, in 1951, Victoria Hospital was the site of the first cancer therapy using the so-called cobalt bomb. There are two types of cobalt bomb. The first has the destructive power to destroy all human life, and thankfully has never been tested. The second was designed to save lives. On October 27, 1951, the first treatment in the world with Cobalt-60 radiation took place at the Ontario Institute of Radiation at Victoria Hospital with Dr. Ivan Smith as the attending physician. Developed by Dr. Smith and built in Saskatoon, the machine was known as the “Cobalt Bomb” or the “Peace Bomb”. Its technical name was the “Eldorado A” and

the machine treated 16 new patients per month. In 1955, the first radioactive isotope laboratory was established and the first researcher, a radiobiologist, joined the London clinic team. Additions to the clinic were undertaken until 1966, when a new radiobiological research laboratory was added. In July 2001, the last Cobalt radiation treatment unit at the London Regional Cancer Centre (LRCC) was removed. It was replaced by a Tomotherapy unit. At that time, LRCC was one of only two cancer treatment centres in Canada to have that new technology. The unit has the capability to plan and provide treatment at the same time, treating in slices that are designed to “hit the tumour” and spare the surrounding healthy tissue. aNeurysMsMoving now to 1958 and the surgical treatment of aneurysms Dr. Charles Drake was born in Windsor, Ont. and was Chief of Neurosurgery at Victoria Hospital from 1953 to 1959. It was here that he developed and perfected his techniques for the diagnosis and repair of brain aneurysms, which gained him international recognition. In 1958, he had a patient with an aneurysm which was generally believed to be inoperable. But Dr. Drake was confident in his abilities, and was successful with a new approach. Four years afterwards he documented aneurysm surgery, perfected his technique and taught it to other surgeons. Patients from every corner of the world sought his care, medical organizations everywhere sought his leadership and expertise, and Canada awarded him the Companion of the Order of Canada. His treatments are still being utilized today.

the grapefruit effectThe grapefruit effect was first observed in 1989. Drs. David Bailey, Malcolm Arnold and David Spence were interested in a possible interaction between alcohol and a blood pressure medicine called felodipine. Dr. Bailey was given the task of finding some way to disguise the flavour of the alcohol and decided on double strength grapefruit juice. What they found was that grapefruit can markedly reduce the activity of the intestinal drug metabolizing enzyme CYP3A4, thereby markedly elevating the percentage of the drug that reaches the circulation, possibly attaining

toxic levels. Sixty per cent of drugs that are commonly prescribed are metabolized to some extent by CYP3A4. The result of the inhibition of this enzyme can be significant. Their research determined that taking certain medications with a glass of grapefruit juice is the same as taking 12-15 tablets of the same medication with a glass of water. The team’s subsequent study was published in the Lancet in 1991 and was the first reported clinical food-drug interaction. We can test our innovations tomorrow, and for the immediate improvement of people’s lives. It’s because innovation and discovery is in our DNA at LHSC.

it’s in our dna – a history of research innovation Excerpt taken from a speech from David Hill, Scientific Director Lawson Health Research Institute, LHSC Annual Community Meeting 2010

Did You Know?4 4 4 4 4 4 4

8

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Rumour has it that Eva Peron was treated by the Cobalt bomb in

London, Ontario.

Above: World’s first “cobalt bomb” (eldorado A Cobalt-60 beam Therapy Unit) for radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer patients was used at victoria hospital in 1951, under the direction of Dr. ivan h. Smith, Director, London Clinic of the ontario Cancer foundation.

9

southwestern ontario’s first neurosurGery Dr. C. G. Drake performs the first neurosurgery in Southwestern Ontario at Victoria Hospital. He developed and perfected his techniques for the diagnosis and repair of brain aneurysms.

new chapel decorated with coronation carpet A dedication service was held in the small chapel built in the new Y wing of the hospital. The floor of the chapel was carpeted wall to wall with gold carpet used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

southwestern ontario’s first open-heart surGery Dr. C. J. Coles performs the first open heart surgery in Southwestern Ontario.

nurses’ residence extends towards hill street Addition to nurses’ residence for 100 students opens, including a teaching wing facing Hill Street.

middlesex winG addition opens The Middlesex Wing, an addition to the east section of Y-wing of Victoria Hospital, opens with 150 beds, 32 bassinets, ICU, kidney dialysis unit, cancer clinic, and a future mental health ward.

1951- 1 9691951

1954

May 12, 1955new “y-winG” opens New eight-floor “Y- wing” of Victoria Hospital is officially opened. With 550 beds and no more than four beds to a room, crowded public wards become a thing of the past.

1962

1957

1967

The Post War Years

t he Holdsworth Auditorium, a large auditorium with a stage that is located in the Education building on Hill Street, is a unique venue that is steeped in the history of Victoria Hospital,

the School of Nursing and the Gartshore Nurses Residence. The Nursing School was established in 1883 and at the time was only the third such school in Canada. Nurses lived in the hospital during their training until the residence officially opened in 1905. Thanks to Victoria School of Nursing graduates and retired nurses, Miss Annabelle Sells and Miss Margaret Densmore, as well as Mr. Arthur McClelland, a London Room Librarian, we have learned a great deal about Miss Ione Holdsworth, a 1928 nursing graduate after whom the auditorium was named. In 1940, Byron Lee Thurber, a former Canadian who made a fortune in the South African diamond mines, was a patient of Victoria Hospital suffering from gall bladder troubles and malaria. Ione was one of three nurses who cared for Mr. Thurber. In gratitude, he later asked each of the nurses to come to South Africa for a year’s expense-paid holiday as his guest. Only Nurse Holdsworth accepted. The voyage to Johannesburg by sea was her first trip abroad and on the way she became

acquainted with the captain of the ship and romance blossomed. She arrived in South Africa and began the adventure of her life. Some time later when the ship and captain was scheduled to return to Capetown, Miss Holdsworth borrowed Mr. Thurber’s car to drive down and meet the captain. Tragically, there was a serious car accident and Miss Holdsworth was killed. The diamond merchant was horrified and in his will he bequeathed $50,000 to Victoria Hospital to be used for a suitable memorial to Ione Holdsworth. In 2011 dollars, Thurber’s bequest was worth about $500,000. His request was delayed when the hospital had difficulty getting the money out of South Africa where Mr. Thurber’s estate was settled. But after pulling international banking strings for more than a year, the hospital received just over $27,000 in 1956. Thurber’s donation was used during the Nursing School expansion, and in 1962 an auditorium was built and named in honour of Nurse Ione Holdsworth – a permanent memorial to a nurse’s devotion to duty and patient’s appreciation. Over the years Holdsworth Auditorium has been a place for conferences, classrooms, celebrations, dances, hospital volleyball leagues, telethons, long service awards, meetings, luncheons, news conferences, and even a play centre for the daycare next door.

the story of ione holdsworth

Above: Theholdsworth Auditorium was used for many events over the years. RighT: ione holdsworth at a mission school in South Africa.

This is one of the many stories from South Street Hospital

546 King StreetLondon, ONN6B 1T5

Tel: 519-663-9777Fax: [email protected]

I COMMEND THE SOUTH STREET HOSPITALI COMMEND THE SOUTH STREET HOSPITALI COMMEND THE SOUTH STREET HOSPITALFOR OPENING ITS DOORS TO THE PUBLICFOR OPENING ITS DOORS TO THE PUBLICFOR OPENING ITS DOORS TO THE PUBLICIN THE 2011 DOORS OPEN LONDON!IN THE 2011 DOORS OPEN LONDON!IN THE 2011 DOORS OPEN LONDON!

SUSANSUSANSUSANTRUPPETRUPPETRUPPE

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All Canadian is proud to be associated with such a great cause and wish all the best in a new era of Healthcare.

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Growing Health Care Centre

1970- 1 9891975

10

Jan 1, 1974

victoria hospital incorporates Victoria Hospital incorporates, severing century-long legal ties with the City of London.

nursinG proGram moves to fanshawe The Nursing program is transferred to Fanshawe College, with the final graduation ceremony in 1974. Hospital facilities continue to play an important role in the training of student nurses.

oct 3, 1977

plans for new hospital site underway Victoria Hospital Corporation acquires Westminster Hospital and accompanying 80 acres of land on the north side of Commissioners Rd. from the federal government and begins plans to redevelop at the new site.

1977

victoria is canada’s larGest General hospital Victoria Hospital is the largest general hospital in Canada, with 1,800 beds and 4,000 employees on two campuses.

health care has always been a priority for Londoners. London’s first hospital was built in 1838, and as the community grew from a town to a city,

its health facilities kept pace, bolstered by unprecedented public support that consistently surprised the local governments of the time. In addition to supporting the hospital through public debentures, community groups and private citizens stepped forward to enhance and advance the care available not just to city residents, but to people from across Southwestern Ontario. Through their generosity, London became a regional health care centre long before the concept generally existed. The hospital located on South Street opened in 1875 and has a rich history of private, business and public supporters determined to ensure improved health services were available to all. This legacy continues today with community leadership and innovative ideas keeping our hospitals at the forefront of research, education and patient care in Canada. London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF) is proud to continue to work with and for Londoners and the residents across our region served by London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). From the late 1800s, philanthropy was a driving force in creating social change and improving health care, including the push toward a universal level of care for all. Throughout the history of hospitals in London, endowments, estate gifts, as well as corporate and private donations helped construct buildings, support medical education and create patient assistance funds. The first endowment fund was received from a local bank and was used to provide care for those who could not afford medical services. In the early years of the hospital on South Street, private and corporate donations along with concerts, socials and a “Hospital Sunday” held by city and

county churches, raised funds for capital construction and needed equipment. Today, many community groups continue to raise awareness and funds for vital research and enhanced patient care through more than 90 community-based events each year. For the celebration of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1899, a formal fundraising committee was created and the hospital renamed in the Queen’s honour. Committee delegates included members of many venerable charities and institutions from London and the surrounding counties including: the Salvation Army, School Boards, the Trades Labour Council, Masonic Lodges, the Independent Order of Foresters, the Ancient Order of Foresters, the London Hunt Club, the National Council of Women and the Women’s Christian Association, to name but a few. These groups also contributed funds for renovations and new construction at Victoria Hospital. And, the same as today, philanthropic-minded citizens and businesses stepped forward to equip Victoria Hospital as it expanded to meet the growing needs of the region - like Mrs. Elizabeth Robinson and Mrs. Catherine McCormick who, in 1901, paid for the entire furnishings in the Women’s Pavilion, and London mayor, Sir Adam Beck, who donated a new operating table. As new medical discoveries were made, the generosity of the public helped Victoria Hospital keep up with the times. In 1909, an entire building for the treatment of tuberculosis was constructed to meet new treatment standards - using only donated funds. Today we see that same generosity in wholly donor-funded research facilities like the Gerald C. Baines Centre for Translational Cancer Research and the Lindros Legacy Research building. Just as caregivers of today are noted as

much for their philanthropic support of LHSC as for their outstanding care and innovative research, so it was at Victoria Hospital on South Street. In 1922, a bequest by Dr. Harry Meek, honouring his son, supported the construction of the Meek Memorial Laboratory to serve both the hospital and the education of medical professionals at the University of Western Ontario. The Meek Trust Fund, along with donations from the public and an estate gift from Mrs. Hadley Williams also helped pay for a much needed hospital expansion in 1941. This expansion gave us the North Wing - the iconic building we most associate with South Street Hospital today. The North Wing and the entire hospital on South Street continued to serve the region with exceptional care, supported by donations that continued to strengthen the hospital’s ability to train and educate future caregivers. Expansion of the hospital in the mid-1950s added nurses’ residences and a centralized teaching wing facing Hill Street with labs, reading rooms and an auditorium. A donation from the estate of Dr. W.J. Stephenson added a medical library with a tunnel connecting it to the medical school. Finally, when expansion at South Street reached its physical limit, the current site of Victoria Hospital between Baseline Road and Commissioners Road was developed, marking the start of a new era that would eventually lead to many of the patient services at South Street Hospital being transferred to newer facilities like the North Tower at Victoria Hospital which will have an official grand opening this September 27. Still, the legacy of the South Street site and its many supporters will not be forgotten. Just as the hospital improved when health care advanced, meeting the philanthropic needs of hospitals also

evolved beyond ad hoc committees organizing sporadic fundraising drives. For London, a new era in fundraising began with the establishment of charitable foundations supporting Victoria Hospital. Today, permanent charitable foundations are complex organizations essential to the health care delivery system, providing funds that continually enhance and advance care in our community. At LHSF we encourage, support and recognize those who give to our community. We steward donated funds transparently with the utmost care. We are accountable to our donors while meeting the needs identified by the medical and administrative leadership at LHSC. We celebrate those donors, businesses and community organizations that have led the way in keeping our hospital at the forefront of care and discovery throughout its proud history. As we recognize their contributions to health care in our region and the legacy of care on South Street, we will continue to inspire the same investment in excellence at LHSC.

for More oN loNDoN health scieNces fouNDatioN and how you can help enhance and advance health care today, visit www.lhsf.ca.

Celebrating donor support at south street hospital

Throughout

the history

of hospitals

in London,

endowments,

estate gifts, as

well as corporate

and private

donations

helped construct

buildings,

support medical

education

and create

patient

assistance

funds.

Did You Know?4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

8

8

in the early years of the nursing School, there was no

formal graduation. 4

the first caesarean section at Victoria Hospital was performed in 1906.

4in 1918, the first blood transfusion

at Victoria Hospital was performed in the Or.

4

4

11

victoria’s westminster site opens Victoria Hospital opens a major new facility on the Westminster site at the corner of Commissioners and Baseline Rds. Ophthalmology, women’s health, (including obstetrics), children’s care and diagnostic support services transfer from South Street.

children’s hospital is renamed War Memorial Children’s Hospital is renamed Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario, creating a unique hospital-within-a-hospital on Victoria Hospital’s Westminster site.

first cardiac stent insertion in canadaThe first cardiac stent insertion in Canada is performed at Victoria Hospital.

1989

19851970- 1 989

Growing Health Care Centre

1985

Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2011, the Imperial Order Daughters Of The Empire (IODE), is an organization of tremendous significance and important to not

only countless children and their families throughout Southwestern Ontario, but also to Children’s Health Foundation, the fundraising organization for Children’s Hospital and Children’s Health Research Institute. The Children’s Health Foundation has been supporting children and their families who have relied so heavily on Children’s Hospital for 89 years, and thanks to the IODE, the former War Memorial Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Hospital would simply not be the centre of paediatric medicine it is today. Founded in 1911, the IODE wished to provide a living monument in London to commemorate those who had participated in the Great War, 1914-18. Realizing the 20-year-old Children’s Ward at Victoria Hospital was inadequate, it was decided that a children’s hospital would be established and built to serve all of Western Ontario. As a result, the IODE later established the Children’s Hospital Committee who raised and granted the necessary funds to establish a dedicated Children’s Hospital in London which was dedicated as a memorial to those who had fought and died in the war, appropriately naming it War Memorial Children’s Hospital. On October 29, 1922, the 60-bed War Memorial Children’s Hospital officially opened its doors at the South Street Hospital site and the tradition of community support for children’s health care in London and the region was born. In 1934 an Advisory Committee was formed to oversee the ongoing community financial support of War Memorial Children’s Hospital. This Council continued to operate in the same format through to 1971, when the The War Memorial Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario was formally established. After 63 years as part of the South Street Hospital complex, War Memorial Children’s Hospital closed its doors in 1985. Various

departments and patients were relocated throughout South Street’s Victoria Hospital and patients moved to Victoria Hospital’s Westminster site, once again changing the name to Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario. During this time of transition, everyone was forever mindful of the many changes that would be necessary to modify the existing adult facilities, to accommodate the thousands of children it would serve each year. These modifications while necessary, were always intended to be a temporary arrangement, until the dream of a new hospital once again dedicated to children could be realized and built. In 1987, the IODE Advisory Committee was expanded and enhanced and the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario Foundation was

established. In 2003, the Foundation’s name was changed to Children’s Health Foundation to more appropriately reflect the purpose for which the Foundation was established – to raise funds to support child health care and research. Also in 1987, Children’s Health Foundation established the Children’s Health Research Institute (CHRI). The aim was to

create a centre for medical research in Western Ontario that would investigate the causes, cures and prevention of childhood diseases.

Today, CHRI is the third largest children’s research institute of its type in Canada and carries out multi-disciplinary research in the areas of children’s health and therapeutics, genetics and development, and fetal and newborn health. From establishing the region’s first dedicated centre for paediatric care, to supporting the specialized programs that are delivered to children, to conducting vital research that takes place today - the dedication and hard work of The Imperial Order Daughters Of The Empire is at the heart of Children’s. And therefore, on behalf of the Children’s Health Foundation,

the health care professionals at Children’s Hospital, the scientists at Children’s Health Research Institute, but more importantly from all of the children and their families who rely so heavily on Children’s, the IODE is owed a sincere and heartfelt debt of gratitude. On September 27, 2011, London’s Children’s Hospital will take another pivotal step in its history to celebrate the official grand

opening of the New Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre, the region’s only dedicated centre for paediatric health care for children and youth. The IODE through its founding of War Memorial Children’s Hospital and its ongoing support of Children’s, continues to help the many health care providers who serve the more than 85,000 children and their families that visit Children’s each year. To members of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, Congratulations on your 100th anniversary, and thank you for Children’s!

Behind Children’s hospital

LefT To RighT: Children’s hospital Nurse and young patient in War Memorial Children’s hospital. exterior of the War Memorial Children’s hospital, established in 1927. Young boy in an “invalid rolling cart” circa 1915. The brass plate on the side of the cart reads “ioDe” The imperial order of the Daughters of the empire is the organization responsible for raising money for the new Children’s hospital.

1995- 20111995

12

victoria and university hospitals unite The Boards of Directors of Victoria Hospital and University Hospital unanimously approve the merger of the two hospitals. Official Ministry of Health approval is granted in October.

world first in plasma exchanGe treatment Nephrologist Dr. W. F. Clark performs a world first in plasma exchange treatment, saving the life of a Windsor man with a severe case of food poisoning.

provincial mandate to consolidate services The provincial Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC) delivers its mandate for London hospitals. A highlight of the HSRC report was the directive to consolidate all acute inpatient services at London Health Sciences Centre.

hospitals create citywide research institute London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Lawson Research Institute and LHSC Research, Inc. join forces to create Canada’s third largest hospital-based research organization, the Lawson Health Research Institute.

canada’s first artificial disc replacementThe first artificial disc replacement in Canada is completed at LHSC’s Victoria Hospital.

first in canada to complete new procedure for stroke preventionLHSC cardiologists complete a left atrial appendage occlusion, a new procedure for stroke prevention that closes the area of the heart where the majority of blood clots form.

hospital sites renamed for location Site names are renamed to South Street Hospital (South Street location), University Hospital and Victoria Hospital (Commissioners Road at Wellington Road location) to better delineate the current location of hospital services for our community.

citywide proGram moves and transfers A number of clinical programs, including inpatient units and mental health begin to occupy the new north tower (zone B) at Victoria Hospital. This marks a significant milestone in the citywide acute care restructuring project.

New tower at victoria hospital.

south street’s emerGency department moves The emergency department for adults, inpatient beds for critical care, medicine, surgery and cardiology transfer from South Street Hospital to the new Victoria Hospital at Commissioners Road and Wellington Road.

north american first in neurosurGeryNeurosurgeons at LHSC’s Victoria Hospital complete the first artificial cervical disc replacements in North America.

2005

1997

July 2000

2001 2002 2011

Restructuring Health Care in London

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

2011 Doors Open LondonSeptember 17 and 18, 2011 • 10 AM - 4 PM

Join us for a unique, one-time opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look!

Please note free parking is available in the hospital parking lots. • 375 South Street

8


6) Special section a. “Celebrating South Street Hospital” insert in The London Free Press on

September 10, 2011

Event gift shop and commemorative items – mug, magnet and bookmark

\

Public Women’s Pavilion

1929

Welcome to South Street Hospital London Health Sciences Centre’s South Street Hospital has provided compassionate, innovative and high quality care to the people of London and region for more than 136 years. As part of Doors Open London 2011, we are pleased to provide you with a unique “behind-the-scenes” look at many areas of the hospital, including former operating rooms, emergency department and morgue.

Maps contained within this guide will help you to navigate your self-directed tour. Each map outlines the various floors and areas that are open to public viewing, washrooms, rest areas and other places of interest. As you travel to each of the marked spaces throughout the hospital you will find area descriptions, photo displays and historical vignettes containing original hospital artifacts on loan from the Museum London collection. Together, these will help to tell the story beyond the building. It is what has happened within these walls – excellence in patient care, research and health care education – that makes South Street Hospital the landmark it truly is.

We hope you enjoy your time at South Street Hospital.

Sincerely,

Bonnie AdamsonPresident and CEO, London Health Sciences Centre

Main Entrance Floor 1, 375 South Street

Accessible Entrance Floor 1, from Visitor Parking Lot D

Washrooms • Ground Floor – N1, C6A, C6B• Floor 1 – N120, N121• Floor 2 – C231, C253A, C240A, C240B• Floor 6 – E601

Elevators in the main hallway (North-South) open to visitors

Stairwell the stairwell at the south end of the main hallway on each floor open to visitors

Security / First Aid Floor 1, Room C112

Gift Shop Floor 1, Room C114. Commemorative Celebrating SSH items are available

Tim Hortons Floor 1, Room C107

Overflow Seating Area Floor 1, C101

Rest Area Floor 2, W212

OTHER LOCATIONS

Hospital Dispensary

Graduating Class

of NursesNewborn Care

Operating Room

with Gallery

Operating Room 1927

Floor 2 12 Laboratories

13 Busby Lecture Theatre

14 Cath Lab

15 Rest Area

Floor 1

4 Main Entrance

5 Reception

6 Gift Shop

7 Overflow Seating

8 Tim Hortons

9 Security

10 Chapel

11 Colborne Building (Patient Care)

Building #65, Level 01 Floor Plan

4

5

7

10

98

611

Floor 6 16 Operating Rooms

17 Critical Care Trauma Centre (CCTC)

Food Services

Ground Floor

1 Morgue

2 Emergency Department

3 Electrical Room (Viewing Only)

Building #65, Level 02 Floor PlanBASE BUILDING RECORD DRAWING

Cardiac Catheterization LabEquipment for

Medical Testing

South Street Main Building

12

13

14

15

16

17

Building #65, Level 0B Floor PlanBASE BUILDING RECORD DRAWING

1

2

3

Nursery

Old-Style Oxygen Tent

Emergency Department

First Artifical Kidney Machine


7) Event logistics a. Visitor brochure b. Samples of photo displays and area descriptions c. Gift shop and commemorative items (Celebrating South Street Hospital mug,

magnet and bookmark)

Main door of South Street Hospital before doors were opened at 10 am

Bonnie Adamson, president and CEO, greeting visitors at the main door

Photos and area descriptions displayed throughout the self-directed tour

Event volunteers

Visitors dressed in their former nursing uniforms


8) Event photos

Celebrating South Street Hospital – Sample email messages

9/24/2011 F. and C.T, event visitor To the management, staff and volunteers of the South Street Hospital’s Open Doors, 2011. We very much enjoyed the experience of visiting the South Street Hospital’s Open Doors. The tour was well developed, prepared and presented. Over the years, we have many memories of excellent service from the professional, medical staff of South Street. We particularly enjoyed the visit to the operating rooms and the viewing gallery on the 6th floor. Thanks again for your efforts with the planning of this very successful event. Yours sincerely, F. and C. T. 10/21/2011 Debra Martin, event volunteer It truly was a great experience, wonderful meeting terrific people and hearing their stories! Debra 10/4/2011 Carol Brock, event volunteer Dear hard working friends, What a delightful afternoon I enjoyed at good ol’ South Street! I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer on Colborne 1 after so many years. The many stories of colleagues and fellow Vic grads were great! Chatting with grads back to the late 40’s, Dr. Coates sharing his role as neuroradiologist during Dr. Charlie Drake’s time, chatting with Annabelle Sells and meeting so many who worked in various departments, were some of the joys of the afternoon. You all are to be commended for your diligent hard work to provide such an organized and informative opportunity for our community. I was very positively impressed that all the open areas were so well represented – everything seemed to run smoothly from what I observed. In appreciation for your excellent organization and preparation, Carol Brock 9/19/2011 Neil Johnson, LHSC Vice President, Clinical Support and Business Development Tony and Mary Congrats to your entire communications team on Doors Open London! It was a great strategy and it was flawlessly executed. It was a remarkable way to mark endings, highlight all that was good at SSH and to build our presence in our community. Well done!! When do we do it (or something like it) again? Neil

Celebrating South Street Hospital – Guest Book Messages

“So much to be proud of at SSH. Great accomplishments and memories” ~Earl, Shawn, Sarah, Ryan Wilson “Thank you for my mother, Shirley E. Allen - trained here!” ~Done and Lorie Hoad “Most of the important events of my life happened here (laughter and tears)” ~Wendy Bradley “You took good care of my Dad; thanks” ~Gord Smithers, London, Ont. “Both my daughters born here” ~Irene Tayler “Thanks for opening the doors! ~Becky Elfman “Both of us were born in this hospital 1943 and 1947. It’ll be a shame to see it go - a ton of history” ~Larold and Carol Connor, London “I have been a patient here in the past - had some good and bad times here. Thanks so much for opening this place up - truly a marvel to behold and see.” ~Leeson “Interesting to see emerg where I spent a summer as a candy striper.” ~Lesley Lightfoot (Sheilds) “I started my nursing career here and have many great memories!” ~Debbie Turner “Thanks for looking after our son” ~Marion woods, Thorndale “Thanks for the look - work in OR - 72-06 Great memories always - Great people” ~Margaret Murray “Thanks! Learned a lot and it was great to see so many volunteers!” ~Jo Jennings “Piece of London history” ~Donald J. Ripley “Thank you for helping my Mom.” ~Caprices Sedgwick, London “Lovely to see the hospital - you’ve been a great neighbor!” ~Ally and Kurt “The best part of the your was listening to former employees, meeting and recounting memories” ~Pete and Kimber Bogenea “Born in Emergency parking lot - May 14, 1952. Worked in mailroom for my uncle Joseph McBride ~Linda (McBride) Barr” “Wonderful idea and opportunity - Nursing class ‘61” ~Jim and Carole McVicar “Excellent displays and knowledgeable guides; thanks to all the volunteers!” ~Paul and Pia O’Leary “Awesome experience and so pleased the Hospital had a last Hooray.” ~Erma Kampers “My family were born here - died here - trained here - but most important were cared for here” ~Gwen (Share) Jones


9) Comments and feedback a. Sample messages from event guest books b. Sample emails from event visitor, event volunteers and LHSC leaders

MEDIA ADVISORY For Immediate Release:

September 14, 2011

Preview Tour of

South Street Hospital Doors Open

(LONDON, Ontario) – Members of the media are invited for a preview tour of

South Street Hospital, a Doors Open London 2011 site. The Celebrating South

Street Hospital event is a one-time opportunity for a “behind-the-scenes” look at

many spaces in the main hospital building including the emergency department,

operating rooms, hospital morgue, critical care and more.

Date: Thursday, September 15, 2011

Time: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Location: South Street Hospital

375 South Street, London, Ontario

Who: Bonnie Adamson, President and Chief Executive Officer,


Cydna Mercer, Head of Administration, Museum London

Maya Hirschman, Curator of Regional History, Museum London

Andrea Hallam, Executive Director, London Heritage Council


Laura Tyrrell



519-685-8500, ext. 75724

[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.lhsc.on.ca/media

MEDIA RELEASE For Immediate Release:

September 19, 2011

Record Number of Visitors to

South Street Hospital Doors Open

LONDON, Ontario - Visitors came to London Health Sciences Centre’s (LHSC)

South Street Hospital in record numbers for a Doors Open London site in the ten

year history of the annual event. Nearly 6,000 people visited South Street Hospital

throughout the event on Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18,

2011.

Visitors had the one-time experience of touring many 'behind-the-scenes'

spaces, such as the former operating rooms, critical care, laboratories,

emergency department and morgue. Visitors also viewed archival photos and

LHSC medical artifacts displayed by Museum London.

Bonnie Adamson, LHSC’s president and CEO, who greeted visitors at the front

door throughout both days, was delighted at the large turnout for this unique

event. “This past weekend, the community came together for a celebration of

South Street Hospital, a site which has provided compassionate and high quality

care for 136 years,” said Adamson. "I want to offer special thanks to Museum

London and Doors Open London. We collaborated closely with them to create an

exceptional visitor experience at South Street Hospital."

Visitors from London, the region, and indeed from across Canada came to share

their stories, reconnect with old friends and reflect fondly on the legacy of care

and compassion that LHSC has long provided.

Over 200 former or current LHSC staff and volunteers supported the celebration

event. “Thank you to the staff and volunteers who ensured this event was a

success and for sharing their own memories of South Street Hospital. This one-

time event would not have been possible without the contribution of these

individuals,” said Adamson.

About London Health Sciences Centre

London Health Sciences Centre has been in the forefront of medicine in Canada for 135

years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on

the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic

teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children’s Hospital, South

Street Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, two family medical centres, and two

research institutes – Children’s Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research

Institute, a joint research initiative with St. Joseph’s Health Care, London. As a leader in

medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of

over 50 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from

around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for

the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in

Southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital’s nearly 15,000 staff, physicians,

students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year. For

more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca

- 30 -


Laura Tyrrell



519-685-8500, ext. 75724

[email protected]

After-hours assistance:

Call LHSC Switchboard at 519-685-8500 and ask to page the communication

consultant on-call


http://www.lhsc.on.ca/

1

MEDIA

OPPORTUNITIES

South Street Hospital stories

during Doors Open Weekend (LONDON, Ontario) – Additional media opportunities are available this weekend during the Doors Open event at South Street Hospital.

1. Interview Opportunity with Helen Roberts Hatcher Graduating Class of Nursing January 1946 (65th Reunion) Date: Saturday, September 17th Time: 11:00 a.m. Four members of the class of 1946 will gather at South Street Hospital this weekend for the 65th reunion. Helen Roberts Hatcher will be available for interviews. Helen Roberts Hatcher was 18 years old when she started her training in January 1946 at Victoria Hospital. Every day wearing her uniform of a striped dress with apron, she would attend class at the hospital. After weeks of classroom teaching where a mannequin was used for training purposes, student nurses began to work on the wards - making beds and cleaning equipment. After just three months probation, a bib was added to the uniform. After 6 months, a cap was added to the uniform and student nurses would begin to work a 12 hour shift on the floor. There was very little medical training compared to today - nurses were not responsible to do vital signs of a patient. Mrs. Hatcher lived in the nursing residence first in the hospital and then across the street. The rules both for residence and nurse training were very strict and there was punishment for students who were absent or late, had rooms or uniforms that were not in good condition, along with many other regulations. During probation, you were allowed two sleep outs and otherwise there was a curfew of 10 p.m. After probation, the curfew became midnight one day a week along with 10 sleep outs a year. Student nurses were paid $5 a month, but if you broke a thermometer money was taken off your pay.

-more-

2

2. Interview Opportunity with Dr. Kerry Ferguson Emergency physician at South Street Hospital from 1966 - 1983 Date: Saturday, September 17th Time: 12:30 p.m.

Born at South Street Hospital (formerly Victoria Hospital) in 1936 Dr. Ferguson’s first memory of the hospital was as a young patient in 1948, when he broke his leg playing hockey at an outdoor rink at Ryerson Public School and was required to come to the hospital for care. He was taken to hospital in the “Labatt's ambulance” which was a panel van/hearse painted red with the Labatt's logo. Dr. Ferguson began his career at South Street Hospital in 1961, as an intern in the emergency department. In 1966, he became the Clinical Director of emergency and went on to lead the department until 1983. In the early years, the intern was on his/her own, without the benefit of a staff physician. Family physicians would be called by the nurse to come to the hospital, if one of their patients presented to the emergency department and required care. Dr. Ferguson recalls some interesting cases, including that of a man who arrived at the department with a lion bite, and the lion still in the back of his station wagon.

- 30 –

For media interviews or further information please contact:

Laura Tyrrell Corporate Communications and Public Relations London Health Sciences Centre 519-685-8500, pager 14177



10) Media relations a. Media advisory sent September 14, 2011 b. Media coverage – “It’s hip, it’s heritage” in The London Free Press on September

15, 2011 c. Interview opportunities for media sent September 17, 2011 d. Media release sent September 19, 2011 e. Media coverage – “Doors Open before closing for good” in London Community

News on September 22, 2011

thePageA newsletter for the staff of London Health Sciences Centre

The floors were polished,

hallways were full,

excitement was high; and

with the snip of the scissors, LHSC

officially opened the North Tower at

Victoria Hospital.

On Sept. 27, 2011, less than 10 days

after LHSC celebrated its legacy of

care at South Street Hospital,

hundreds gathered once more to

commemorate the culmination of years

of planning, partnerships, construction

and health care restructuring.

With a program led by president and

CEO Bonnie Adamson, those in

attendance were treated to compelling

videos featuring footage of each floor

and department in the North Tower,

the sealing of a time capsule that will

be opened in 50 years, and a surprise

“flash mob” courtesy of some very

talented kids. (A link to all of these

videos is available at

Interest in this opening event was

huge, with hundreds of overflow

guests watching the proceedings

happening inside the new 350-seat

Sumner Auditorium from screens

placed throughout the atrium. In all,

close to 1,000 people took part in this

special event that marked an important

milestone for LHSC.

Following are excerpts from

Adamson’s remarks that highlight

some of the key elements of the

program and demonstrate why this was

such an important occasion for London

Health Sciences Centre.

What a wonderful day for LHSC

Bonnie Adamson, President and CEO of LHSC gets some help from paediatric patient TravisCudney as they cut the official opening ribbon that connects two images of the North Tower,one a graphic rendering and the other a photo of the finished building. They are joined by(from left): Joe Fontana; Michael Lerner, Peter Johnson, Terrence Donnelly; and KirkBaines. See sidebar to right for the significance of who each represents.

Continued on next page

The people who joined Bonnie in

cutting the official opening ribbon

represented many of the

partnerships that helped to make the

North Tower a reality:

• Peter Johnson to represent the

Board of Directors

• To represent Children’s Health

Foundation and all of the children

and families for whom it has made

a difference, Board Chair, Michael

Lerner and patient Travis Cudney

• To represent London Health

Sciences Foundation and all of the

individuals for whom it has made

a difference, Board Chair, Kirk

Baines and donor, Terry Donnelly

• To represent all of the citizens of

London, whom we serve, Mayor

Joe Fontana

thePage Anewsletter for the staff of London Health Sciences Centre

It was an event 136 years in the

making, with hallways that have sat

quiet and nearly empty for years filled

to bursting with laughter, tears, memories

and a tangible sense of nostalgia.

With nearly 6,000 in attendance, over

200 volunteers, and more than $6,000 in

merchandise sold, there are no statistics

to measure what this event meant to so

many who came out for one last visit to

South Street Hospital.

“It’s bittersweet, really,” says Teena

Hansen, a retired nurse. “As a nurse

who trained here, I have lived here and

worked here. My Dad died here, my

kids were born here. It just holds so

many memories.”

Hansen’s sentiments were echoed by

many others who eagerly roamed the

halls, pointing out various rooms to

family members in tow while telling

stories and anecdotes of their time as a

patient at, visitor to, or staff member of

“old Vic.”

The Celebrating South Street Hospital

event, part of Doors Open London,

drew a record-breaking crowd over the

Sept. 17 and 18 weekend with dozens

lining up before the event even began.

Within the first hour, more than 600

people filled up the hallways and

elevators of SSH, on their way to

explore the old emergency department,

morgue, Colborne wing, chapel, labs,

Busby Lecture Theatre, catheterization

lab, operating rooms, and critical care

trauma centre.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime type of

event, so it was difficult to predict

what we should expect in terms of

attendance,” says Mary Gillet, chair of

the Celebrating South Street Hospital

Steering Committee. “Needless to say,

we were thrilled with the turnout and

interest our community has in the

history and legacy of care at South

Street Hospital.”

Thousands help celebrate legacyof care at South Street Hospital

More than 600 people passed through the doors of South Street Hospital within their firsthour of opening. By the end of the weekend, nearly 6,000 had come through for self-guided tours of the facility.

Continued on next page

SPECIALEDITIONSPECIALEDITION

Excerpts from Bonnie Adamson’s remarks

“This state-of-the-art facility is home

to many of Victoria Hospital’s

programs and services, as well as

those of Children’s Hospital and the

Grace Donnelly Women’s Pavilion,

and is the culmination of a more than

14-year journey of restructuring to

better serve patient needs in London

and the region.

This certainly is a wonderful day. It is

a day about new beginnings, and we

are honoured to have so many of you

join us for this milestone.

The large group here today is a

testament to the significance of this

hospital in this community and a

tribute to the incredible staff and

physicians who work so hard, every

day, to make a genuine difference to

those in need of care.

Those of you here in the Sumner

Amphitheatre are sitting in the very

seats where tomorrow’s visionary

minds will be taught and inspired to

carry forward our long legacy of

quality health care and innovation.

And to those individuals out in the

overflow areas, you are surrounded by

the many purpose-designed spaces

that will foster better care and

exceptional experiences for

generations to come.

I began in my role as president and

CEO about 11 months ago, but my

history with LHSC goes much further

back. I had the privilege of spending

20 years at South Street Hospital in

various nursing and nursing leadership

roles. From that, I have an intimate

connection to our past as well as a

strong appreciation for the journey

that has brought us to the present.

Today, we will open a building that

represents the future of this

organization – a future that is built

upon a remarkable past, a future that I

am excited to help define.”

*********

“The North Tower is an important

milestone in our redevelopment

journey. This building truly represents

the future of health care delivery and

to commemorate this achievement,

we’d like to seal a time capsule.

Made for us by one of our donors, Mr.

Brian McIntosh, this beautiful time

capsule is made of cherry, walnut and

maple woods. It is a reflection of the

design elements of the building – natural

colours, natural materials and natural light.

Each program that calls the North

Tower home has contributed unique

and inspiring items for the capsule that

are representative of this point in time.

The capsule is very full, but I am

going to squeeze in four more items –

today’s newspaper, a program from

today’s event, a commemorative North

Tower pin and – to acknowledge the

rich history upon which we are

building - the South Street Celebration

newspaper publication.

This building represents our future and

will serve this community for

generations to come. The capsule is to

be opened 50 years from today, two

generations from now on September 27,

2061. It will be kept in the display case

on the second floor for all to see. We

hope that the spirit and excitement from

today can still be felt at the half century

celebration of this building. This is our

contribution to that future event.”

*********

“You may have noticed a large banner

hanging out in the atrium that is

Requiring months of planning, this

event could not have been possible

without strong partnerships with Doors

Open London and Museum London,

who displayed several historical

artifacts throughout the hospital.

Visitors had an opportunity see an old

‘iron lung’, a negative-pressure

ventilator from the 1950s that was

used to keep patients with polio alive.

Down in the old Colborne

Street wing, nursing

uniforms from different

eras were on display along

with a replica of a patient

room from the 1920s.

“It was wonderful to see

visitors viewing artifacts

from our collection and

reflecting on their own

experiences at the hospital.

It was a great pleasure to

partner with LHSC to

make a unique heritage site

come to life – Doors Open

was a huge success!” says Maya

Hirschman, curator of regional history

at Museum London.

In fact, Doors Open was such a success

that it set a new record for the most

number of visitors to any Doors Open

London event in its 10-year history.

By far one of the most popular draws

to the event was the chance to view

the morgue, with lineups throughout

most of the weekend just to get into

the space. Some lucky visitors were

treated to stories and knowledge from

two first-hand accounts, Drs. Ross

Armstrong and Michael Shkrum.

Both pathologists, Dr. Armstrong

retired in 1996 having spent almost

his entire career in the South Street

Hospital morgue.

“When I started on staff in

1972, we performed about

500 autopsies per year, and

by the time I retired in

1996 that number was

down to about 300,” recalls

Armstrong, who credits the

drop in procedures to

newer and more advanced

diagnostic techniques that

allowed health care

providers to know what the

patient was dying of before

they passed away.

For Dr. Shkrum who now works at

University Hospital, coming back to the

SSH morgue gave him the opportunity

to show family members where he had

worked, and having the opportunity to

chat with Dr. Armstrong allowed for

further reflection.

“It really brought back a lot of

memories and shared experiences,” he

says. Shkrum hopes the original

porcelain slab where autopsies were

performed for decades can be

showcased for interested onlookers after

the aging building is closed for good.

While the morgue and its porcelain slab

drew the morbidly curious, every area

on display held lasting memories in the

hearts of many, some of whom traveled

from great distances (like British

thePage • 2thePage• 2

For coverage of ourcelebrating South StreetHospital event, flip this issueof the Page upside down!

For coverage of NorthTower official opening,flip this issue of the Pageupside down!

Continued from page 1Continued from page 1

North Tower opening celebrates new beginnings andDoors open event so popular, new record set

The 350-seat Sumner Auditorium (bottomphoto) was filled to capacity during theofficial North Tower opening celebrationswhile hundreds of overflow guests watchedthe proceedings from the beautiful atrium onlevels 1 (top photo) and 2 (middle photo).

Barbara Haggarty-Hebert, Bonnie Morgan,Linda MacDonald-Cooper, and Kathy Allendecided to dress the part as they revisitedplaces at SSH where they used to nurse.

At times the hallways were so crowded itwas hard to believe many have been lockedand silent for years!

This “iron lung” ventilator was displayed by MuseumLondon, and drew thousands of curious people whocouldn’t imagine how patients used to have to lie insidefor months at a time.

The original porcelain slab sits beside a newer, stainless-steel table in the morgue at SSH. Both were used to performautopsies, but Dr. Armstrong said most preferred theporcelain slab because it was narrower and easier to use.

covered in signatures. For the last four

months, this banner has travelled

throughout our buildings, from

cafeterias, to entryways to special

events. It has become part of the

LHSC family as literally thousands of

our staff, patients and visitors have

signed it.

Originally, the plan was to cut this

banner to officially open the North

Tower. As the numbers of signatures

grew, it quickly became obvious that it

was becoming a symbol of what this

milestone day is about – the coming

together of many people – and it just

felt wrong to cut it.

As illustrated by the thousands of

names on this banner, the story of this

hospital has never been about bricks

and mortar; it has been, and always

will be, about people.

During our 136-year history, Board

Chairs and politicians have laid many

cornerstones, cut a number of ribbons

and even sealed a few time capsules.

However, our true cornerstone isn’t

one mined at a quarry. It is our 136-

year legacy of excellence in patient

care, teaching and research.

This brand new facility allows us to

carry that heritage forward and we

will continue to put the patient at the

centre of everything we do as we

usher in a new era of health care.

The opening of the North Tower not

only allows us to better meet the

expanding needs of the communities

we currently serve, but also

symbolizes the beginning of the next

chapter of our history. It represents the

future of acute care delivery in

London and the region and provides a

new backdrop for the realization of

our vision of exceptional experiences,

extraordinary people and engaging

partnerships.

Here, we will serve this community for

many years to come and will educate the

next generations of health care providers.

Here, we will make new discoveries and

pioneer medical breakthroughs that we

cannot even begin to envision today.

Here we will attract the best and the

brightest health care professionals, use

the finest and most sophisticated

technology, secure important research

grants and focus on what is at the heart

of our vision – our patients.

I have no doubt that right here we will

help to shape the future of health care

as we serve our patients for

generations to come.

Today we celebrate our future.”

As visitors to the Celebrating South

Street Hospital event streamed in and out

of the doors to the nearly vacant facility,

many paused to write a few words and

mark their names in guest books which

will become a part of the history and

legacy of the hospital.

With dozens of comments like “fond

memories!” and “excellent tour!” the

comments from both the guest book and

the virtual Celebrating South Street

Hospital website capture the essence of

what this event — and the hospital itself

— meant to so many.

“Wonderful training here @ Vic”

~Marilyn Dustin, class of ‘67

“Born second floor, April 15, 1937”

~Ken Campbell

“The best part of the tourwas

listening to formeremployees,

meeting and recounting

memories. ☺☺”

~Pete and Kimber Bogema

“Spent many hours, days, weeks,

months here. Thanks!”

~Mel Swain

“Alot of good care received here!”

~Janice Hodgins

“My two sons were born here. We

will miss this old hospital.”

~John & Barb

“My dad spent his 69th birthday in

CCTC here in 1989. He’s still

kicking now – 2011. THANK YOU!”

~Lara Hicks

“Many memories brought to life!”

~Lynda & Joe Clymans

“My family were born here, died

here, trained here, but more

importantly were cared forhere.”

~Gwen Jones

“I will be sad to see it torn down. I

was born here.”

~Alvin Reeve

thePage• 3thePage • 3

Memories and thanks as thousands mark a moment in LHSC historyimportant milestone in redevelopment journey

Peter Johnson and Bonnie Adamson place the final items into the commemorative timecapsule, to be opened in 50 years.

The North Tower banner is covered in signatures from hundreds of staff, patients andvisitors, and now hangs in the second level atrium out front of Tim Hortons.

Columbia!) just to be a part of this one-

in-a-lifetime event.

One of those who traveled from a

distance was Beth (Parker) Duff, who

graduated from nursing in 1964 and

lived in the Nurses Residence while she

trained and then worked at SSH. Duff

arrived for her three-hour volunteer shift

all the way from Kingston, Ont.

“I met some lifelong friends here,” she

explains as to why she came back after

more than 45 years. “There’s just a draw

to this hospital. Everything made an

impression at 18 so I wanted to come

back and see what had changed.”

Celebrating South Street Hospital could

not have been possible without the

commitment and generosity of

volunteers such as Duff, many of whom

could share their own stories and

expertise of the various areas on display.

While this unique knowledge gave many

event-goers a more rewarding

experience, some volunteers themselves

felt like the lucky ones.

“Thank you for giving me this

opportunity,” said Anne Salmon to the

volunteer coordinators after finishing her

shift. “I’ve run into so many people I

haven’t seen in years, heard so many

stories and memories. So thank you.”

In addition to volunteers like Salmon,

several departments and partners

played a key role in supporting the

Celebrating South Street Hospital

event, including biomedical

engineering, corporate

communications and public relations,

corporate customer support, facilities

engineering, maintenance services,

security, volunteer services, LHSC

auxiliary, London Health Sciences

Foundation and Children’s Health

Foundation.

“Thanks to all who helped make this

memorable event a reality,” says Bonnie

Adamson, president and CEO of LHSC.

“Without a doubt, the South Street

Hospital celebration embodied our

vision of exceptional experiences,

extraordinary people and engaging

partnerships - a proud day for London

Health Sciences Centre.”

While the walls of South Street Hospital

may not stand forever, the memories

and emotions experienced by those who

spent time within them will certainly

last a lifetime.

President and CEO Bonnie Adamson greetedevent-goers at the main entrance on bothdays of the Celebrating South StreetHospital event.

More than 200 volunteers helped make thisevent such a huge success. Many werecurrent or former staff with knowledge of thevarious areas on display.

Continued from page 2

thePage • 4thePage• 4

Guests at the official opening, including

former presidents and CEOs Tony

Dagnone and Cliff Nordal (far right,

second row) were treated to a surprise

element at the end of the program, thanks

to a group of talented young people.

Members of the Amabile Choir of

London, who were located throughout the

crowds in both the auditorium and atrium,

closed the ceremony by singing “What a

Wonderful World.” You can view video

footage of this “flash mob” online (a link

is available at ).

1st floor• Gift shop

• London Health Sciences Foundation

• Main entrance and lobby

• Pharmacy

2nd floor• Auditorium

• Education centre

• Endoscopy

• Imaging

• IV Therapy

• Library

• Medical day unit

• Nuclear medicine

• Parking garage entrance

• Tim Hortons

• Urgent Neurology Clinic

3rd floor• Audiology and Speech Language

Pathology Clinic

• Head and Neck Surgery Clinic

• Simply Puur Café

Children’s Hospital

• Paediatric Otolaryngology

4th floor• Obstetrical Care Unit

Children’s Hospital

• Neonatal Intensive Care

5th floor• Medical Genetics Clinic

• Women’s ambulatory Care

6th floorChildren’s Hospital

• Inpatient Unit

7th floor• Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit

8th floorChildren’s Hospital

• Child/Adolescent Mental Health Unit

9th floor• Adult Medical/Surgical Inpatient Unit

10th floor• Clinical laboratories

Official opening concludes on a surprise noteof harmony

North Tower at a glance - floor by floor

Dr. Steve Lownie, neurosurgeon, was

joined by his daughters Clara and Anne

(pictured at right) as he set up an

impromptu display of photos, journal

articles, artifacts and a video that

highlighted the work of Dr. Charles

Drake, world-renowned neurosurgeon

who worked at LHSC.

“For Dr. Drake, as well as many of the

things that made London famous, it

happened here at South Street,” said

Lownie, who trained with Drake years

ago and was interested to hear about a

story told by Nancy McGuire, a visitor

to the Celebrating South Street

Hospital event.

McGuire, who came to the event from

Tillsonburg, recalled a story told to her

by her mother years

ago about a teenage

boy who lived

down the street in

what is now

London’s old north

neighbourhood.

This boy had a

skull that he carried

around with him

everywhere. She

said he would

polish it up and

always seemed

fascinated by it.

Years later when

her mother was in hospital delivering

McGuire (nee Kendall), that teenage

boy had become an intern at South

Street Hospital and would come to visit

Mrs. Kendall during her hospital stay.

That boy turned out to be Dr. Charles

Drake who would go on to pioneer

techniques to treat brain aneurysms.

A remarkable physician remembered for contributions

Members of the LHSC Auxiliary display

some of the special commemorative

items sold during the Celebrating South

Street Hospital event (below). The gift

shop had closed its doors on May 31,

2011 but was re-opened for the weekend

so that visitors could purchase special

SSH mugs, magnets and bookmarks.

The book “Growing to Serve,” a history

of South Street Hospital up until 1985,

was also available for purchase and

quickly sold out.

In all the commemorative items were so

popular that the auxiliary raised more

than $6,000 in one weekend.

South Street Hospitalmerchandise a popular purchase

Warm words of congratulationsThere were many warm words of thanks

and congratulations to be heard during the

North Tower’s official opening.

“Guests at the event have shared with me

how moving and memorable this

ceremony was to them and it was truly a

special moment that none of us will ever

forget,” says Bonnie Adamson, LHSC

President and CEO.

Some people who were unable to attend

in person to share those warm wishes sent

them via letter or video. The following is

an excerpt from a letter sent by Premier

Dalton McGuinty:

“This special occasion not only

underscores the integral role that London

Health Sciences Centre plays in ensuring

quality care in London — but also pays

tribute to the community spirit that helped

build the North Tower.

I commend everyone who worked

tirelessly to make this new building

possible. Know that your fine efforts have

helped to usher in a new level of care at

London Health Sciences Centre.”

Check out the Page Online where you

will find links to videos and letters from:

• Stephen Harper, Prime Minister

• David Johnston, Governor General of

Canada

• Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario

• David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor

of Ontario

Do you have any special

memories or photos that you’d

like to share? Visit the Celebrating

South Street Hospital website

(http://www.lhsc.on.ca/About_Us

/LHSC/Who_We_Are/SSH/)and

click on the Share Your Memories

tab where you can upload your

own photos and stories.

This website also contains

hundreds of historical photos and

information about South Street

Hospital, as well as the video that

was shown in the Busby Lecture

Theatre throughout the weekend.

The Busby Lecture Theatre was hoppingthe whole weekend as event-goers tooka break to watch a video about thehistory of South Street Hospital.


11) Post event internal communication a. All staff broadcast email from Bonnie Adamson “Thousands of visitors celebrated

SSH during Doors Open” sent on September 19, 2011 b. Special edition of the Page staff newsletter


12) Thank you letter to key project contributors a. Letter to event volunteers from Bonnie Adamson

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Celebrating South Street Hospital

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