Friday, July 21, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER 15 O T M ekkatiny 50 H of Q^cmmunity (t^fjfealiheate 1950-2000 The year 2000 marks a half-century o f operation o f the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on Reynolds Street, now part o f Ualton Healthcare Services. In celebration o f this golden anniversary . a brief history will be presented in the pages o f the Oakville Beaver throughout the year. We hope you enjoy this overview o f your hospital's development and the times in which it happened. m iim m ilBw ifiji ,,jU i D oing more with less, 1974 - 1977 " T h e first essen tial fo r a ch ild 's d evelop m en t is co n cen tratio n . T h e y m u st fin d o u t how to con cen trate an d fo r th is they n eed th in g s to co n cen trate u p o n ." Maria Montessori (1870 - 1952) Italy's first wom an doctor n the middle part o f the 1970s, the unrest in the world led to change. In science, questions arose about the safety o f modem genetic research, and warnings o f possible environmental problems, such as the depletion o f the ozone layer were expressed. The economy was in trouble with high inflation, oil prices, interest rates and unemployment. Scandal in the American government forced President Nixon to resign for his part in the Watergate cover-up. Women, more forcefully now, continued to demand equal rights. In medical circles, the first MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine was tested and mammography for detection o f breast cancer increased. B a n d a g e 1 , the helicopter OTMH' s Executive Director Miss. L.H. Parsons (Joy), receives her 25 year pin, June 1975. Bestowing the honour are OTMH Board member Jack Milne (centre) and Board Chair E. V. Campbell Smith. ambulance, seen here in the mid 1970s, in the sports field of the old Oakville -Trafalgar High School, adjacent to the hospital. t Oakville's hospital, the m id 1970s were a tim e o f improvisation to maintain the high quality o f service provided, due to the physical plant having become inadequate, and an insufficient operating budget. Statistics from 1974 illustrate what a busy place O T M H was. There were 150 doctors on staff, 522 people employed, 1,172 babies delivered, 12,579 patients admitted, and 5,895 surgical procedures preformed. (T y L n March o f 1975, O T M H celebrated its 25th anniversary. Board Chair Mr. E.V. Campbell Smith wrote, KCy "T he need for improvisation, com bined with the special problems o f delivering high quality health patient care in today's environm ent o f restraints could fully occupy all o f us... Any future health care delivery system must reflect our 25 years o f experience and the specific needs o f the com m unity which the hospital serves... T h e m ain them e o f our expansion program, conceived more Stephen Salter o f Scotland devises a wave-powered generator (1974) than 7 years ago, is ambulatory care W orld population reaches 3.782 billion. (1974) treatment that minimizes in-hospital Montreal Canadiens defeat the Philadelphia Flyers to win hockey's bed use." Stanley Cup. (1976) One Flew Over the Cuckoo' s Nest wins all five o f the major Academy Awards (1976) Riots in South Africa's black township o f Soweto kill more than 250 people. (1976) Reviewing floor plans of the Master Plan in 1974 are Gerry Dineen, Building Committee Chairman (left) and E.V. Campbell-Smith, Board Chair from 1973 until 1976. Volunteer Gwen Elford delights children with a story, 1975. Just one of the many important activities of the hospital' s auxiliary. In England, punk music begins with the Sex Pistols. (1976) Summer Olympics are held in M ontreal. Russian gymnast N adia Comaneci wins three gold medals gaining seven perfect scores. (1976) American President Jim m y Carter grants a pardon to alm ost all draft evaders o f the Vietnam War. (1977) Elvis Presley, known as the "King o f Rock `n' Roll" dies. (1977) roup of OTMH's Auxiliary enjoy tents at their annual general meeting at St. Jude's Hall, mid 1970s. Left to right: Shirley Hanlon, Mrs. Cal Sumner, Marge Legge, Stella Patrick and Helen Martin. The President of the auxiliary in 1974-75, was Mrs. J. H. Thompson (Sheila). In 1974, there were 740 members, with 100,000 hours volunteered! H a lto n H e a lth ca re S * E * R · V « I « C « E · S Caring Today, Growingfor Tomorrow C o m in g N ext: Phase One , 1 9 7 8 - 1 9 7 9 W hile every effort is made to assure the accuracy o f inform ation contained herein, and th at people are acknowledged for their contributions, due to the nature o f the material available, we regret if there are any errors or omissions.