Patient People
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| The roots of the original hospital on the west side of town go back 100 years today and shown here are four of the local nurses who served in the later—but now torn down two story hospital at the north end of Main Street. From left holding old style uniforms: Kathleen Israelson (worked at the hospital full time from Oct. 1964 to 1967 and then another few years part time); Velma Fleck (who remembers going up and down stairs between floors since there were no elevators and also attended to a birth in the parking lot and then called Dr. Shanks who lived just down the street); Joan Lee (who recalls new medications and more mechanization in the hospital over the years); and Beryl Goodman (who nursed here from 1961 to 1995 and trained in New Westminster B.C. in the early 1950s. She remembers when penicillin and sulfa drugs were “quite new” and the use of early X-rays in town before the modern and existing hospital was built). ©Provost News Photo. |
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Century of Public Hospital Use in Town Marked
One hundred years of public hospital use in Provost is being marked on September 21.
An open house will be held at the Provost Health Centre on Wednesday afternoon to mark health services in the community over the last century.
Records indicate that the first hospital where the public and other doctors were invited was established by Dr. William O. York who came here from Arkansas, U.S.A. The building—now a house still stands just across the road, south of Main Street Hair Design at 5036-51 Street.
Some of the highlights of early hospital use was researched by The Provost News staff and includes local history book and newspaper stories from over the years:
According to some early recollections in Early Furrows (1977): Medical work began in this district in 1908 when Dr. A. S. McColgan settled on a farm four miles north of town. McColgan later moved into a house in town just south of the existing laundromat which also served as “his” hospital and has since been demolished (the history book appears to erroneously state the clinic was in the laundromat; see photo in this paper).
On September 21, 1911, Dr. York established the first hospital in Provost just west of Main Street.
An early newspaper advertisement of The Provost Star states that The York Hospital under the charge of a fully qualified nurse is now ready for patients. Accommodation for 10 beds. Atlantic Avenue Provost.
June 1914:
An impression which appears to exist in the minds of some people is that the York Hospital is available only for patients of Dr. York. The hospital is a general hospital and any doctor is free to use it for his patients. |
The Provost News
1921
April:
At the meeting of the Provost Municipal Board it was decided to procure a corporate seal and that the name be “The Provost Municipal Hospital, District No. 12” and the C.P. R. will be negotiated with concerning a choice of two sites. Mr. Jeffers of Edmonton was appointed architect to prepare plans and specifications in accordance with the department regulations for a 10 bed hospital.
May:
The site of the municipal hospital was definitely decided by the board at their meeting on May 14 as on the hill straight north of Borough (Main) Street about 400 feet north of the present grade with four acres being secured from the C.P.R.
July:
The contract to build the new municipal hospital has been finally let by the board to Messrs. Bird and Woodall of Moose Jaw for the general construction and to F. Larson of Provost and Turner of Saskatoon for the plumbing and heating—Paulgaard’s outfit has started drilling operations for the well for the new hospital.
1922
February:
The new municipal hospital opened on February 3.
1923
January:
Provost Municipal Hospital District No. 12 reports for the year 1922 that 313 patients were admitted, hospital days 4,330, births 53, premature births two, deaths four, operations 93 and average cost per day per patient $4.09.
Rest of story in September 21 edition of The Provost News.
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Three Cowboys Win First Place at Wild Rose Rodeo
Three local cowboys each took first place finishes at the Wild Rose Rodeo Association Challenge 2011 at Barrhead, Alberta September 15-18.
Rest of story in September 21 edition of The Provost News.
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Street Spokesman
This week we ask: "What Was Most Rewarding Working in the Old Hospital Decades Ago?"
. . . and we heard answers from Beryl Goodman, Velma Fleck, Kathleen Israelson and Joan Lee. Check out the September 21 edition of The Provost News for their answers.
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This, along with many other stories and pictures can be found in this week's edition of The Provost News.
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