Lakeridge Health Whitby
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Lakeridge Health Whitby is a
clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs ...
in
Whitby, Ontario Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region. It had a population of 138,501 at the 2021 census. It ...
, offering specialized health services to the
Durham Region The Regional Municipality of Durham (), informally referred to as Durham Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada. Located east of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York, Durham forms the east-end of the Greater Toron ...
.


History

The clinic originally was opened as a full-service
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
for the town of Whitby on December 17, 1969, named the Dr. J.O. Ruddy General Hospital. The complex was a combined medical and
psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
, the first in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. The hospital maintained a high ranking from the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation since it was first surveyed in 1971, receiving a four-year 'distinction' accreditation in 1995. The hospital was renamed Whitby General Hospital in 1987. In 1998 the hospital, along with
Memorial Hospital Bowmanville Lakeridge Health Bowmanville is a fully accredited hospital in Clarington, Ontario, Canada, servicing the municipality of Clarington. It is run by Lakeridge Health Corporation, part of the Central East Local Health Integration Network. The hosp ...
, North Durham Health Services, and
Oshawa General Hospital Lakeridge Health Oshawa, formerly Oshawa General Hospital, is a hospital located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in August 1910 in a two-story building, and major additions were made in the 1920s (surgical and maternity wings). "G" Wi ...
, were placed under the administration of the
Lakeridge Health Corporation Lakeridge Health is a health system and hospital network serving Durham Region, Ontario in the eastern part of the Greater Toronto Area. It operates four acute hospitals with emergency departments ( Lakeridge Health Bowmanville, Lakeridge Health O ...
, an amalgamation completed under the
Common Sense Revolution The phrase Common Sense Revolution (CSR) has been used as a political slogan to describe conservative platforms with a main goal of reducing taxes while balancing the budget by reducing the size and role of government. It has been used in places ...
of the
Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...
administration. The government had created the Health Services Restructuring Committee and, under their recommendation, the Lakeridge Corporation was to place the town of Whitby under the service of
Lakeridge Health Oshawa Lakeridge Health Oshawa, formerly Oshawa General Hospital, is a hospital located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in August 1910 in a two-story building, and major additions were made in the 1920s (surgical and maternity wings). "G" Wi ...
and would close Whitby General. However, the
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care The Ministry of Health is the Government of Ontario ministry responsible for administering the health care system in the Canadian province of Ontario. The ministry is responsible to the Ontario Legislature through the minister of health, prese ...
reversed this decision in 2001 and allowed the complex to stay open, albeit not as a full-service hospital but a specialty
clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs ...
.


Recent history

The clinic currently offers
palliative care Palliative care (derived from the Latin root , or 'to cloak') is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Wit ...
,
dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
care and
dialysis Dialysis may refer to: *Dialysis (chemistry), a process of separating molecules in solution **Electrodialysis, used to transport salt ions from one solution to another through an ion-exchange membrane under the influence of an applied electric pote ...
services to the
Durham Region The Regional Municipality of Durham (), informally referred to as Durham Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada. Located east of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York, Durham forms the east-end of the Greater Toron ...
. Other services, such as the
day hospital A day hospital is an outpatient facility where patients attend for assessment, treatment or rehabilitation during the day and then return home or spend the night at a different facility. Day hospitals are becoming a new trend in healthcare. The num ...
, offer
rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...
to those who have suffered from
strokes A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
or
brain injuries Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...
. A 16-bed
geriatric Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek language, Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατ ...
assessment unit was opened in 1999, which was later expanded to 32 beds in 2003. This unit offers continued, low-intensity rehabilitation for elderly individuals. A July 2, 2007 electrical fire forced the clinic to cancel over 20 surgeries and move their 71 patients to Lakeridge Oshawa. Though the clinic was scheduled to re-open in autumn of the same year, services would not resume until April 2011.


Proposed re-opening

Recent population growth in Durham has caused some to call for the re-opening of the clinic as a full service hospital, a movement garnering support from both
municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
and provincial levels. A review of the current site found that as the building was created for Whitby in the 1960s, the current patient capacity would be unable to support the town's current population. In addition, to bring the building to healthcare and
building codes A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permission ...
, the review found that extensive renovations must be made to the building structure, interior structure, mechanical systems and upper levels. The town of Whitby has therefore proposed a new hospital in the recently developed north Whitby, to service the town and north
Oshawa Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the G ...
. As a short-term solution, a February 2006 request for $17.5 million for the current location's infrastructure was submitted by the Lakeridge Corporation to the Ministry of Health. In November 2007,
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
health minister
George Smitherman George Smitherman (born February 12, 1964) is a former Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayora ...
remarked that he was not committing himself to a new hospital in Whitby. He added that Whitby should seek funds for the hospital from MP
Jim Flaherty James Michael Flaherty (December 30, 1949 – April 10, 2014) was a Canadian politician who served as the federal minister of finance from 2006 to 2014 under Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper. First elected to the Legislative Assembly ...
, as it under was Flaherty that the hospital closed.


Notes


External links

*
Lakeridge Health Whitby Foundation official website

Lakeridge Health Whitby at Information Durham
{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1969 Hospitals in the Regional Municipality of Durham Hospitals established in 1969 Buildings and structures in Whitby, Ontario 1969 establishments in Ontario