History of St. Joseph's Hospital by: Mary Chiasson
St. Joseph's was the pioneer hospital in eastern Nova Scotia. The first sod was turned by Lord Minto, the then Governor General of Canada on July 24th, 1901. This was the result of the work of two local priests, Father Ronald MacDonald and Father Charles W. MacDonald. The 75 bed hospital was formerly opened on July 1st, 1902. The hospital was to be financed through the "Check-off" system, whereby in return for hospitalization, coal company employees made regular contributions from their wages. At a meeting of the hospital board on May 27th, 1902, the ways and means committee recommended that coal company employees be asked to pay .20 cents per month in return for free treatment in public wards, and that amount be deducted in the colliery office. St. Joseph's Hospital was the first hospital in North America to operate under such a system. This system was in place until the establishment of the Nova Scotia Hospital Insurance Commission in 1959.
The Sisters of St. Martha took over housekeeping operations of the hospital from 1902 until 1908. In 1908 the Sisters were recalled to Antigonish to help meet the needs of St. F.X. University. The Sisters returned in 1915 after persistent invitations to assume the management of the hospital.
The hospital received its first accreditation in 1921, also the first in the province. In 1939 a new wing was built along the Wallace's Road. Also in 1939 a TB Annex was built by the province of Nova Scotia. Following a surrey by the American College of Physicians in 1942, St. Joseph's was considered the most modern and up to date hospital in Canada. In 1964, a new wing was opened along Main St. to replace the building built in 1902.
The Sisters of St. Martha withdrew from ownership and responsibility for the operation of the hospital August 15th, 1977. At that time the name was changed to the Glace Bay Community Hospital. It was now the responsibility of the province of Nova Scotia. The hospital closed its doors in 1996 and has since been demolished and a Veterans/ Long Term Care Facility has been erected on the site.
Lab Department By: Mary Currie RN. RT
In 1948, the Lab at St. Joseph's Hospital consisted of two small rooms in the basement of what was known as the "Old Wing". It was staffed by one person, Sister M. Rosario. At that time the Canadian Red Cross started supplying the hospitals with blood and blood components . Sr. Rosario being the only technician in the area, was required to cross match the blood not only for St. Joseph's but also for the Glace Bay General and the New Waterford Hospital. As a result, Sr. Rosario was doing 24 hour duty quite frequently. Since another lab technician was not to be found, I was asked following graduation from the Nursing program to assist Sr. Rosario until such time as a technician was available. In the mid 1950's Sister was transferred to a hospital in the West. Sister Joseph Ignatia who was the Pharmacist helped until Mary McNeil of East Bay agreed to come from St. Martha's. At the same time the first Pathologist- Dr. A. Gyorfi was hired to serve both Glace Bay hospitals. Dr. O. Ikijiani was the last. In 1960, a School for Medical Technologists was opened in Halifax and the following year the first of 14 students returned to St. Joseph's for practical training and graduation. Thirty-eight years later and having received registration with the CSLT I retired from a more modern, bright laboratory boasting a large staff.
X-ray Department By: Sister Loretta McGrath, Bethany, Antigonish
I, Sister Loretta McGrath (Roberta) was told to go to St. Joseph's Hospital to train to be an X-ray technician. I didn't have a clue what is was all about but I landed there all excited. When I arrived, Dr. H.R.Corbett was Radiologist, and a wonderful man to work with. He taught me all that I know. We had two X-ray machines, very good for the times, and very busy - always a mine accident at the door. We had four doctors (interns) who were in and out looking at X-rays and teasing Dr. Corbett. In 1944, I became an RT and later began to train students in the profession. These students trained for two years and graduated with the nurses. They wore green lined capes and green bands on their caps. Following graduating the X-rays graduates pursued careers in various hospitals throughout Canada and the United States.
