An Impossible Dream Hospital
The Old Janeway Hospital;
In August 1966, the Charles A. Janeway Child Health Centre opened and became a referral centre for all sick children in the province and became an affiliated hospital of Memorial University of Newfoundland Medical School. Before Confederation, child health care in Newfoundland and Labrador was below standards when compared to other Canadian provinces.
After Confederation some improvements were made particularly in public health but Dr. Cliff Joy, a pediatrician in 1958 felt that the hospital treatment of children was below standard and the province lacked a central referral centre for sick children. He advocated for a central free standing Child Health Centre in the Province.
In 1960 the Americans closed Pepperrell and made the base hospital available to the Province. The Newfoundland Medical Association, the Premier, the March of Dimes and the Rehabilitation Community wanted the Pepperrell hospital to be a Rehabilitation Centre. Dr. Joy persisted and because of several events and the support of a several prominent Canadian and American pediatricians was able to persuade Premier Joey Smallwood to make the Pepperrell Hospital a Child Health Centre.
Please join The Newfoundland Historical Society on Thursday, March 30 for the Newfoundland Historical Society’s monthly lecture. In this lecture, Dr. Rick Cooper will trace this story of the Janeway hospital, and the development of child health care in Newfoundland.
Born in St. John’s, Dr. Rick Cooper has been a pediatrician at Memorial University since 1974. He has conducted extensive research on the development of child health care in Newfoundland during the twentieth century, and has a forthcoming publication on the history of the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre (Boulder Publications).
Location: Hampton Hall, Marine Institute, Ridge Road, St. John’s
Date: Thursday, March 30, 2017
Time: 8pm
Admission is free.
Parking: Free parking is available in front and to the west of the building.
Please circulate this notice to family, friends and colleagues.
The NHS hosts FREE lectures on the last Thursday of the months of September, October, November, January, February, March and April. For more information:
Tel: (709)722-3191
E-mail: nlhistory@gmail.com