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The Story of Grace, over a Century of Service

Outside picture of the front of the Toronto Grace Health Centre

It all started with a rescue home opened by The Salvation Army in 1889.

Sixteen years later, on October 15, 1905 the Government of Ontario formally recognized the home as Esther Street Catherine Booth Rescue Home and Maternity Hospital. It was then located in a house on Esther Street (now Augusta) in downtown Toronto.

A large house at 133 Bloor Street East had been built by Joseph Bloor in 1830.  This property was subsequently purchased by The Salvation Army and in 1909, the Esther Street Hospital was relocated to this location following renovations to become a 17-bed facility providing obstetrical services to unmarried women and care for their babies.  The name was changed to the Bloor Street Women’s Hospital.  This property located on the southwest corner of Bloor and Church Streets is where the hospital remains to the present day.

A significant change occurred in 1979 when Toronto Grace was designated a chronic and palliative care hospital, opening the first palliative care unit in the Province of Ontario.

A brief historical timeline

1889: The Salvation Army opens a Rescue Home in Toronto.

1905: The Home becomes The Salvation Army Esther Street Catherine Booth Rescue Home and Maternity Hospital on Esther Street.

1909: Hospital moves to the corner of Bloor and Church streets.

1925: A new wing was added to include an operating room and patient accommodation was increase to 56 adult beds and 42 bassinets. the total number of babies born up to this time was 6,000 and the total admissions for the year 1925 was 3,588.  During this time, it was officially known as the Toronto Women’s Hospital.

1926: Graduation services were held for the first group of two year nurses.

1937: The name of the hospital was changed to The Salvation Army Grace Hospital.

1946: A fire in the health records department destroyed all records previous to that year except some register books and business office cards.  Microfilming of records started in 1946.

1959: New building is constructed at Bloor and Church Streets.  The Honourable Keiller Mackay, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario opened the present building at 650 Church Street.  The first patient was admitted on March 26, 1959.  The former building was torn down to make room for a parking lot.

1969: Designated a general hospital.  Male patients were admitted for the first time in October 1969, thus the status changed from an obstetrical hospital to a general hospital without a paediatric service.

1977: In April 1977, the Ontario Ministry of Health requested the hospital to change the facilities from active treatment to chronic with a palliative care unit.  The case room closed on December 31, 1977, and the last baby was born at the hospital. 

1978: The operating room closed December 1, 1978.  Renovations began in January 1979.

1979: The official opening of the palliative care unit was held in June 1979. The Palliative Care Unit was the first in the Province of Ontario with 22-beds, along with 95-beds designated for chronic care.

1980: The official opening of the chronic care unit and palliative care unit was held in June 11, 1980, by the Premier of Ontario, Premier William Davis.  

1981: The official opening of the Roof Garden was May 1981, David Crombie, Mayor of Toronto.

1995: The Toronto Grace Hospital officially changed its name to The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre.

1998: The Health Services Restructuring Committee directed the Toronto Grace and three other complex continuing care hospitals to close.

2001: The Ministry of Health reverses the decision and directs Toronto Grace to continue to provide its programs and services. The Hospital Board begins to look at emerging needs in the health system.

2005: Toronto Grace Health Centre celebrates its 100th birthday at Church and Bloor Streets in downtown Toronto where it continues to provide its special blend of care.

2007: Toronto Grace Health Centre launches its new logo with a new look that reflects the care that is given to patients daily. Toronto Grace shows itself to be a leader in providing Slow-Paced Rehabilitation, Palliative and Complex Continuing Care.

2010: In June 2010 following infrastructure renewal to the roof garden, the Irwin Rooftop Garden was officially opened and dedicated by Commissioner William Francis.

2014: Following the temporary move to the UHN’s Hillcrest site The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre launches its new Post Acute Care Rehabilitation Program in partnership with St. Michael’s Hospital.

2015: Elite Construction Incorporated was selected and approved by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to undertake the renovations at 650 Church Street.  On May 7, 2015, the keys to the building were officially handed over to the contractor.

2016: In 2016, the TGHC developed its Strategic Plan for 2016-2019.  The health care team continues to advance its capacity in wound care management, while remaining a leader in Complex Continuing Care, Post Acute Care Rehabilitation and Palliative Care.

Once again in 2016 the TGHC received notice that it was “Accredited with Exemplary Standing” by Accreditation Canada.  Accreditation Canada surveyors examined all areas of the TGHC’s services under six standards: Governance, Leadership, Infection Prevention and Control, Medication Management, Medicine Services and Rehabilitation and received an overall rating of 99.6% of Total Criteria Met.

2017: On June 24, 2017, following the completion of the Infrastructure Renewal Project the TGHC moved its staff, patients, beds, furniture and possessions back to 650 Church Street.

On September 25, 2017, the TGHC celebrated its official opening and re-dedication of the Church Street building in the new and refurbished lobby, the Weston Family Welcome Centre.  Commissioner Susan McMillian, Territorial Commander of the Salvation Army, along with Colonel Lee Graves, Chief Secretary and Susan Fitzpatrick, CEO of the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network were among the many guests in attendance for the plaque unveiling.

2018: Since May 2018, the Bariatric Program at TGHC has offered comprehensive health care services, including mental health support, customized meal plans (developed with a dietitian), as well as occupational therapy and physiotherapy rehabilitation.

In 2018, TGHC received $1M from the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation for research related to prevention of pressure injuries in partnership with Curiato Inc. in the development of its smart surface monitoring platform technology.  Phase I and II of the studies were completed as of December 31, 2019.

In 2018, TGHC partnered with the University Health Network’s Toronto General Hospital The RECOVER Program (REhabilitation and ReCOVERy in Survivors of Critical Illness) an innovative collaboration, an international first. The Program offers a novel care pathway for patients and families after an episode of critical illness. The Program has been successful with research grants from The Salvation Army TGHC Research Fund and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

2019: On April 1, 2019, The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre became an incorporated entity.  The new entity retains the name “The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre” and will continue as a ministry of The Salvation Army.  The Governing Council of The Salvation Army in Canada will be the sole member of this new corporation and members of The Governing Council will continue to serve on its board. This change was approved by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network. This transition has no impact on the Centre’s day-to-day operations, patients or staff.

2020: The TGHC launched its Strategic Plan for 2020-23.  The Plan was developed in a collaborative and communicative culture that encouraged the involvement of all stakeholders.  The Plan identifies ways in which the TGHC can ensure that it will be able to provide improved and enhanced programs that will continue to meet the needs of a patient population with complex medical issues.

In February 2020, The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre in partnership with Ontario Health-Toronto created a program to alleviate the alternate level of care (ALC burden experienced by acute care hospitals. This new Integrated Transitional Services (ITS) Program provide support for ALC with mental health and addiction requirements who are medically stable and have acquired a level of independence but continue to require a level of support before they can transition into the community. The program provides a community setting and is located at The Salvation Army Toronto Harbour Light Ministries (THLM) at 160 Jarvis Street Toronto.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.  In response to the needs of the healthcare system in the Greater Toronto Area Ontario Health-Toronto requested TGHC’s support in the admission of non-acute COVID-19 positive patients.

In May 2020, TGHC in partnership with Ontario Health-Toronto was requested to expand our Respiratory Care Program and TGHC commenced admissions to our new Chronic Ventilator Program.  

In partnership with the Ministry of Long-Term Care and the Ministry of Health, and the University Health Network, The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre opens a temporary site of the Specialized Care Centre (SCC) located in the Toronto Congress Centre at 650 Dixon Road in Etobicoke. The SCC has a total of 90 beds. The first 30 beds opened on December 28, 2020

The purpose of the Specialized Care Centre (SCC) is to provide emergency surge capacity by allowing long-term care (LTC) homes in the GTA who are high risk sites for COVID-19 to temporarily decant residents to this facility until the LTC home stabilizes operations. The SCC also responded to the need to transfer alternate level of care (ALC) patients from acute care who were waiting beds in LTC homes. The SCC is an alternate health facility under the Public Hospital Act and a site of the TGHC.

 

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