Ongwanada Hospital

Description

About Ongwanada
Ongwanada has been a member of the community for more than 60 years Our name an Ojibwa term for quotour homequot is a fitting symbol for our vision mission and values

We support people with developmental disabilities and their families respecting their rights increasing their opportunities to make choices and decisions about the quality of their lives and responding to their changing needs

A nonprofit accredited organization Ongwanada offers a wide range of individualized services and community supports to approximately 600 people with developmental disabilities and their families in Kingston and Eastern Ontario Our funding comes primarily from the provincial Ministry of Community and Social Services and we are managed by a volunteer Board of Governors

Our programs and services are delivered at three main sites in Kingston more than 20 community residences as well as other homes and offices in the region In addition to residential options some services include Day Support Vocational and Life Skills Training Medical Services Occupational and Physical Therapy Respite Care Community Behavioural Services and Adult Protective Services

Research is also important to Ongwanada We are affiliated with Queens University and collaborate internationally in research to enhance the understanding and improve the quality of life of individuals with developmental disabilities

Our Mission
Ongwanada is dedicated to supporting people with developmental disabilities and their families responding to their evolving needs respecting and advocating for their rights and increasing their opportunities to have choices and make decisions

History

Our History
Ongwanada has been a member of the community for over 60 years fulfilling a variety of needs Founded in 1948 as a tuberculosis sanatorium it evolved into a chronic care hospital a facility for children and adults with developmental disabilities and most recently as a nonprofit organization providing communitybased support to approximately 600 individuals and their families in Kingston and eastern Ontario

How did this transformation come about How did Ongwanada shed its original role and the buildings associated with it and yet still retain a recognizable identity The answer lies in the current of caring that flows through Ongwanadas story like a river uniting all the different landmarks Ongwanada has always been a place where people patients residents board members volunteers and staff stayed a long time quotWere like a familyquot is a sentiment authentically expressed time and again

Ongwanada was founded on August 8 1948 by Dr Bruce Holmes Hopkins a persevering and dedicated physician who campaigned for over twenty years to establish a Kingston sanatorium The building had been constructed in 1942 as a hostel for women working at Alcan during World War Two and in 1946 was converted into a veterans hospital Dr Hopkins went to great lengths to transform the makeshift structure into quotOngwanadaquot the Ojibwa word for quotour homequot

The 1950s were peak years for Ongwanada Sanatorium with an array of new programs a steady demand for beds and a facility so picturesque that newlyweds posed for pictures on the grounds Towards the end of the decade however as improved drug treatments made months and years of bed rest unnecessary Ongwanada experienced a crisis of empty beds In the face of government plans to shut Ongwanada down Dr Hopkins and members of the board fought tenaciously for its future

A new direction emerged in 1967 with the gradual transfer of 100 children with severe developmental disabilities from large and overcrowded facilities In April 1968 Ongwanada further extended its services to chronic care patients with the opening of a thirtybed unit The tuberculosis work continued through a combined TB and respiratory disease unit In keeping with its broader mandate the sanatorium was renamed Ongwanada Hospital in 1971 the same year Dr Hopkins died

In the 1970s in response to parental demands the childrens unit experienced a shift from custodial nursing care to developmental programming This thrust gained momentum in 1974 with the transfer of developmental services in Ontario from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Community and Social Services People with developmental disabilities were no longer to be considered patients requiring medical care but as individuals capable of living in the community with support

In April 1977 Ongwanada merged with the LS Penrose Centre a King Street facility housing 120 adults with developmental disabilities The two buildings were renamed the Hopkins and Penrose divisions of Ongwanada under a new executive director Robert Seaby With the merger came a period of intense public controversy over Ongwanadas future role The debate resulted in a positive plan for quotredevelopmentquot which involved the creation of a range of community services and the eventual closing of both facilities

In the 1980s all the children living at the Hopkins site were transferred to communities near their families or relocated to seventeen new community residences operated by Ongwanada in the Kingston area The chronic care and respiratory disease units were transferred in November 1990 to Providence Manor under the administration of St Marys of the Lake Hospital Professional and administrative staff moved from Hopkins to the newly constructed Ongwanada Resource Centre on Portsmouth Avenue and the Hopkins building was demolished

During the late 1990s redevelopment focused on the adults living at Penrose a heritage building constructed in the 1860s as a Crown asylum for the mentally ill The majority of adults chose in consultation with their families and staff to move into eleven new community residences located along the NapaneeGananoque corridor The Home Share program in which individuals live with a family other than their own with support from Ongwanada staff was also greatly expanded Penrose closed in April 1997 and the site is now the responsibility of the Ontario Realty Corporation

The last few years has brought more change to Ongwanada We have been working closely with the Ministry of Community and Social Services to transform developmental services As a colead agency with the Community Networks of Specialized Care Ongwanada is working to ensure that all people with developmental disabilities mental health issues and challenging behaviour can access the help they need in their communities no matter where they live

Technology has become a new and exciting frontier for our organization With Ongwanadas leadership the Community Network has launched videoconferencing sites across Ontario which can be used to deliver training and expertise province wide We are no longer confined by geography we can help provide the best care and training be it in an urban or rural setting

As you can see the past 60 years has brought a number of significant changes for Ongwanada but the journey has just begun Ongwanada will continue to evolve in response to the changing needs and goals of individuals and their families