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Description

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Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital SMGH serves a population of approximately 35000 residents in the second fastest growing township in Ontario The hospitals community includes the Town of Strathroy a bustling urban centre of 12500 with a vibrant downtown of quaint shops restaurants and services Surrounded by rich agricultural farmland Strathroy is home to many London and Sarnia commuters and offers small town life amenities a pleasant walk to many beautiful parks and nature trails a strong sense of community a mix of gracious century homes and modern housing good schools and shopping The hospital is only a short drive to London Sarnia and the beautiful beaches of Lake Huron


SMGH is a full service familycentred community hospital providing a comprehensive range of diagnostic and ambulatory services as well as both primary and secondary care
The hospital operates 60 acute care beds along with a comprehensive range of diagnostic and outpatient services Medical staffing includes a number of active local family physicians internists surgeons and specialists Total staffing for the hospital including fulltime and parttime staff is approximately 300
Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital is located approximately 40 km west of the City of London which is a major tertiary care centre Other hospital facilities in the area are Four Counties General Hospital Newbury 48 km Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital Petrolia 40 km and Sarnia hospitals 55 km Sarnia

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History

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The hospital was officially opened with 20 beds and the first patients were admitted February 14th 1914 There was a staff of five plus three student nurses and the room rate was 150 per day At the time the hospital was municipally owned

Strathroy General Hospital operated a School of Nursing from 1916 to 1946 with 111 nurses graduating during that time A school for Registered Nursing Assistants was conducted from 1962 to 1977 with 311 RNAs graduating
In May 1959 after a great deal of careful planning and a successful fundraising campaign the present hospital was built It opened June 23 1962 as a twostorey structure with 82 beds

In 1966 the Town of Strathroy relinquished ownership of the hospital and it became a community hospital ensuring that representation on the Board of Governors reflected the various communities served by the hospital At that time the name was changed to Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital

In 1975 two more floors were added increasing the rated bed capacity to 154 and adding new services such as ICUCCU and a Chronic Care amp Rehabilitation Unit Due to provincial restrictions the hospital was only allowed to open 116 beds Numerous changes to the hospitals programs and services have taken place since then The hospital currently has a bed capacity of 77 and offers a wide range of outpatient services