On December 8, 1948, more than 3,000 people were on hand to witness the official ribbon-cutting and opening of the new Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH). The Hon. Charles Challies, MPP for Grenville-Dundas and the Hon. Russell Kelly, Ontario Minister of Health officiated at the ceremony.
The first patient was 10-year old Glendon Loucks, who underwent minor surgery. Four days later, the hospital registered its first birth, that of a little girl born to Mrs. Glenn Fetterly of Mountain. Dr. Howard Justus was the first Chief of Staff.
In the first year, staff and physicians treated 1,300 patients and delivered 245 babies. Seven decades later, WDMH is proud to continue caring for our local communities.
As part of the festivities, WDMH was pleased to host a Past Board Chair Dinner. It was an opportunity to meet with, and thank, WDMH’s past Board Chairs – and also tap into their expertise as part of our strategic planning process. It was great to have Board Chairs from 1976 onward in attendance.
“WDMH has benefitted from very strong community leadership – including those who led the development of the hospital 70+ years ago and all those who have led our board of directors since then. We are grateful to them all,” sums up Cholly Boland, CEO.
Happy Birthday WDMH!
