It was the vision
of Sisters who saw hope for the ill and injured.
It was the answer to the calls from survivors of war and polio.
It was the act of a community who knew that saving lives wasn’t enough.
OUR HIS
TORY
For 75 y
ears, we’v
e
been res
ponding
to the
needs of
ou
body, min r patients –
d, and sp
irit.
Our Journey
Begins…
1953
1975
1937
1983
1962
1960
1952
Click on
the yea r
or icon y
like to le
ou’d
a rn abou
t.
2004
1995
1996
2006
1997
1998
2011
2010
2009
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
2001
2003
2008
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
1994
33
Toronto Star, 19
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
Architect’s draw ing
of the new St. John
’s
Convalescent Hosp
ita l: Ma thers & Ha
ldenby, 1935
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
assey and Mayer
Hon . Vincent M
ea rd Over Air
Stewar t A lso H
IEST CAUSE
IS TH E WORTH
a cloistered
me, the he ad of
ti
t
rs
fi
e
th
r
phone in
Fo
e into the m icro
ok
sp
en
om
w
of
rior of
order
end Mother Supe
er
ev
R
as
w
It
in g
Toronto.
e Div ine appe al
th
hn
Jo
.
St
of
the Sister s
mpaign for
pp or t in thei r ca
su
r
fo
ns
ze
ti
ci
he camto
cent hospital. T
es
al
nv
co
a
r
fo
fu nd s
or row.
paign op en s to -m
wha t ca n
vision now of
a
ht
ug
ca
ve
to the
“We ha
ving m in is tr y
lo
by
d
he
is
pl
be accom
n fess ion. “We
as her simple co
w
”
,
nt
ce
es
al
nv
co
hospital for
a convales cent
ild
bu
to
e
os
ide for
prop
women , to prov
d
an
en
m
th
bo
adults,
ed to he alth
ho ca n be restor
those pa tients w
tment th at
the sp ecia l trea
by
ly
k
ic
qu
e
mor
rn ish.”
is best able to fu
such a hospital
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
M AY 2 2 ,
A crowd of 500 gather as St. John’s Convalescent
Hospital opens its doors. With 64 beds, the
hospital is the first Toronto-area facility to offer
rehabilitative care. The hospital quickly fills and
outgrows its capacity, treating pre-operative and
post-operative patients, ones recovering from
pneumonia or fatigued by stressful times.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
38
Toronto Star, 19
Timeline
w ith pneue
g
ie
s
a
r
e
ft
a
,”
“On the mend
n is cu ttin g a
a
m
g
n
u
o
y
e
e
mon ia , th
a fret s aw. Th
h
it
w
s
d
n
-e
k
o
pair of bo
e cla red jus t
d
is
w
a
s
d
te
bicycle -op era
en g th ba ck to
tr
s
g
in
g
in
r
b
.
the thin g for
r a lon g lay-up
e
ft
a
s
b
m
li
l
you th fu
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
Toronto Star, 1947
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
t of St.
e, superintenden
Sister Beatric
ived a
ce
nt hospital, re
John’s Convalesce
n in a
te
rit
letter was w
letter today. The
ntents
co
its
hand, but
heavy, un formed
face.
e’s
ric
at
Be
to Sister
brought a smile
now,”
t of bed myself
“I hop in and ou t about like a kitten.”
ge
ain
the letter said, “and
those 15 words ag
ad
re
e
ric
at
Be
der
Sister
oa
br
e
m
r smile beca
and again and he
each time.
r had
o wrote this lette
“The man wh
id. “But
Sister Beatrice sa
been a big man”,
ushed
cr
here, he was a
when he came
heavy
A
d physically.
man, mentally an on him in the steel
over
his
car had turned
worked, breaking
he
plant where
badly
ing one arm so
legs and mangl
n he
he
amputated. W
that it had to be ’t walk. After seven
uldn
came here, he co
ed. He
legs were wither
s
years in bed, hi
had no hope left.
red St.
ths after he ente
Eighteen mon
an was
t hospital, the m
John’s Convalecen
were
gs
WALK AGAIN
uld walk. His le
LEARNING TO
g
in
discharged. He co
Aids Steve Pala
ow
ld
gr
na
Mary MacDo
but they were
y
ak
sh
tle
lit
a
still
had a
lly important, he
stronger. But equa
nd he
A
.
pe
ho
d
e. He ha
new outlook on lif
e.
ric
at
Be
er
st
in Si
felt he had a friend
1952
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
Toronto Star, 1952
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
A third floor to the original
building and the Goodwin Gibson
Wing opens, increasing inpatient
beds to 172. The wing has walls
made of glass, bringing into
wards and rooms the superb
country scenery. It was eventually
replaced in the 1970s by the
Gibson Garden, which itself made
way in 2010 for the construction
of the John C. and Sally Horsfall
Eaton Centre for Ambulatory
Care and therapy gardens.
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
1953
The chapel is built and opens to all
faiths and creeds. Its services, along
with the counselling of the Sisters,
helps patients heal mentally and
emotionally.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
ling
a
e
H
l
a
r
u
t
a
N
tients a re
month s, pa
D u rin g wa rm to sp end hou rs
ts ide
he a lin g
wheeled ou
the n a tu ra l
m
o
fr
g
in
tt
sh air.
benefi
ine a nd fre
sh
n
su
f
o
p owers
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
1960
The Auxiliary is founded
(known today as the Volunteer
Association). These volunteers
raise funds for numerous
facility and landscape
improvements and provide
support to staff and patients.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
1962
75thAnni
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Timeline
A modern Physical Medicine Department opens,
providing a well-equipped gymnasium, therapy pools,
facilities for activities of daily living, and rooms for
speech, woodworking and ceramics. In 1975, the area
is devoted solely to physical therapy to facilitate the
establishment of an outpatient department.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
In 1962, volunteers raised $5,000 to build our first
therapy pool. Nearly 50 years later, they reinvest
with a $750,000 pledge to name our new therapy
pool – built in 2011.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
1975
The Agnew Wing opens and provides
additional space to house and treat
inpatients. Large areas are allotted for
occupational therapy, activities of daily
living and recreational therapy.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
1983
The Foundation is established
as a separate corporation to
support the hospital through
fundraising.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
1994
Rather than being served
by separate departments
spread throughout the
hospital, patients receive
interdisciplinary, customized
care on their own units
grouped by common-diagnosis
programs.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
1995
Renamed the Beatty Wing,
the Physical Medicine
Department expands services
to become an interdisciplinary
ambulatory care program.
Patients can now return to
their homes and communities
sooner while still accessing the
holistic care they need.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
1996
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
The Sisterhood of
St. John the Divine
steps away from dayto-day administration
of the hospital with the
retirement of Sr. Philippa Watson, Administrator since 1969.
The Sisters continue to provide spiritual care and sit on the
Board of Directors. In 2004, they donate $5 million to the
hospital through the Ashforth Trust.
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
1997
Formally becoming a teaching site
for medical and rehab therapy
students, the hospital signs its
first affiliation agreement with the
University of Toronto.
The hospital begins its tradition of
preventing falls with exercise and
education for North York seniors.
In 1999 and 2011, falls prevention
programs are introduced for
inpatients and community members
respectively.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
71%
of major injuries
to seniors are
caused by falls.
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
ACHIEVING
A GOAL
Don’s left arm was amputated
in a farming accident in late
1997. After rehab, he and four
other hospital alumni formed
Canada’s Standing Amputee
Hockey Team. They won the
gold medal at the First World
Championships in a heartstopping match against Team
U.S.A.
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
1998
Intravenous
therapy is
introduced,
making it
possible for
patients to begin specialized rehabilitation at an
early stage in their recovery while still receiving
intensive medical treatment.
As a founding member of the Ontarians with
Disabilities Commission, St. John’s Rehab breaks
down barriers by shaping provincial accessibility
legislation.
12
of
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
Ontarians are
affected by
disability, either
personally or
within their
family circle.
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
2001
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
The hospital launches Canada’s first
rehab program for severe burns.
Since then, burn programs across
the country have been developed
based on the St. John’s Rehab model.
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
2003
Patients living outside of Ontario’s major urban
areas are able to receive specialized rehabilitation
assessment, treatment and education from hospital
experts using videoconferencing technology.
A patient transferred between our site and
North York General Hospital is the first patient
in the second-wave of Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS). St. John’s Rehab responds by
launching the All Systems Go SARS rehab program
in partnership with the Workplace Safety and
Insurance Board.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
LIFE AFTER SARS
Sylvia’s strength grows with rehab after contracting
SARS in 2003. Still optimistic, she is helping our
researchers discover the long-term physical and
psychological effects – one, four and seven years
after infection.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
2004
To ensure fast, accurate
information sharing
across the healthcare
system, St. John’s Rehab
joins University Health
Network and the Toronto Community Care Access Centre as
one of the first partners in Shared Information Management
Services (SIMS).
The hospital launches Canada’s first organ transplant
rehabilitation program of its kind.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
| A HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
2006
Following life-saving
cancer treatment,
survivors now have
access to a one-ofa-kind rehabilitation
program that supports their physical, social, emotional, and
psychological needs to confidently return to their lives.
The Foundation publicly launches the $15-million Rebuilding
Lives Campaign. In 2009 we achieve our goal, marking the
close of the largest campaign in our history, and the first
since 1937.
The hospital develops an inpatient wound care program to
help people recover from serious, chronic bedsores.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
sA HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
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Timeline
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
sA HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
An Honoura
bl
e Tradition
During the N
orthwest Reb
ellion of
1885, Sisters
of St. John th
e Divine
were the firs
t women in h
istory to
serve for the
Canadian M
il
itary. The
hospital has
since tended
to
vet
of World War
II and Afghan erans
istan,
including trai
ning Canadia
n Forces
physiotherap
ists to care fo
r
civilians
and Coalitio
n soldiers wit
h traumatic
injuries and
amputations.
The Canadia
n Forces and
past
patients give
back each yea
r at our
annual 5K R
un.
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
2008
St. John’s Rehab partners with
North York General Hospital to close
a gap in health care: The Short
Term Active Reconditioning (STAR)
program provides rehabilitation
for people who are deconditioned
after general surgery or a medical
condition that results in a lengthy
acute care hospital stay.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
sA HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
2009
At the hospital, a
ground-breaking study
on the benefits of using
the Nintendo WiiTM for
therapy leads to its
adoption in rehabilitation settings around the world. It has
since led to the exploration of Xbox Kinect and virtual reality.
Patient care doesn’t stop on the weekends: St. John’s Rehab
becomes the first rehab hospital in Toronto to extend all
inpatient rehabilitation to seven days per week. Outpatient
care hours are also extended.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
sA HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
2010
Researchers at the hospital
prove that survivors of lowvoltage electrical injuries
experience invisible, but lasting
pain, depression, insomnia and
weakness. Studies also show that these effects can be decreased by
participating in rehabilitation.
sA HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
In 1938, a typical patient stayed at the hospital for
41 days. In 2011, with expanded therapy services,
the average inpatient length of stay is 19.3 days.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
sA HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
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Timeline
2011
Following an extensive education
program, Registered Practical Nurses
take on additional patient care duties
such as assessing patients and
administering medications.
The John C. and Sally Horsfall Eaton Centre for Ambulatory Care
opens, providing the modern space we need to treat the 40,000 plus
outpatient visits we see each year. The day of its opening, the new
wing’s namesakes announce an additional $3-million gift to establish
a Chair in rehabilitation research – the first in the hospital’s history.
The Eatons are long-time hospital supporters and donors of our
largest private-citizen gift, now totalling $5 million to the new wing
and ongoing rehabilitation research and education.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
sA HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
With its curtain of windows, the design of the new ambulatory
care centre was inspired by the Gibson Wing of 1952.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
sA HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES
75thAnni
versary
Timeline
St. John’s Rehab Hospital and
Sunnybrook Health Sciences
Centre become a single
health care provider from
acute care to recovery.
Planning
Ahead:
Investing
in
of St. John the future
’s Rehab
During th
eir lifetim
es, Stepha
philanthro
n and Sop
pic leaders
hie Lewar
. Their leg
were
their visio
acies live o
nary contr
n through
ibutions to
Lewars’ gift
lo
cal chariti
of $1,061,7
es. The
00—the h
gift to date
ospital’s la
—is essen
rg
est estate
ti
a
l
to the hosp
viability a
nd sustain
ital’s finan
ability.
cial
You too ca
n help sha
pe the futu
Through o
re of St. Jo
ur planne
hn’s Rehab
d
giving opti
achieve yo
.
ons, we ca
ur financia
n help you
l
a
nd philan
ensure tha
thropic go
t your doll
als and
ars have th
rebuilding
e greatest
the lives o
impact in
f those wh
o need it m
ost.
St. John’s Rehab Hospital
sA HISTORY OF POSSIBILITIES