More than half a century ago, a group of dedicated women lobbying Mountain View County for the construction of a hospital in Sundre were not about to take no for an answer.
Their unwavering commitment was eventually met with success, and the facility opened on Aug. 16, 1968.
Fast-forward 50 years, and their inspiring legacy remains a founding pillar that has provided much needed medical care for the community as well as the surrounding area.
More than 100 people attended the milestone 50th anniversary ceremony held on a warm, sunny Wednesday, Aug. 22 on the Sundre Hospital and Care Centre’s north lawn.
Addressing the crowd were as follows: Elan Heinrichs, hospital site manager and the ceremony’s MC; Jason Nixon, Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA; Terry Leslie, Sundre’s mayor; Annette Rose, Sundre Hospital Auxiliary member; Vi Ellithorpe, the auxiliary’s president; Pat Campkin, former hospital director of nursing; Gerald Ingeveld, chair of the Sundre Hospital Futures Committee; and Dr. Daniel Edgcumbe, Alberta Health Services Central Zone Medical Director.
Also attending were members of the medical community, numerous women who were part of the initial effort to apply pressure on the county’s council of the day, as well as former MLA Robert Clark, who turned the sod marking the start of construction in December 1967 and was also present for the opening ceremony in 1968.
Heinrichs, who introduced the speakers, first started the service by recognizing, in the spirit of reconciliation, that the day’s ceremony was being held on Treaty 6 Indigenous lands as well as Region 3 of the traditional gathering area of the Métis Nation.
She also offered a brief historical background illustrating the facility’s growth since the hospital first opened with 44 members on staff.
“Today, we have approximately 135 AHS staff and physicians providing care to Sundre and area residents and visitors, with access to a range of services including a 24-hour emergency department, acute care, low-risk maternity services, and restorative, long-term care and palliative care,” she said.
“We have about 8,500 emergency room visits and approximately 530 inpatient visits annually.”
Heinrichs also went on to express “awe thinking about the communal memory and history of the hospital represented by so many in attendance here.”
Nixon, whose hometown is Sundre, was the first of the guest speakers to address the crowd, and said he and his wife Tiffany had reflected on the day before the ceremony about the many memories made at the hospital.
“Some are good — some are tougher times in our life. But like so many of you, this facility has played a role in our family’s life over the years — everything from when our children first arrived, to emergency calls from the ambulance informing us that our oldest son decided to do stunts inside the skateboard park and had broken a few bones and that we needed to drive to the hospital, up to sitting with other members of our family who were in the last days of their lives,” he said.
“This hospital is critical not just to my family, but to families all across our community, to the viability of the community, and it’s so important.”
The MLA urged everyone when reminiscing about the hospital’s history to reflect on two crucial groups of people who played such critical roles in making the facility a reality.
“The first of course, is the group of ladies, who 50 years ago marched on the county seat and said, ‘We, west of the 22 out here, want a hospital too!’ Let me tell you, that reeve and that county council did not stand a chance,” he said.
“A group of ladies driving out towards Didsbury, it was already decided when they were on their way, the council may just not have known it yet.”
Second is the people who have worked in the facility over the years and continue to do so to this day, he said, also praising the efforts of support organizations such as the Sundre Hospital Auxiliary as well as the Sundre Futures Hospital Committee.
“When we think about how important the hospital is to us, I ask that you also reflect on the group that fought for us to get it in the first place, the groups that fight to keep it for us, and the people that work in it every day to make sure we have the best hospital in the province.”
Speaking next, Mayor Leslie said the anniversary represented a remarkable milestone for the hospital.
“But that building is just a shell without the incredible dedication of all the medical professionals, administration and staff, maintenance people, board members — past and present — that have dedicated their lives to the service and health-care needs of this community,” he said, expressing his gratitude for their relentless commitment.
“A hospital is a foundational building block of any community. The people in our hospital have always been the rocks to be relied upon through joy and crisis in the health journeys of our lives. Today, we celebrate our gratitude for your professional care, compassion and kindness of spirit.”
The hospital’s history will continue on courtesy of the “unstoppable community spirit that is ours, and ours alone.”
Rose, Ellithorpe and Campkin then took turns providing detailed historical background that illustrated the hospital’s evolution from the time the building was just a vision until today, with sights set on the future for a new facility.
Initial efforts were met with resistance from the county, said Rose, explaining that every time an appeal was made, “we were met with objections and political manoeuvres regarding boundaries and taxes.”
But finally, on April 19, 1967, county officials agreed to meet with a delegation of 30 women, she said.
“Little did they know there were to be 235 supporters along with the delegates,” she said, recollecting looks of astonishment on the faces of elected officials “as we calmly and quietly walked into council chambers shoulder to shoulder, packing the 30 delegates into the gallery and the extra 235 arranged throughout the hallways, the foyer and the stairwells.”
The floodgates were open, and within days the county council held a special meeting to pass legislation enabling the Sundre hospital project to proceed, she said.
Ellithorpe later outlined the successful fundraising efforts of the auxiliary, which was formed on Oct. 24, 1967 and has since then raised almost $1.2 million to purchase many items — from ultrasound machines and neonatal equipment to beds and hydraulic lifts, to name but a tiny few.
“Our main source of funds today comes from the thrift shop, where the auxiliary volunteers work diligently Monday to Saturday, and various community and church groups take turns volunteering on Friday and Saturday,” she said.
“Without the help of the many dedicated volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to offer these services to the community and our hospital.”
Campkin, who worked at the hospital from 1969 to 1995 when her position was eliminated after local hospital boards were phased out in the ’90s, offered a wealth of information on everything from the hospital’s involvement in the community to the facility’s ongoing evolution over the years.
“Fifty years is a very long time,” she said in concluding her address.
“I must tell you why I will never forget the anniversary of this hospital. On that date, August 16, 1968, my husband and I were married right here in Sundre. It seems like yesterday — well sometimes it doesn’t,” she said, eliciting a wave of laughter from the crowd.
“We’ve been through a lot here at the Sundre hospital — some bad, and mostly good times. We look forward to a bright future for this hospital and care centre, and hopefully for a new building in the very near future.”
Ingeveld then spoke on behalf of the futures committee, which was formed in 2011 and has since been involved in recruitment and retention of health professionals.
He praised the vision of the dreamers who set the cogs in motion to ensure the community would have access to quality health care at home, and shared the story of a young girl who 50 years ago toured the new facility as part of a Grade 4 field trip.
“She went on to become a nurse herself and worked here for 35 years,” he said, paying homage to Joanne Overguard.
“Before cancer took her life a few weeks ago, she asked that a memorial fund be established to begin the process of building a health campus here in Sundre.”
She aspired to not only make the existing hospital the best facility possible, but also to make it a place where students can come to learn all about rural medicine, as well as to help fund the equipment, recruitment and training of staff, and eventually the construction of a new Sundre Health Campus, he said, inviting anyone who was so inclined to support the Joanne Overguard memorial fund.
Concluding the ceremony was Dr. Edgcumbe, who on behalf of AHS said he felt privileged to be in the company of such passionate people who contributed so much to the community in the spirit of collaboration with health authorities over the years.
“Sundre is a true demonstration of our vision for healthy Albertans and healthy communities,” he said.
“We look forward to partnering with you for the next 50 years.”
Following the official ceremony, those who gathered had the opportunity to share stories and enjoy some refreshments.
