User:Kgy514/sandbox/Alexandra Hospital for Contagious Diseases

Alexandra Hospital for Contagious Diseases (1906-1967; Alexandra Hospital, 1968-1972; Alexandra Pavilion, 1973-1988) was an English Protestant hospital located at 220 Charon Street, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Montreal. From 1906 to 1967 the hospital's primary mandate was to treat children with contagious diseases, including a tuberculosis unit with special research in tuberculosis meningitis from 1948 to 1966. On orders from the provincial government, the hospital stopped treating contagious diseases in 1968. From this time it was was dedicated to the long-term care of children with chronic illnesses and severe physical and mental disabilities. In 1973 it merged with the Montreal Children's Hospital and became known as the Alexandra Pavilion. The hospital was closed in 1988 as part of the province wide deinstitutionalization of mental healthcare. The site was purchased by the City of Montreal where social housing was constructed. Some of the hospital buildings, such as the nurses residences and administrative buildings were recycled for use in the housing projects.

Early years
Edward and W.S. Maxwell were the architects

English Protestant Hospital open to "all creeds and nationalities"

The Alexandra had dedicated wards for measles, scarlet fever and diphtheria, but at the request of the City, children with any kind of contagious disease were treated, as well as some adults.

Dr. John McCrae was the visiting practitioner of the Scarlet Fever ward from 1906 to 1913.

According to an article on the Hospitals of Montreal published in 1929, nursing at the Alexandra was done by volunteers in the early years.

Grace M. Fairley, Lady Superintendent of the Alexandra from 1912-1919, arranged a training course in contagious diseases which received student nurses from English language teaching hospitals on a rotating basis throughout the year. These student nurses accounted for roughly 50% of the nursing staff at the Alexandra. 9323 students would train at Alexandra between 1918 and 1968. This began with affiliated hospitals within Quebec, but eventually included hospitals from other Canadian provinces. Additionally, The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in Hamilton, Bermuda, became affiliated with the Alexandra in 1935 and sent 5-10 students each year.

Tuberculosis Unit
Due to the declining number of contagious disease cases in the 1940s, the Alexandra opened a tuberculosis unit in 1948, with the intention to pursue treatment suggested by Dr. in Oxford. In 1950, supported by a provincial grant, a specialized unit for the treatment of tuberculosis meningitis was established. At that time meningitis was a fatal complication in tuberculosis patients. The unit was able to decrease the mortality rate to 20% for its patients. Although this disease was still killing many children in Quebec, the number of cases admitted to the Alexandra were declining. When the administration sent requests to other hospitals to refer tuberculosis meningitis patients, in 1955 it also contacted the Department of Northern Affairs for referrals of "Eskimo and Indian" patients. This was a period in Canadian History when large numbers of Inuit were being diagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to southern hospitals. Compared to some other institutions, the Alexandra received very small numbers of Inuit patients, primarily children, typically 2-3 per year. In Alexandra annual reports, patients from Frobisher Bay (Iqaluit) and Ungava are mentioned.

Long-term care
At this point it operated in both French and English

In 1973, the Alexandra became part of the Montreal Children's Hospital, with which it had long and close ties. It operated as the Alexandra Pavilion.

In 1985 the staff held an illegal strike protesting the dismissal of a worker without a hearing. The staff member had been accused of striking a patient.

Closure
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