St. Michael's Hospital (Toronto)
Encyclopedia
St. Michael's Hospital is a teaching hospital
and medical centre in Downtown Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. It was established by the Sisters of St. Joseph
in 1892, with the founding goal of taking care of the sick and poor of Toronto
's inner city. The hospital provides tertiary and quaternary services in cardiovascular surgery
, neurosurgery
, inner city health and therapeutic endoscopy
. It is one of two Level 1 adult trauma centres
in Greater Toronto
, along with the larger Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
.
and Yonge Street
in downtown Toronto's Garden District. The hospital serves a diverse population that includes the affluent condominium
complexes in Harbourfront
, the underprivileged of the inner city of Regent Park
, and the gay and lesbian community
in Church and Wellesley
. The hospital has over 550 beds and extensive outpatient clinics.
The current Physician-in-Chief is Dr. Tom Parker, the Surgeon-in-Chief is Dr. Ori Rotstein and the President and CEO is Dr. Bob Howard. The hospital also has a large team of volunteers that contribute their skills and caring to help achieve the Hospital's commitment to healing. The hospital absorbed the Wellesley endoscopy
group after Wellesley Hospital
was closed.
St. Michael's was the subject of a groundbreaking experiment partnering media and medicine. Award-winning documentary filmmaker Katerina Cizek
teamed up with frontline health care workers in the National Film Board of Canada
's Filmmaker-in-Residence project. The website received the 2008 Webby Award for best online documentary series.
In October 2008, St. Michael's was named one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers
by Mediacorp Canada Inc., which was announced by the Toronto Star
newspaper. The hospital was also named one of the Top 20 Best Employers for New Canadians for the second consecutive year in April 2009.
epidemic that was sweeping Toronto and an appeal by the city's medical officer of health.
The hospital opened with a bed capacity of 26 and a staff of six doctors and four graduate nurses. Within a year, it was expanded to include two large wards and an emergency department
.
As early as 1894, St. Michael's Hospital started receiving medical students. It negotiated a formal agreement with the Faculty of Medicine
at the University of Toronto
in 1920 that continues to this day.
By 1912, bed capacity had reached 300, and a five-room operating suite was added.Ongoing physical expansion, most prominent in the 1960s, increased the original 26 bed facility to a high of 900 beds.
Between 1892 and 1974, St. Michael's school of nursing graduated 81 classes, totalling 5,177 graduates. The school was closed in 1974 when nursing education was moved into the province's community college
system. Thereafter, the hospital opened a school for medical record librarians, the first in Canada, and also participated in the preparation of dietitians and X-ray
and laboratory technologists.
In March 2010, the hospital re-branded itself simply as St. Michael's to reflect its growing moment into medical research. At the same time a new motto: "Inspired Care. Inspiring Science." was also revealed.
The hospital is also home to the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, with a state-of-the-art building, opened on October 18th, 2011. The Knowledge Institute aims to bring together the areas of research and education to bring advances to patient care sooner. It is also the home of the Toronto Platelet Immunobiology Group, a group of scientists and physicians that perform research in platelet
and bleeding disorders.
St. Michael's is one of a few GTA hospitals with helicopter landing facilities and one two in downtown Toronto (the other is at the Hospital for Sick Children
). The helipad
is located the on the roof of the main hospital wing in the north end at Shuter Street and Victoria Street.
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
and medical centre in Downtown Toronto
Downtown Toronto
Downtown Toronto is the central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately bounded by Bloor Street to the north, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don River to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was established by the Sisters of St. Joseph
Sisters of St. Joseph
The title Sisters of St. Joseph applies to several Roman Catholic religious congregations of women. The largest and oldest of these was founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France...
in 1892, with the founding goal of taking care of the sick and poor of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's inner city. The hospital provides tertiary and quaternary services in cardiovascular surgery
Cardiac surgery
Cardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
, neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
, inner city health and therapeutic endoscopy
Therapeutic endoscopy
Therapeutic endoscopy is the medical term for an endoscopic procedure during which treatment is carried out via the endoscope. This contrasts with diagnostic endoscopy, where the aim of the procedure is purely to visualise a part of the gastrointestinal, respiratory or urinary tract in order to aid...
. It is one of two Level 1 adult trauma centres
Trauma center
A trauma center is a hospital equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries. Trauma centers grew into existence out of the realization that traumatic injury is a disease process unto itself requiring specialized and experienced...
in Greater Toronto
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
, along with the larger Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, abbreviated SHSC and known simply as Sunnybrook, is an academic health sciences centre located in Toronto, Ontario....
.
Overview
The hospital is located near the intersection of Queen StreetQueen Street West
Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The...
and Yonge Street
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
in downtown Toronto's Garden District. The hospital serves a diverse population that includes the affluent condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
complexes in Harbourfront
Harbourfront
Harbourfront is a neighbourhood on the northern shore of Lake Ontario within the downtown core of the city of Toronto, Canada. Part of the Toronto Waterfront, Harbourfront extends west from Yonge Street to Bathurst Street along Queen's Quay. East of Yonge to Parliament St...
, the underprivileged of the inner city of Regent Park
Regent Park
Regent Park is a neighbourhood located in Old Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Regent Park is Canada's oldest and largest social housing project; built in the late 1940s. Formerly the centre of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood, it is bounded by Gerrard Street East to the north, River Street to the east,...
, and the gay and lesbian community
Gay village
A gay village is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries where a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people live or frequent...
in Church and Wellesley
Church and Wellesley
Church and Wellesley is an LGBT-oriented community located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is roughly bounded by Gerrard Street to the south, Yonge Street to the west, Charles Street to the north, and Jarvis Street to the east, with the core commercial strip located along Church Street from...
. The hospital has over 550 beds and extensive outpatient clinics.
The current Physician-in-Chief is Dr. Tom Parker, the Surgeon-in-Chief is Dr. Ori Rotstein and the President and CEO is Dr. Bob Howard. The hospital also has a large team of volunteers that contribute their skills and caring to help achieve the Hospital's commitment to healing. The hospital absorbed the Wellesley endoscopy
Endoscopy
Endoscopy means looking inside and typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an endoscope , an instrument used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike most other medical imaging devices, endoscopes are inserted directly into the organ...
group after Wellesley Hospital
Wellesley Hospital
The Wellesley Hospital was a teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada affiliated with the University of Toronto. It was founded by Dr. Herbert Bruce as a private hospital, but became publicly operated in 1942....
was closed.
St. Michael's was the subject of a groundbreaking experiment partnering media and medicine. Award-winning documentary filmmaker Katerina Cizek
Katerina Cizek
Katerina Cizek is a Canadian documentary filmmaker and web creator whose credits include the 2010 web documentary Out My Window, winner of the inaugural IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam...
teamed up with frontline health care workers in the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
's Filmmaker-in-Residence project. The website received the 2008 Webby Award for best online documentary series.
In October 2008, St. Michael's was named one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers
Greater Toronto's Top Employers
Greater Toronto's Top Employers is an annual competition that recognizes the best places to work in the Greater Toronto Area...
by Mediacorp Canada Inc., which was announced by the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
newspaper. The hospital was also named one of the Top 20 Best Employers for New Canadians for the second consecutive year in April 2009.
History
St. Michael's Hospital was founded in 1892 by the Sisters of St. Joseph, who operated the Notre Dame des Anges, a boarding house for working women. Originally an old Baptist church, the hospital on Bond Street was created in response to a diphtheriaDiphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
epidemic that was sweeping Toronto and an appeal by the city's medical officer of health.
The hospital opened with a bed capacity of 26 and a staff of six doctors and four graduate nurses. Within a year, it was expanded to include two large wards and an emergency department
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
.
As early as 1894, St. Michael's Hospital started receiving medical students. It negotiated a formal agreement with the Faculty of Medicine
University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto is the medical school of the University of Toronto. The faculty is based in the Discovery District of Downtown Toronto along with most of its teaching hospitals and research institutes. Founded in 1843, it is one of Canada's oldest institutions of...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1920 that continues to this day.
By 1912, bed capacity had reached 300, and a five-room operating suite was added.Ongoing physical expansion, most prominent in the 1960s, increased the original 26 bed facility to a high of 900 beds.
Between 1892 and 1974, St. Michael's school of nursing graduated 81 classes, totalling 5,177 graduates. The school was closed in 1974 when nursing education was moved into the province's community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
system. Thereafter, the hospital opened a school for medical record librarians, the first in Canada, and also participated in the preparation of dietitians and X-ray
Radiologic technologist
A radiologic technologist, also known as medical radiation technologist and as radiographer, performs imaging of the human body for diagnosis or treating medical problems...
and laboratory technologists.
In March 2010, the hospital re-branded itself simply as St. Michael's to reflect its growing moment into medical research. At the same time a new motto: "Inspired Care. Inspiring Science." was also revealed.
Services
- HeartHeart diseaseHeart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
and vascular diseaseVascular diseaseVascular disease is a form of cardiovascular disease primarily affecting the blood vessels.Some conditions, such as angina and myocardial ischemia, can be considered both vascular diseases and heart diseases .Cigarette smoking is the major risk factor.... - Inner city health
- Trauma and neurosurgeryNeurosurgeryNeurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
- DiabetesDiabetes mellitusDiabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
comprehensive care - NeurologyNeurologyNeurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
and musculoskeletal disorders - Specialized Complex Care
- Critical careCritical Care MedicineCritical Care Medicine is a peer-reviewed medical journal in the field of intensive care medicine. It is the official publication of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. The editor-in-chief is Joseph E. Parrillo....
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- PsychiatryPsychiatryPsychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
- Vitreoretinal surgery
- Coronary care unitCoronary care unitA coronary care unit is a hospital ward specialized in the care of patients with heart attacks, unstable angina, Cardiac dysrhythmia and various other cardiac conditions that require continuous monitoring and treatment.-Characteristics:...
The hospital is also home to the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, with a state-of-the-art building, opened on October 18th, 2011. The Knowledge Institute aims to bring together the areas of research and education to bring advances to patient care sooner. It is also the home of the Toronto Platelet Immunobiology Group, a group of scientists and physicians that perform research in platelet
Platelet
Platelets, or thrombocytes , are small,irregularly shaped clear cell fragments , 2–3 µm in diameter, which are derived from fragmentation of precursor megakaryocytes. The average lifespan of a platelet is normally just 5 to 9 days...
and bleeding disorders.
St. Michael's is one of a few GTA hospitals with helicopter landing facilities and one two in downtown Toronto (the other is at the Hospital for Sick Children
Hospital for Sick Children
The Hospital for Sick Children – is a major paediatric centre for the Greater Toronto Area, serving patients up to age 18. Located on University Avenue in Downtown Toronto, SickKids is part of the city’s Discovery District, a critical mass of scientists and entrepreneurs who are focused on...
). The helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
is located the on the roof of the main hospital wing in the north end at Shuter Street and Victoria Street.