Prince Edward Island Hospital

The Prince Edward Island Hospital is a former acute care hospital that was located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. It was the first public general hospital established in the province and the largest such facility throughout its history.

The facility was established by the provincial government on January 28, 1884 on a property known as "Haszard House" located at present-day 24-36 Longworth Avenue in the northeast part of the city. The Prince Edward Island Hospital was predated by the Charlottetown Hospital, which was established in 1879 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown. The city's residents demanded that the government open "a general" hospital that was not affiliated with a religious body. As such, the Prince Edward Island Hospital was frequently referred to as the "Protestant" hospital.

In 1891 the first nursing school in the province was opened when the Prince Edward Island Hospital School of Nursing was established.

In 1896 the trustees of the Prince Edward Island Hospital foresaw a greater need than Haszard House could provide and accepted the gift of Rev. Ralph Brecken's property at present-day 31 Kensington Road in the neighbouring then-rural community of Parkdale. Architect C.B. Chappell was commissioned to design and build the large brick building in June 1898 and it opened in March 1900.

By the 1920s it became apparent that the Kensington Road location for the hospital was becoming over-crowded, thus the provincial government built a much larger facility on the northern part of the Government House property adjacent to Victoria Park. This new building opened in 1934 at present-day 5 Brighton Road.

In 1969 the provincial government took over the operation of the Charlottetown Hospital from the Roman Catholic Church as part of the provincial development plan under premier Alex Campbell. The Prince Edward Island Hospital and the Charlottetown Hospital were identified for replacement with a single modern facility.

In 1981, after 97 years of service, the Prince Edward Island Hospital closed its doors when the Queen Elizabeth Hospital opened.

The Prince Edward Island Hospital School of Nursing was merged with other nursing schools in the province in 1969 to form the Prince Edward Island School of Nursing. This education facility closed in 1994 when its diploma programs transferred to the bachelor program at the University of Prince Edward Island.

Prince Edward Home

The Prince Edward Island Hospital building on Brighton Road has been repurposed by the provincial government and is now called the Prince Edward Home.

The Prince Edward Home is used for the following health care services:

* Palliative Care
* Convalescent/Restorative Care
* Respite Care
* Long-Term Nursing Home Care for residents of the Province over the age of 60 who do not require acute general hospital care
* Long-Term Medical Nursing Care for residents of the Province under the age of 60 and who suffer from chronic disabilities

The adjacent building that housed the Prince Edward Island Hospital School of Nursing was repurposed by the provincial government and currently houses offices for the Department of Education.

References

* [http://www.upei.ca/nursing/department UPEI School of Nursing]
* [http://www.city.charlottetown.pe.ca/allaire/spectra/system/mediastore/dates_of_interest.pdf City of Charlottetown - Dates of Interest]