Fonds crha-2031 - Foothills Hospital fonds

The Foothills Provincial General Hospital was established by an Order-in-Council dated July 18, 1959. It was to operate according to Section 3 of the Provincial General Hospitals Act (RSA, Chapter 64, 1959). A seven-member Board of Management was appointed by the Minister of Health and drafted the first by-laws of the hospital on July 25, 1960. These by-laws were approved by the Minister on September 9,1960. The first activities of the Board were construction of the hospital and determination of the types of service required by the community. The Foothills Hospital was officially opened June 10, 1966. It was considered a unique enterprise in North America because it was a complete hospital built all at one time. It was meant to serve all of Southern Alberta, with 700 beds in the general hospital and 100 in the chronic hospital. It offered surgery, neurosurgery, gynecology, obstetrics, pediatrics, rehabilitation, psychiatry and medicine services. The hospital also provided educational facilities to medical students, student nurses and technical medical programs such as rehabilitation. In 1995 the Foothills Board of Management was dissolved and the site became part of the acute care sector of the Calgary Regional Health Authority.