90th anniversary flashback: Preparing the JGH for its first COVID-19 patients
As the JGH’s 90th anniversary approaches, JGH News today looks back at:
- Preparations to receive the first COVID-19 patients in 2020
- The launch of Montreal’s first hospital-based social diseases clinic in 1972
- The 2006 Inauguration of the Segal Cancer Centre
- Celebrating Jewish festivals in bygone decades
Four new archival items appear every Tuesday in the 90 days leading up to the 90th anniversary on October 8. Everything that’s been published so far can be found in the JGH News archive.
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At a crucial meeting on February 17, 2020, more than 50 senior medical specialists and healthcare professionals finalized preparations for the eventual admission of the first COVID-19 patients to the JGH.
The wide-ranging, 3½-hour discussion gave participants an opportunity to describe, in considerable detail, how their respective departments would deal with the patients.
The exercise, formally known as a “tabletop simulation”, focused on fictional but realistic scenarios, with the key participants explaining how they and their colleagues would respond to each set of circumstances.
The plans were then scrutinized by everyone to determine how the proposed measures could be improved. In this way, unforeseen situations could be examined, resulting in modifications to the existing protocols.
The JGH was one of only two hospitals in Montreal—along with the Sainte Justine Hospital—that were designated by the Ministry of Health and Social Services to treat adult patients with COVID-19. The JGH’s Pavilion K, which opened in 2016, contains isolation areas that were specifically designed for patients with highly infectious diseases.
As it turned out, the JGH became the first hospital in Quebec to admit a patient with COVID-19. CIUSSS West-Central Montreal was also the first healthcare network in the province to require masks to be worn by all employees and visitors in all of its facilities.
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JGH at forefront in treating social diseases
Responding to a marked increase in the incidence of venereal disease in the late 1960s and early ’70s, the JGH launched its Social Diseases Clinic in February 1972, the first full-time facility of its kind in a Montreal hospital.
In 1972, Dr. Joseph Portnoy and Nurse Linda Cohen discuss the hospital’s new Social Diseases Clinic.
Offering diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care, the clinic treated 70 new patients in its first four weeks of operation. “It was way beyond our expectations,” said the clinic’s physician in charge, Dr. Joseph Portnoy.
Under the supervision of Nurse Linda Cohen, the clinic also educated patients in the correct use of contraceptives. If appropriate, it referred them to psychiatric or social services regarding drugs or other problems.
Dr. Portnoy, who later became the hospital’s Director of Professional Services, noted that a high rate of patients returned for follow-up care, which he attributed to the clinic’s policy of strict confidentiality.
For example, medications were given to patients free of charge (with government support), so that no tell-tale bills would be mailed to patients’ homes, where they might be seen by parents or other family members.
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Segal Cancer Centre delivers comprehensive cancer care
At a 2006 press conference, a declaration to support the battle against cancer was signed by (from left) Philippe Couillard, Minister of Health and Social Services; Leanor Segal; philanthropist Alvin Segal; Gérald Tremblay, Mayor of Montreal; and Henri Elbaz, JGH Executive Director.
In 2006, Health and Social Services Minister Philippe Couillard visited the newly completed Segal Cancer Centre to express his admiration for the JGH’s leadership in providing patients with a fully integrated system of cancer treatment and care.
“It is clear that an institution with the sort of expertise that the Jewish General Hospital has developed will be called upon to play an extremely important role in our integrated plan to fight cancer,” Mr. Couillard said at an August 28 press conference.
Impetus for construction of the $55.9 million centre came in 2003 in the form of a remarkable $20 million gift from Alvin Segal and his family.
This was followed in mid‑2004 by the provincial government’s $23.9 million commitment, which enabled construction to begin shortly afterward on 8½ new floors atop Cummings Pavilion E. The remaining construction costs were covered by the JGH Foundation and other partners.
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Jewish festivals are occasions for celebration
Chanukah celebration for children in the hospital in the 1950s.
In 1929, the leaders of Montreal’s Jewish community officially decided to raise a large portion of the funds to build a hospital, where Jewish traditions, customs and ethical principles would take their place alongside superior medical care.
Passover seder for hospitalized patients in 1966.
As a result, many Jewish festivals have been observed in the hospital in its long history. These include Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Chanukah and Passover.
Along with these Jewish observances, the hospital’s founders declared that the JGH would be open to all patients and staff, regardless of their background—a principle that has stood as an example of religious tolerance throughout Montreal and Quebec.
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