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In 1884, at the request of the community, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie opened the
first hospital in Port Arthur to meet the needs of the men working on the railroad. Since then, we
have responded to the unmet needs of our community by delivering many new and innovative
programs. Our focus has always been on the people we serve and developing programs to meet
their specific needs.
Programs and services are provided at several sites including: St. Joseph’s Heritage, St. Joseph’s
Hospital, Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital, Hogarth Riverview Manor, Sister Margaret Smith
Centre, Behavioural Sciences Centre, Diabetes Health Thunder Bay, and Balmoral Centre.
These facilities are owned and operated by the sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie, sponsored
by the Catholic Health Corporation of Ontario and managed by a volunteer Board of Directors.
For over 120 years, the healing tradition of the Sisters continues through the provision of the
following programs and services for the people of Northwestern Ontario:
Sister Margaret Smith Centre, located at St. Joseph’s Hospital, is a 40-bed residential treatment
program for people with addictions to alcohol and other substances. Included in that complement
are ten adolescent beds. Programs are also available to help people experiencing difficulties with
gambling. Comprehensive day and outpatient programs are offered.
The Balmoral Centre is a 22-bed withdrawal management (non-medical detoxification) centre
located on Sibley Drive on the grounds of Confederation College.
The BSC is a business entity of SJCG providing a wide variety of third party health and
assessment services. BSC is the largest provider of Employee Assistance Programs in
Northwestern Ontario. Their offices are located at Hogarth Riverview Manor on Lillie Street.
The Frank Murphy Community Centre, located at St. Joseph’s Heritage, provides therapeutic,
recreational, and water-safety pool programs as well as a variety of fitness classes for all ages and
abilities.
The Complex Care Program is located at St. Joseph’s Hospital and consists of several program
areas including hospice/palliative care, reactivation, transition, and complex continuing care
within 174 inpatient beds; ambulatory care and day hospital as outpatient services.
Diabetes Health Thunder Bay provides services to Thunder Bay and region, and is located at the
corner of John and Algoma Streets. These services include individualized diabetes education,
self-blood-glucose monitoring, meal planning and lifestyle information, and outpatient insulin
starts to avoid hospitalization.
Bethammi Nursing Home is a well-established long-term care facility with 110 beds, located at
St. Joseph’s Heritage. The Alzheimer Day Program provides respite services at The Manor
House.
St. Joseph’s Care Group has a second long-term care facility, the 96-bed Hogarth Riverview
Manor on Lillie Street, which opened in February 2004.
Many of our mental health services are currently delivered at Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital.
Inpatient, outpatient and community-based services are provided for people with serious mental
illnesses. Specialized programs include Geriatric Psychiatry, Concurrent Disorders and
Methadone Maintenance. Program structures will change as mental health reform progresses.
The Personal Development Centre and Eating Disorders Program provide outpatient and outreach
programs at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The Physical Rehabilitation Program is located at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The 50-inpatient
rehabilitation beds include 20 for special rehabilitation, 5 for acquired brain injuries, and 25 for
general rehabilitation (which includes orthopedics, rheumatic diseases and chronic pain
management). More than 50 percent of the clients in these beds are from the region. There are
also many outpatient and day services offered through the Physical Rehabilitation Program.
Supportive housing programs enable people to enjoy a good quality of life while remaining to
live independently in their own home. At the P.R. Cook Apartments, a support services program
is available for approximately 80 tenants. SJCG also operates a number of other support programs
in the community for people with mental illness.
St. Joseph's Hospital |
Over the next five years, St. Joseph’s Care Group will be undertaking many exciting projects, including:
- Development and relocation of community-based services for some programs currently at
Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital;
- Construction of a new Sister Margaret Smith Centre on the Hogarth Riverview Manor
property;
- Construction of a new rehabilitation mental health wing at St. Joseph’s Hospital;
- Development or acquisition of supportive housing spaces for clients at SJCG – Lakehead
Psychiatric Hospital who are able to live safely in the community
In April 2005, SJCG signed an affiliation agreement with the Northern Ontario School of
Medicine (NOSM). First year NOSM medical students have already had experience within
SJCG’s clinical program settings. The opportunity to partner in research initiatives, augment
library and information services, and assist each other in ongoing efforts to achieve and maintain
excellence in teaching speaks to a productive partnership for many years to come.
In closing, St. Joseph’s Care Group is a value-driven organization, which believes in treating and
caring for all people with respect and dignity. Our most important resource is our staff, and we
are blessed with employees at all levels of the organization who care about the clients we serve.
This philosophy is what makes us different, and promotes the healing atmosphere that is so
apparent at all of our sites.
St. Joseph’s Care Group is a large and diverse, fully accredited organization that serves the City
of Thunder Bay and Region. We are one of the largest integrated health care systems in Ontario
with approximately 1700 employees and an annual operating budget of $115M.
Tracy Buckler,
RN, BScN, MHS, CHE
President & CEO
St. Joseph's Care Group
-- updated January 2007 --
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