Dr. Vandenberg Looks at the History of Canadian Hospitals

Assistant Professor Dr. Helen Vandenberg, located at the Regina Campus, has used funding from the Canadian Association for the History of Nursing Vera Roberts Research Grant to author and publish two books looking at the history of rural and remote hospitals in Western Canada.

“I’ve always been keen on history and given the current debates about the future of Canadian Healthcare, my team believes that it is important to look back at the history of Canadian healthcare, prior to the creation of Medicare,” said Vandenberg. “Examining healthcare history provides the opportunity to understand what past generations envisioned, and to ask new questions about the challenges that have occurred”.

The first book, Guide to Archival Resources for Outpost Nursing and Remote Hospital History in Northwestern Canada, 1880-1960, looks at the archives from rural and remote hospitals in Northern British Columbia, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories prior to 1960, but also includes sources from rural southern British Columbia hospitals. Her second book, Guide to Archival Resources for Saskatchewan Hospital History, 1873-1960, focuses on archives of rural and remote hospitals in Saskatchewan prior to 1960, but also includes sources from larger, urban hospitals.

Vandenberg hopes the books will be helpful for future researchers and help to answer questions like, what types of organizations, providers and services were involved in the development of healthcare in Canada’s past, what sources are available about the influence of local citizens and groups and how were hospital services operated and funded prior to Medicare. “Our goal was to create a resource for historians and scholars that would facilitate the analysis of smaller hospital development, and demonstrate the diverse array of nursing and hospital services which existed prior to the establishment of Canada's nationally funded health care system in 1966”.

Both books are available at several local libraries and archives. For further information or to purchase the book, please email Dr. Vandenberg or call 306.337.3821.