News
Open Letter to Borough of Verdun and City of Montréal Elected Officials
2005-08-14
Over the past few months, the Douglas Hospital has been embroiled in controversy. A number of Verdun citizens have mobilised to oppose proposed zoning by the City that would allow residential construction on part of the Hospital grounds. This debate, which has taken the Douglas by surprise and in which the Hospital has yet to actively participate, raises a number of issues including the mission and future of our institution.
In 1887, the Douglas Hospital first acquired land in Verdun with funds donated by members of the Montréal community who wanted to support the Hospital’s vocation of caring for people suffering from mental illness. Soon after, adjoining land was acquired, again with donations from the Montréal community.
Throughout the years, the Hospital’s mission has remained the same, although treatment methods have changed radically. Now, most people suffering from mental illnesses can be treated within the community.
As a result of this new approach to treatment, the asylum model, which had been the standard at the Douglas for almost 100 years, has been discarded. At times in the past, the Hospital housed up to 2,000 patients, who, due to the absence of effective treatment methods, were kept secluded from society. In that context, the need for the Hospital’s sizeable facilities, including the surrounding land, can easily be understood.
Today, Hospital buildings are still used to full capacity. However, the areas where patients were once housed are now used for out-patient services, community and specialized clinics, administrative support services for a large-scale network of services and one of Canada’s major mental health research centres.
Although the Hospital’s sprawling grounds are no longer required for direct patient care, their importance to the Douglas and its patients is in no way diminished, since their economic value is a key factor in sustaining the Hospital’s ability to pursue its calling. Zoning the land in question for residential use will enable the Hospital to realize the value of this asset, as it is no secret that the Douglas is in dire need of additional funding.
Sixty percent of the Hospital’s infrastructure was built before 1940. As a result, repairs are no longer a viable solution for maintaining its deteriorating buildings at a level acceptable for their current use. Many of these facilities must be completely refurbished, if not completely rebuilt.
The Hospital cannot count solely on the government for the necessary funds. Private donors already contribute more than $1 million a year to the Douglas Hospital Foundation for the most urgent needs of the Hospital and Research Centre. There are no external financial resources to which we can turn. However, the law does allow the Hospital to dispose of its surplus land and to use the proceeds for capital projects, which would, in turn, improve services for the population.
The Hospital has always sought to maintain a balance between its mandate of treatment, research and teaching, and environmental interests. Verdun’s green spaces are not threatened by any potential actions on the part of the Hospital. The Hospital will always make its green space accessible to the public for recreational purposes. The Hospital will also ensure that the nature and density of any residential development that may take place will be in harmony with neighbouring areas. Within these parameters, we believe that selling a portion of our land is a positive development for the Hospital and its surroundings, and will preserve the objectives of our original donors. We remind you that the Douglas has already contributed to Verdun’s recreational facilities: it was on former Hospital land that Angrignon Park was created nearby.
We therefore ask that elected officials and their constituents consider these factors in making their decisions over the next few weeks. We believe that the future of the Hospital and its important role within the social, economic and institutional fabric of our community warrants greater consideration. The approach to-date does not address the financial issues facing the Hospital, and threatens its survival as the first-class institution its founders intended it to be.
Jacques Hendlisz
Director General, Douglas Hospital
Claudette Allard
Chair, Board of Directors, Douglas Hospital
Maurice Forget, C.M.
Chair, Board of Directors, Douglas Hospital Research Centre
Marie Giguère
Chair, Board of Trustees, Douglas Hospital Foundation
In 1887, the Douglas Hospital first acquired land in Verdun with funds donated by members of the Montréal community who wanted to support the Hospital’s vocation of caring for people suffering from mental illness. Soon after, adjoining land was acquired, again with donations from the Montréal community.
Throughout the years, the Hospital’s mission has remained the same, although treatment methods have changed radically. Now, most people suffering from mental illnesses can be treated within the community.
As a result of this new approach to treatment, the asylum model, which had been the standard at the Douglas for almost 100 years, has been discarded. At times in the past, the Hospital housed up to 2,000 patients, who, due to the absence of effective treatment methods, were kept secluded from society. In that context, the need for the Hospital’s sizeable facilities, including the surrounding land, can easily be understood.
Today, Hospital buildings are still used to full capacity. However, the areas where patients were once housed are now used for out-patient services, community and specialized clinics, administrative support services for a large-scale network of services and one of Canada’s major mental health research centres.
Although the Hospital’s sprawling grounds are no longer required for direct patient care, their importance to the Douglas and its patients is in no way diminished, since their economic value is a key factor in sustaining the Hospital’s ability to pursue its calling. Zoning the land in question for residential use will enable the Hospital to realize the value of this asset, as it is no secret that the Douglas is in dire need of additional funding.
Sixty percent of the Hospital’s infrastructure was built before 1940. As a result, repairs are no longer a viable solution for maintaining its deteriorating buildings at a level acceptable for their current use. Many of these facilities must be completely refurbished, if not completely rebuilt.
The Hospital cannot count solely on the government for the necessary funds. Private donors already contribute more than $1 million a year to the Douglas Hospital Foundation for the most urgent needs of the Hospital and Research Centre. There are no external financial resources to which we can turn. However, the law does allow the Hospital to dispose of its surplus land and to use the proceeds for capital projects, which would, in turn, improve services for the population.
The Hospital has always sought to maintain a balance between its mandate of treatment, research and teaching, and environmental interests. Verdun’s green spaces are not threatened by any potential actions on the part of the Hospital. The Hospital will always make its green space accessible to the public for recreational purposes. The Hospital will also ensure that the nature and density of any residential development that may take place will be in harmony with neighbouring areas. Within these parameters, we believe that selling a portion of our land is a positive development for the Hospital and its surroundings, and will preserve the objectives of our original donors. We remind you that the Douglas has already contributed to Verdun’s recreational facilities: it was on former Hospital land that Angrignon Park was created nearby.
We therefore ask that elected officials and their constituents consider these factors in making their decisions over the next few weeks. We believe that the future of the Hospital and its important role within the social, economic and institutional fabric of our community warrants greater consideration. The approach to-date does not address the financial issues facing the Hospital, and threatens its survival as the first-class institution its founders intended it to be.
Jacques Hendlisz
Director General, Douglas Hospital
Claudette Allard
Chair, Board of Directors, Douglas Hospital
Maurice Forget, C.M.
Chair, Board of Directors, Douglas Hospital Research Centre
Marie Giguère
Chair, Board of Trustees, Douglas Hospital Foundation
Information
Florence Meney
Media Relation
Communications and public affairs
Phone: 514-761-6131, ext. 2769
Cell.: 514-835-3236
florence_dot_meney_At_douglas_dot_mcgill_dot_ca
