History of Medicine in Oliver

Doctors in Oliver 1921-1973

In the early years of Oliver’s history there was a heavy reliance on health care services from outside of town, as the closest hospital was in Penticton. Dr. Malcom White was present in Fairview; however, when Oliver started in 1921, Dr. Garnet Harvey Kearney arrived to become the new town’s first doctor.

Dr. Kearney, originally from Ontario, came to British Columbia following the First World War to pursue his medical career. He had served as both a ship’s doctor and a front-line medic in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and initially set up shop in the Kootenay towns of Nakusp and New Denver. In 1921 he made his way to Oliver, becoming the town’s first doctor and remaining here until 1932. Dr. Kearney was an extraordinary man for his time, using his personal Model T car as an ambulance when needed, and waiving fees for patients that could not afford to pay him, as he was an early supporter of universal health care. After his time in Oliver he would spend a couple of years in the Lower Mainland before going up to Fort St. John in 1935, where he would continue to be an exceptional doctor in the community until his retirement in 1970. There is now a junior high school bearing his name there.

Following Dr. Kearney’s departure, Dr. Norbert J. Ball arrived in January 1933 and was the sole doctor in Oliver until 1942. In that time, he would play a role in the future of health care in the area. At around the time of Dr. Ball’s arrival, the need for a local hospital was starting to be recognized, with the first propositions being sent to the provincial government as early as 1934. In 1938, the Oliver-Osoyoos Hospital Society held its first meeting and created its first board, which Dr. Ball joined.

1942 was a significant year for Oliver, as St. Martin’s Hospital was built and opened on November 28th. The building was funded in large part by the Sisters of St. Ann, who had been contacted by the Oliver community asking for help with the project, and the nuns also managed and ran the hospital. The original five sisters who worked at the hospital included Mother Mary Mark (Superior), Sister Mary Dositheus (R. N.), Sister Mary Constantine, and Sister Mary Dunstan. The number of sisters that worked at the hospital fluctuated over the years, from as few as 4 to as many as 9.

Also in 1942, Dr. Morley C. Bridgman would arrive in Oliver to assist Dr. Ball. Their initial partnership was short as Dr. Ball would leave to serve overseas in the Second World War during 1944 and 1945, during which time Dr. George Cope would come to Oliver. Dr. Ball returned in 1946, and Oliver gained another new doctor in 1949, Dr. Art White. Dr. Cope would leave town in 1950. However, a year later Dr. Gulliford, Dr. Stebnick, and Dr. Clarke would arrive, with the latter of the three only remaining for a year, and Dr. Gulliford leaving by 1957.

In 1960, Dr. Stebnick moved on from Oliver, and Dr. Bridgman retired. Meanwhile, Dr. Paul Rousseau arrived. Five years later, Dr. White would also leave town, and the town would welcome Dr. Don Hospes and Dr. Glen Champion. Dr. Ball, Dr. Rousseau, and these two new doctors would remain Oliver’s medical doctors for the remainder of the 1960s. However, by this time the 37-bed St. Martin’s Hospital was beginning to be insufficient for Oliver’s growing population. In 1942-3, the hospital had 241 admissions, 80 operations and 17 staff (including the Sisters of St. Ann). 25 years later, in 1966-7, the same hospital had 1580 admissions, 520 operations, and 67 staff.

In 1970, Dr. Ball retired after nearly 40 years of medical service in Oliver. Dr. Robert Rowed would arrive that same year to maintain the number of doctors in the community. The following year, Dr. Rousseau retired. On January 12, 1973, St. Martin’s Hospital closed its doors after over 30 years of operation, and a new chapter in Oliver’s health care history began at the South Okanagan General Hospital (SOGH). Of the many doctors who worked in conjunction with St. Martin’s Hospital, only Dr. Hospes, Dr. Champion, and Dr. Rowed were practicing doctors during the transition to the SOGH.

A Hospital for Oliver

In 1938, the first board for the Oliver Osoyoos Hospital Society was formed. The Society, following the recommendation of the government of BC, was looking to build a 20-bed hospital. However, the daily average of people from Oliver at the Penticton Hospital was only 9. Was a hospital in the area going to be worth it? Eventually they agreed that a hospital should be built and block 18 of the Oliver townsite was set aside for the hospital.

In 1939, the Society went looking for financial support to build the proposed $30,000 hospital. The United Church of Canada, the Salvation Army, the Canadian Red Cross, the Grey Sisters, and the Sisters of St. Ann were approached, but only the Sisters of St. Ann responded. In 1940, a public canvassing campaign brought in over $10,000, along with $1,550 from various donors. Another $10,000 came from a grant, and the rest of the money would be coming from the Sisters of St. Ann.

The Sisters of St. Ann are a religious community founded in Vaudreuil, Quebec in 1850. Started by Mother Mary Anne Blondin, their goal was to provide education to youth and to care for the sick and poor. The Sisters were a pioneering community in British Columbia as early as 1858 when they undertook works of charity on Vancouver Island four years before the incorporation of Victoria.

As plans were being drawn up for a 20-bed hospital, the number of Oliver townspeople visiting the Penticton grew from 9 to 11 per day, on average. This meant that a 20-bed hospital would no longer suit the needs of the Oliver area. Mr. Whittaker, the government architect in charge of the hospital plans, drew up a new plan for a 42-bed hospital which would cost $82,000, and an additional $5,000 for equipment. Unable to come up with the extra money needed, the town turned to the Sisters of St. Ann, who agreed to take ownership of the building. This meant that they would take over the cost of the building as well as the daily operation of the hospital without any further cost to the community.

St. Martin’s Hospital officially opened its doors on November 28, 1942. When it opened there were 11 full-time staff members who were paid 75 cents per hour. Just 6 years later, the staff had increased to 26, including 5 Sisters of St. Anne. In that year there were 1,022 admissions, 176 births, 99 major operations, 1,024 x-rays, and 199 outpatients. As of 1950, more than 1,000 babies were born in St. Martin’s Hospital.

Nurses and midwives

In the late 1800s, the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) was created, largely by Lady Aberdeen, wife of the Canadian Governor-General. The nurses filled a need to provide medical assistance to the sparsely settled areas in the prairies and further west. The VON was based in Ottawa and was largely funded by voluntary contributions.

The first Victorian Order nurse arrived in the Okanagan in 1928, a Miss A. Twiddy. Later, in 1936, a Miss L. Hack was stationed in Oliver and cared for people in Okanagan Falls down to the American border. The nurses provided home care as well as health supervision in the schools, immunization, and well-baby clinics. There was no formal midwife service in the early 1900s. However, some local women acted as experienced midwives for other women in the community, such as Mrs. Elma Evans. Before the hospital was built, some women went to the Penticton Hospital, others to Oroville, but the majority chose to give birth at home.