100 years of French-language health care in Moncton: pride, celebration and looking to the future

Moncton, Monday, October 3, 2022 – There was celebration in the air this morning at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre (UHC) when the logo was presented and the activities were launched to mark the 100th anniversary of French-language health care in Moncton. The event took place in the presence of many staff and distinguished guests.

The idea of celebrating this centennial comes from the Medical Staff of the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont UHC and its President, Dr. Luc Cormier. An organizing committee, co-chaired by Dr. Chantal Arsenault and Gilles Beaulieu, was set up with the participation of the CHU Dumont Foundation, the Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick, the Université de Moncton and Vitalité Health Network.

From left to right: Dr. Linda LeBlanc, Vice-President of the Medical and Dental Staff; Nadine Martin, Executive Director of the CHU Dumont Foundation; Dr. Michel Landry, Director and Associate Dean at Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick; Brigitte Sonier-Ferguson, Senior Vice-President of Performance, University Mission and Strategies; The Honourable Daniel Allain, Minister of Local Government and Local Governance Reform; Dr. Chantal Arsenault, Co-chair of the organizing committee; Eric Larocque, Director of partnerships, Université de Moncton; and Gilles Beaulieu, Co-chair of the organizing committee

A long, rich history

To start, a picture was painted of the long, rich history of French-language health care in Moncton, the first steps of which were taken with the founding of the Hôtel-Dieu de l’Assomption, in 1922, by the Sisters of Providence congregation. It is 100 years ago today, October 3, 1922, that we welcomed the very first patient to this new 17-bed hospital on Church Street. The need for expansion was quickly felt and, in 1928, the new Hôtel-Dieu hospital was opened on the current site of the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont UHC; the hospital had 125 beds at that time. The Sisters of Providence led that hospital with vision and compassion until 1967. “The Acadian and Francophone community will always be grateful to them for having assured access to local health care in French,” said Mr. Beaulieu, co-chair of the organizing committee. 

In 1967, the Government of New Brunswick purchased the Hôtel-Dieu and announced the creation of the future Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont Regional Hospital. The hospital opened its doors in 1975 and its capacity was 273 beds. It was at this time that the secular community took over management of the hospital. Over the years, the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont Regional Hospital underwent remarkable development in terms of services, staff, cutting-edge equipment and infrastructures. Every advance was achieved after numerous appeals by the community to government authorities. In 2010, the hospital received the designation of university hospital centre and became the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre.

The Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont UHC now has 302 beds and offers, in both official languages, routine, specialized and tertiary health care services to patients from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

In her speech, Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO of Vitalité Health Network, highlighted the importance of this milestone in the history of health care in Moncton. "This historic moment is the perfect opportunity to look back at our challenges, but mostly at our successes, and to look towards the future, strengthened by our experience and collective desire to continue improving health care in French in the region.’’

The Minister of Local Government and Local Governance Reform, the Honourable Daniel Allain, said he was delighted with the celebrations that are starting today. “The launch of the 100th anniversary celebrations is an opportunity to strengthen ties with employees, physicians, nurses and the entire Greater Moncton community. In this pandemic period, not only is it crucial to care for patients, but also to take care of staff. The activities surrounding the 100th anniversary will surely contribute to this in an important way,” said Minister Allain.

During the launch, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, delivered a very touching message on his own behalf and that of his colleague the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages, to all health care workers and the community of Greater Moncton. The organizing committee would like to thank the ministers at both levels of government for their recognition and undeniable support over the years.

Logo and series of activities to highlight the centennial

The organizing committee unveiled the centennial logo. Under the themes “Unite, care and innovate,” its design represents the evolution of the facility over time as well as its Acadian and Francophone identity. 

The organizing committee wanted to highlight these three themes in a series of activities that aims to celebrate the success and the achievements of the facility. “To clearly show our pride in this centennial, we are planning a performance at Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, likely in May 2023,” said Dr. Chantal Arsenault, co-chair of the organizing committee. “It will be something that brings people together and is accessible to the community; we want to make it a special highlight of the centennial.”

Dr. Chantal Arsenault performed the theme song for the centennial, which she composed especially for the occasion. In her opinion, anniversaries, and especially a centennial, are great opportunities to reflect, to say thank to our large family of health care workers, and to celebrate. “Today, I have celebration in my heart, despite all the difficulties inflicted on our health care system by the pandemic. We must celebrate the fact that we are still standing after 100 years and that the future belongs to us,” she said.
In closing, a conference at the Université de Moncton is also planned at the start of 2023. Faced with the current and future challenges in the field of health care, the organizing committee wants to roll up its sleeves and make sure that the centennial is also an opportunity to think about the future and ensure the continued development of the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont UHC. Other projects are in the works and will be announced over the next few months.