In 1963, the Salvation Army was asked to be the administrative directors of a yet to be built hospital. The hospital was officially opened two years later in 1965. In September 1, 1995, The Salvation Army announced it would be relinquishing its administrative duties at the request of the Labrador Health Corporation. The Salvation Army's ties to the hospital officially ended on January 1, 1996. Services include a twenty-bed in-patient department, clinics, outpatient department, laboratory, occupational therapy, physiotherapy (physical therapy), ambulance service, surgery, labor and delivery, X-ray, addiction services, six long-term care beds, mental health, cafeteria, morgue, other departments and apartments for visiting specialists.
Labrador west has one surgeon, one anesthetist, four general practitioner physicians with hospital privileges and one without. Various medical specialists will see patients in this area for a few days a year or bi-annually; this saves the patients the expense of traveling to the regional medical hospital at St. John's (currently $850.00 per person for a reduced-fare medical flight).
Royal Canadian Legion hosts an annual telethon to help offset the cost of purchasing new equipment for the hospital. When the hospital ordered a mammography machine, it was forecast to take three telethons to raise the required money; it only took one. Because of the importance of this diagnostic equipment, many local residents and businesses donated $1,000 (the price of one airline ticket to what had been the closest mammography machine). Other purchases have included a heart monitor system for the intensive care unit and special oncology equipment.
The hospital is named in honor of Captain William Jackman. (1837-1877) On October 9, 1867, during the worst storm of the decade, two ships collided. The Loon quickly sank and The Sea Clipper was able to save the passengers and crew of the smaller ship. Soon the strong gales drove the injured ship into a reef near Spotted Island, Labrador. Twenty-seven people on-board were in peril of their lives. Captain Jackman was visiting the island and as him and his host went for an evening walk, they noticed the troubled ship. Few people knew how to swim in that day; however, Jackman was an avid swimmer. He made 27 trips through the cold October waters of the North Atlantic and each time brought a survivor to shore. The storm had claimed 42 ships and 40 lives; however, all were saved from The Sea Clipper because of the exploits of Captain Jackman.
|
Home
Labrador West
History
