Dr. Helen Vandenberg, University of Saskatchewan, College of Nursing, and team completed two projects funded through the Canadian Association for the History of Nursing (CAHN/ACHN) Vera Roberts research grant:

• Vandenberg, H., Boschma, G., McBain, L., Meijer Drees, L., McCulloch, M., & Gallagher-Cohoon, E. (2016). Guide to Archival Resources for Outpost Nursing and Remote Hospital History in Northwestern Canada, 1880-1960, 35 pages. Saskatoon, SK: University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing.
• Vandenberg, H., & Gallagher-Cohoon, E. (2016). Guide to Archival Resources for Saskatchewan Hospital History, 1873-1960, 78 pages. Saskatoon, SK: University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing.

                                                                    

The first inventory focused on archival sources of rural and remote hospitals in Northern British Columbia, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories prior to 1960, but also includes sources from rural southern BC hospitals. The second inventory is focused on archival sources of rural and remote hospitals in Saskatchewan prior to 1960, but also includes sources from larger, urban hospitals. 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. This inventory would be useful for future researchers and might help answer questions such as: 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? How were hospital services operated and funded prior to Medicare?

Given current debates about the future of Canadian Healthcare, we believe that it is critically important to look back at the history of Canadian prior to the birth of Medicare. Examination of the healthcare history provides the opportunity to understand what past generations envisioned, and to ask new questions about the challenges that have occurred.