The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre is a 150-bed hospital located at 650 Church Street in Toronto, Ontario. Owned and operated by the Salvation Army, it specializes in palliative care, post-acute care rehabilitation, and complex continuing care.
Overview
Located on the corner of Church and Bloor Street in downtown Toronto, the six-storey facility[1] was known as a maternity hospital up to the 1970s when the hospital closed its pregnancy ward. It is now a rehabilitation and palliative care facility.[2]
The Salvation Army was prepared to close the hospital starting in February 2010 due to high upkeep costs,[4] but a deal was struck between the Province and the Salvation Army to keep the hospital open.[5]
History
1889 - The Salvation Army opens a rescue home in Toronto.
1905 - The home becomes The Salvation Army Maternity Hospital on Esther Street.
1909 - The hospital moves to the corner of Bloor and Church Streets.
1925 - An extension is added to what was then called the Toronto Women's Hospital.
1937 - The hospital is renamed Toronto Grace.
1959 - The new building is constructed at Bloor and Church Street.
1969 - Toronto Grace is designated a general hospital.
1979 - Toronto Grace is designated as a chronic care and palliative care hospital, opening the first Palliative Care Unit in Ontario.
1998 - The Health Services Restructuring Committee directs the Toronto Grace and three other complex continuing care hospitals to close.
2001 - The Ministry of Health reverses the decision and directs Toronto Grace to continue to provide its programs and services.
2005 - Toronto Grace Hospital celebrates its 100th birthday at Church and Bloor Streets in downtown Toronto.
2007 - Toronto Grace is renamed the Toronto Grace Health Centre (TGHC), and increases its focus on rehabilitation introducing slow-paced rehab programs.
2010 - TGHC submits its retrofit application to the Ministry of Health.
2014 - TGHC's programs and services are relocated to the temporary 47 Austin Terrace, Hillcrest site, as the 650 Church Street building undergoes a major building retrofit.
2017 - The infrastructure renewal project is completed and TGHC returns to its 650 Church Street location.
The Salvation Army opened a second hospital site in Scarborough in 1985 and ended their affiliation in 2008. The CEO is Jake Tran, who has held the office since 2018.[6]
