The 1950s

In 1950, Veterans Affairs purchased from McGill University the land on which the hospital was built. At that time, there were some two dozen buildings on the grounds. A to G wings extended on either side of the central administration building and the surgical wing. Behind the latter, an imposing concrete building was accessible via the main corridor. H Block, an isolation area, the recreational centre and the occupational therapy building, all ran in a line Northwest of the main group of buildings. The physicians' residences were located close to the gates.

On the Southeast side along the railway track were the central heating plant, the laundry, the garages and stables, as well as the North side, as were a greenhouse, a garage and the carpentry and paint shops. The psychiatric wing lay further on. The hospital had a 1,100 bed capacity and 1,062 patients, according to the 1952 figures: 105 beds were for general medicine, 448 for psychiatric care, 7 for tubercular patients, and 502 for veterans. Soon veterans of the Korean War would start to arrive.

At the end of the Second World War, Veterans Affairs began to close some of its facilities and transfer patients elsewhere. In February, tubercular patients from the Saint-Hyacinthe Hospital were transferred to Ste. Anne's where the upper floors of three buildings were renovated to accommodate them. Thus, the Saint-Hyacinthe annex of the hospital was formed.

In the mid-fifties, the number of psychiatric patients was about the same as the number of medical patients. Of a total of 1,078 patients, 350 of them were in the psychiatric wing, while 200 others were in five wards in the main wing and another twenty in with the tubercular patients. From 1955 on, the hospital began to play a lead role in psychiatric care and research. During the fifties, the number of psychiatric in-patients began to diminish. Thanks to new medication, patients could be stabilized and then have access to out-patient care and integrated into the community.

At the end of the Second World War, the image of Veterans Affairs was poor to the point where top-notch specialists and administrators found the prospect of employment with the Department unattractive. To resolve this problem, the Department began to invest in medical research, allocating the necessary budgets to allow the hospital to become involved in major research. Ste. Anne's and Queen Mary Hospitals became centres focusing on the rehabilitation of paraplegics and quadraplegics. A young and talented physician, Dr. Gustave Gingras, who had worked with neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield during the war, was persuaded by Penfield to work at the two departmental hospitals on the retraining of paralytics. This work earned him world-wide recognition. Many other physicians also made generous contributions through their work at Ste. Anne's, particularly through research on alcoholism and geriatrics.

In Ste. Anne's Hospital's annual reports from the late fifties, it is noted that physicians there were concerned with the unfortunate consequences of war. There was a committee responsible for the regular screening of documentaries on such subjects as new medications, new treatments or rehabilitation techniques.

Ste. Anne's statistics as of January 1, 1958, indicate that there were 1,139 veterans in residence although the capacity of the hospital was 1,130. The number of older patients being admitted was increasing while fewer and fewer tubercular patients were being admitted. It was therefore necessary to reorganize the wards. At that time, cases of arteriosclerosis were the main condition reported. Alzheimer's Disease and other conditions affecting the elderly were unheard of then.

Also in 1958, Senneville Lodge reported the creation of a residents' committee to welcome newcomers. The occupational therapy department was organizing a number of activities. Among others, they organized a debate on the St. Lawrence Seaway project which included a fact-finding trip to Cornwall so that participants could gain a better understanding of the subject. A game in the form of a questionnaire was created afterward to let veterans check their knowledge. At that time, there were 241 residents.

By the end of the fifties, the numbers of psychiatric patients were decreasing while the numbers of physically ill patients were on the increase.