| Parkinson
Society Ottawa held its first meetings, in
1978-79, in the home of its President, Ruth
Hall-McMillan. In 1979, arrangements
were made to move into space provided by the
Ottawa-Carleton Lung Association on
Broadview Avenue. The Society stayed
there until 1984, at which time an office
was created at the Civic Hospital.
Building
the Partnership
Ken
Lister was President of the Society at that
time, and was also a Vice President on staff
at the hospital. At the same time, Dr.
J. David Grimes (Sr.) was promoting both
patient care and research for Parkinson’s
Disease. Together, Ken Lister and Dr.
Grimes persuaded the Civic Hospital to
provide space for the Society. At
first, the Society was in the original
Nursing Education Building at Parkdale and
Ruskin, then moved to West Lawn
Pavilion. Ken Lister and Dr. Grimes
did not seek a lease with the hospital on
purpose – they were trying to build a
partnership rather than a tenant
agreement. Their goal and deep
interest was in the hospital advancing the
PD movement.
Mutual
Support
The
support provided to the Society by the
hospital grew over the years, and the
Society eventually moved into quarters in
the Clinical Studies Building (CSB), staying
there until April 2003. The services
provided by the hospital gradually grew to
include computer services and support,
mailroom services, payroll services and
janitorial services (while the Society was
located on hospital premises).
The
hospital supported efforts of the Society in
other ways as well. In the fall of
2000, a ramp was installed for wheelchair
access to the Clinical Studies Building,
ensuring all the Society’s clients could
safely enter the building to take part in
programs. As offices became vacant in
the corridor occupied by the Society, they
were offered to the Society by the
hospital. Most recently, in the summer
of 2002, two small adjoining offices became
vacant, and the hospital quickly agreed that
the Society could use them. This space
became the Resource Centre and office space
for our newly hired Director of Client
Services.
In
a true partnership, the support does not
flow entirely in one direction. And
the partnership between Parkinson Society
Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital adheres to
that principal. One of the research
programs at the Ottawa Health Research
Institute (OHRI), overseen by Dr. David A.
Grimes (Jr.), is specific to Parkinson’s.
Parkinson Society Ottawa provides
substantial funding for this program
annually, funnelled through The Ottawa
Hospital. And, as the Society likes to
point out, programs offered by the Society
help to keep people out of hospital beds.
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Staff & Board members with new sign outside of Clinical Studies
Building |
Part
of the partnership between Parkinson Society
Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital continues to
be the awareness building around
Parkinson’s, and referring
patients/clients to each other’s
programs. In this way, more people
living with Parkinson’s are exposed to the
best medical treatment by neurologists, and
to opportunities offered by the Society in
the form of education, support and exercise.
On
6 April 2003, the Society was emergency
evacuated from CSB because of a flood and
caved-in ceiling. Luckily, the crisis
happened on a weekend, when there were no
clients or staff on the premises.
Hospital authorities ensured that emergency
staff came to our rescue very quickly, by
finding immediate alternate office space,
moving us into the space, and storing the
rest of our property securely. They
also immediately provided computer access
and telephone lines for our use. At
that time, it was anticipated that it would
probably take six months before renovations
in the Clinical Studies Building would be
complete and we could move back into our old
space. In the meantime, they continued
to help us in our temporary location.
The
Present
On
7 May 2003, the Society moved all staff and
property into new premises on the main level
at 1095 Carling Avenue, just a block west of
the hospital. Our new landlord was
happy to have us move in, since the space
had been vacant for about 5 years. The
hospital continued to be very supportive –
hospital staff helped to arrange our move,
and set our computers up as a remote
location of the hospital. Services
that the hospital had been providing
continued – computer support, payroll
services and postal services.
It
was clear, however, that the original
six-month time frame for renovations in the
old space could not be met. This,
combined with the hospital’s high demand
for limited space, and the Society’s
satisfaction with their “temporary”
alternate space, prompted the Society to
approach their landlord at 1095 Carling and
negotiate a new, long-term lease. The
landlord was very supportive, and agreed to
continue to provide the space at a very low
monthly rent.
The
Future
Meanwhile,
authorities at The Ottawa Hospital continue
to include Parkinson Society Ottawa in their
future plans. Building and renovations
are taking place at all Ottawa Hospital
campuses – Civic, General and
Riverside. It is anticipated that the
original (before the flood) long-term plans
for Parkinson Society Ottawa will be
realized in the next 3 to 4 years.
These plans see revitalized space being
provided to the Society, once again on the
Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital, to keep
it close to the Parkinson’s Clinic and the
Neurology Department.
And
the partnership continues to strengthen. |
