Fast Facts

Did you know?

  • Our History

    As one of Montreal's finest hospitals, St. Mary's has a proud heritage of serving the community for over 85 years. From its beginning as a 45-bed institution formally established in the Shaughnessy House in downtown Montreal, (now the Canadian Centre for Architecture), St. Mary's has grown into a dynamic 271-bed hospital located on Lacombe Avenue in the Côte-des-Neiges district. It offers primary and secondary care and is also a teaching hospital affiliated with McGill University.

  • 1930

    In January, 1930, Dr. Donald Hingston set out to raise one million dollars to build a hospital to serve Montreal’s Irish-Catholics. In spite of The Depression, the Irish community supported Hingston’s endeavors. In 1934, St. Mary’s opened at its present location.

  • Kennedy

    John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie attended the St. Mary's Hospital Ball, in 1958, when he was Senator of Massachusetts.

  • Lab Accreditation College of American Pathologists (CAP)

    St. Mary's Hospital Center Department of Laboratories is the only hospital laboratory in Quebec that has been accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) since 1995. This level of accreditation advocates excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine, including the highest standards of inspection, quality control, proficiency testing and multiple levels of verification.

  • College of Family Physicians of Canada recognition

    The excellence of the family medicine staff at St. Mary’s Hospital Center (SMHC) has been recognized at a national level. The College of Family Physicians of Canada has recognized two doctors and two residents from the Family Medicine Center of the SMHC for the exceptional quality of their medical practice, their community commitment, their academic standards, and their leadership qualities.

  • First SMHC scientific colloquium

    Did you know that the first scientific colloquium organized by St. Mary’s Hospital Center (SMHC), in September 2010, was about virtual wards which have become a reality in the United-Kingdom? For the occasion, international and local experts shared their perspectives on this promising innovation in community-based care, and discussed its potential here in Quebec. This colloquium was organized by Susan Law, PhD, VP Academic Affairs at SMHC.

  • St. Mary’s Hospital promotes successful breastfeeding

    St. Mary’s Hospital Center promotes successful breastfeeding. We have a hospital-wide Breastfeeding Policy: No food or drink other than mother’s breastmilk, unless medically indicated; Avoid separation of mother and newborn; Encourage breastfeeding on demand; No pacifiers or artificial nipples; Guide mothers and their infants to community resources (ie. BF Clinic, CLSC) upon discharge home; No free sample of formula; No advertising of artificial feeding products. Our policy supports all families with their infant feeding choice.

  • 1967

    In 1967, as Canada celebrated its centennial, St. Mary’s was treating more than 10,000 patients each year and the average bed occupancy rate was at 90%.

  • 1998

    During the January 1998 ice storm, St. Mary’s hospital provided temporary shelter to 900 people and, with the help of volunteers, more than 2000 meals were served.

  • 2003

    In 2003, SMHC laboratories were the first to operate a fully automated chain in Quebec. Outstanding performance with the introduction of such technology, both in terms of quality and efficiency, has been widely published internationally. Today, hundreds of laboratories across North America are equipped with such technology.

  • Metric System

    On October 6, 1971, St. Mary's Hospital was the first hospital in Quebec to exclusively use the metric system. Sister Mary Melanie, executive director of the hospital, said: "In our scientific age, which sees the landing of men on the moon and other major technological achievements, it seems reasonable that we speak the language of science". At the time, most Canadian hospitals were using the Imperial system of weights and measures.

  • Baby Friendly Hospital

    In 2011, SMHC was the first hospital on the island of Montreal to obtain the “Baby Friendly Hospital” Accreditation. The “Baby Friendly Hospital” Initiative is an international program that focuses on ten conditions for successful breastfeeding, formulated in 1991 by UNICEF and WHO, as part of an international nutrition strategy.

  • LenSx®

    In 2014, St. Mary’s Hospital Center was the first North American public hospital to offer advanced, blade-free cataract surgery technology. This technology, known as LenSx® is a femtosecond laser which is fully automated and customized to the patient allowing faster and more precise surgery.

  • Practice Greenhealth Organization’s Environmental Excellence Award

    In 2008, St. Mary's Hospital Center (SMHC) was the recipient of an Environmental Excellence Award: Making Medicine Mercury free. This prize is awarded by Practice Greenhealth Organization to health facilities in the U.S. and Canada who demonstrate a high level of ecological integrity.

  • Advanced Crew Medical System

    In 2014, Researchers at St. Mary's Research Centre (SMRC) developed a new technology that can be used in exploration- class space missions and to improve access to health care here on Earth called Advanced Crew Medical System (ACMS). In essence, the system is designed to provide the combined clinical expertise of the emergency room physician, the psychologist, the occupational therapist and the family physician.