TOO BROKEN TO CHANGE: The right tools in the wrong place

While our modern perception of Canadian hospitals often conjures images of sturdy and sterile buildings, this was not the case with Christie Street Hospital. Dr. Minerva Reid described Christie Street as an “old, cockroach-infested and rat-ridden” building. (7)  Structurally, Christie Street was not a hospital designed to give wounded veterans any chance for freedom from worry during their time there. Despite its flaws, the Canadian government remained steadfast that they could fix Christie Street through renovation. This further degraded the conditions within the hospital as the wounded veterans now had the noise of active construction happening mere feet from their beds. These renovations cost the government hundreds of dollars yet only returned a small increase in comfort for the men at the hospital. This poor investment was money that the Committee believed could have been directed towards Sunnybrook Hospital, but the politicians in charge of Christie Street were okay with mediocre to below-mediocre conditions continuing. (8) 

The Women’s Emergency Committee were equipped to talk about the issues at Christie Street as their leader was a leading figure in the field of medicine The Committee however did not let Dr. Reid be their only basis for information as they sought out film reels on how a proper Wounded Veterans Hospital should run. Reels the Committee viewed such as Life Goes On explained the proper procedures that should occur at Veteran hospitals and how men should have “freedom from worry”. (9) Knowing that the committee had watched these reels makes clear how they were able to so effectively attack the specific issues at Christie Street as well as identify the factors that were not at fault. The structural inadequacies and poor conditions at Christie Street Hospital were the basis for the Women’s Emergency Committee’s problems with it. The group made it clear on multiple occasions that they had no issue with the staff and equipment present at the hospital as they deemed them highly effective. (10)  This positioned the Women’s Committee as not fighting the hard-working medical team at Christie Street just trying to do their job, but the government who was restricting them from doing so. This was the tragedy of Christie Street Hospital as the tools for a great Canadian Wounded Veterans hospital were present and all that was needed was a building that could use them effectively.

                                                 Movie Night at the Women's Emergency Committee

HEALTH AND SAFETY: The process of learning what services a good hospital provides

The film reel ‘Life Begins Again’ depicts new ways to better the lives of Wounded Veterans in Canadian hospitals. This film is one of many that the Women's Emergency Committee would’ve viewed to further their education on Wounded Veterans Hospitals.