Fonds WCH-EME - Women's College Hospital. Department of Emergency Medicine fonds

The Department of Emergency Medicine of Women's College Hospital was officially established in 1981. Prior to the formation of the Department, patients received emergency care in the hospital’s Outpatient Department staffed by members of the Department of General Practice. In 1971, due to the high volume of emergency cases, Women's College Hospital established a separate Emergency Department under the leadership of Dr. Yvonne deBuda. In 1981 after review, the Emergency Department External Review Committee recommended that the existing Emergency Department fall under the direction of a distinct organizational entity staffed by full-time physicians and a Chief who would be a full-time member of the hospital's Medical Advisory Committee. In July 1981, the Department of Emergency Medicine was established under Dr. John W. Letts, Chief of Emergency Medicine (1981-1993). On April 30, 1987 the Urgent Care Centre officially opened, replacing the Emergency Department. In 1993 the Department of Emergency Medicine was dissolved.