Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital

Our history

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We have a rich and diverse history at Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital. For over a century we have served the health care needs of our community during some of the most pressing health care challenges of our time.

Our doors first opened in 1860 as the first Toronto shelter for the homeless. Just over a decade later, the space was converted to help contain the 1869 smallpox epidemic. Over the next 50 years, we developed a reputation for treating infectious diseases and housed patients suffering from the illnesses of the day; including diphtheria, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, measles and polio.

In 1963, the Riverdale Hospital opened 800 beds for people with long-term illnesses. Over the next 30 years, we continued to evolve with the community needs – opening a Stroke Recovery Unit, a Palliative Care Unit, a Dialysis Unit and an HIV/AIDS complex continuing care program.

In the early 2000s we began to plan for the future of health care. Planning for our new hospital, becoming a designated teaching hospital and finally, in 2013 opening the doors to our current facility, which will help us to achieve our mission of becoming the leader for the world’s leader in delivering complex care.

In recognition of a transformational $36 million gift from Jay and Barbara Hennick, Bridgepoint Active Healthcare was renamed Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital in 2021.

We are proud of our 150 years of providing a culture of compassion and innovation in care. From our beginning as Canada’s first homeless shelter to pioneering new standards of clinical care, we thrived as a result of our ability to respond and lead to address the changing needs of society.