BRIDGEPOINT HEALTH

'Bridgepoint Health' is a medical facility in Toronto, Canada. It offers specialized care for those with disabilities, needing long term ailments, or with complex ailments. It is located next to the Don River in what used to be the 'Riverdale Hospital' in the Riverdale neighbourhood of the city. It is next door to the Don Jail.
The first hospital on the site was the Riverdale Isolation Hospital, which opened in 1875. It was a specialized facility located on the ede of the city to house patients with communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis. As medical science progressed there was no longer any need to isolate large numbers of patients, and in 1957 the hospitals name and mandate were changed. Its focus shifted to helping those with chronic ailments or needing rehabilitation. The current building was completed in 1963. In 1997 as part of Mike Harris' cutbacks the government moved to close the facility, but a community lobbying effort kept it open.
In 2003 a $200 million expansion project was announced, that would modernize and expand the facility. The final result will be a complex of different buildings, including the old Don Jail, which will be used for offices. The project has aroused considerable opposition in the community, however. The half-circle shaped structure is one of the most important examples of modernist architecture in Toronto, and as long been a prominent local landmark. The development plan also calls for removing a number of old trees and building over a sizable portion of a neighbouring park.

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References

External links

References

★ "What to do with a Riverdale landmark?" Dave LeBlanc. ''The Globe and Mail.'' Toronto, Ont.: Jun 17, 2005. pg. G.6

★ "Hospital blazes a trail in complex care" Brian Dexter. ''Toronto Star.'' Toronto, Ont.: May 10, 2003. pg. K.01

External links

★ Official site

★ Save the Riverdale Hospital