The Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation has made a most lamentable decision. Without much public awareness the Corporation decided, back in 2006, to abandon the name Henderson as the designation of the city's hospital on Concession Street on the Mountain.
The decision was made to replace the Henderson name with that of Juravinski. The Juravinski name is already attached to the Cancer Clinic which is part of the facility and now it is to be extended to the whole institution. Assuming that the Health Sciences Corporation was not actually seeking an excuse to dump the Henderson name, their decision is puzzling. Mr. & Mrs. Juravinski have been very generous benefactors and their generosity certainly deserves to be celebrated. The question is, since the Health Sciences Corporation has a staff of experienced public relations people, how is it that they could not come up with some other alternative? Why do we have to take back an honour already bestowed on someone else in order to honour the Juravinskis?
For the moment, the point is not to justify the appropriateness of the honour previously given to Norah Francis Hamilton. There was more than ample reason to accord her that honour. The point is a more basic one than that. Why must one person be demoted in order for someone else to be celebrated? Has Hamilton so many heroes that there are not distinctions enough to go around?
As this earlier decision is now seeping out into public consciousness there is likely to be a public clamour. And so there should be! The Henderson Hospital doesn't belong to the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation they have just been appointed to administer it. The Hospital belongs to the people of this city. It is now time for those people to tell the HHSC what they think.
You can learn more about this whole issue by visiting
Forever Henderson and registering your response.
