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Newsroom
Media Release
March 30, 2009
ATTENTION: NEWS / HEALTH / SOCIETY EDITORS
Trillium Health Centre mourns the loss of Merritt Henderson, long-time president of The Mississauga Hospital
(Mississauga/West Toronto): Merritt G. Henderson, who led The Mississauga Hospital (now Trillium Health Centre – Mississauga) as its president for 30 years, died this morning at his home in Mississauga. He was 76 years of age.
“Merritt Henderson leaves behind an enduring legacy marked by a passion for delivering the best quality of care,” said Janet Davidson, O.C. Trillium’s president and CEO. "His total commitment to patients and staff, combined with prudent fiscal stewardship, remain at the heart of Trillium’s culture and values. He created the foundation upon which an innovative, caring organization has been built.”
Henderson joined South Peel Hospital, as it was then known, in April 1958, just weeks before the new community-based hospital admitted its first patient. A chartered accountant, he was hired by administrator Ray Copeland as office manager and accountant and given the responsibility of hiring staff and purchasing equipment for the start up.
Henderson went to work establishing a sound financial base for the new hospital. For the next 35 years, the hospital balanced its budget and set aside funds for future development.
In 1965, Henderson was named president, a post he held until July 1994. In 1970, the hospital’s name was changed to The Mississauga Hospital to reflect the expanding new community. Under his leadership, Henderson saw the hospital grow from 115 beds in 1958 to 519 when he retired in 1994.
Widely-known for his participatory management style and open-door policy, Henderson believed in a culture of openness and respect and wanted all staff to understand that their work had real value. “I wanted our patients to feel they were in good hands with us,” he said recently. “No one wants to be in a hospital, but, if that’s where they had to be, then we needed to serve them well.”
The high quality of care was recognized in 1994 when The Mississauga Hospital was awarded a four-year accreditation by the Canadian Committee on Health Facilities Accreditation (CCHFA), an honour reserved for just three hospitals across Canada that year.
The Mississauga Hospital Board of Directors acknowledged that his strong leadership and devotion to the hospital had won the respect and admiration of the community. Henderson was once named Businessman of the Year by the Mississauga Board of Trade.. His leadership was also recognized well beyond the Mississauga community as he served as president of the Ontario Hospital Association in 1981 and was also a director of the Canadian Hospital Association.
To honour his outstanding contributions, The Merritt G. Henderson Student Education Fund was established to support the children of Trillium employees interested in pursuing continuing education studies and pursuing a career in the health care sector.
Henderson’s own dedication remained strong through retirement and through the amalgamation of The Mississauga Hospital and Queensway General Hospital that created Trillium Health Centre in 1998. He continued to support the hospital as a leadership donor and to serve as an honorary director of the Trillium Health Centre Foundation.
“Merritt was a visionary leader whose legacy will continue to positively impact the patients we care for at Trillium Health Centre,” said Scott Campbell, Board Chair. “On behalf of the entire Trillium family, I offer our deepest condolences to Merritt’s family and his many friends. He touched the lives of many people and he will be sadly missed.”
Friends may call at the Turner & Porter "Peel" Chapel 2180 Hurontario St. (Hwy 10, north of Q.E.W.) on Wednesday, April 1 and Thursday, April 2 from 2 - 4 p.m. and 7 - 9 p.m.
Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Christopher's Church, 1171 Clarkson Rd., Mississauga, on Friday, April 3, 2009 at 10:30 a.m.
For those who wish, donations for remembrance may be made to the Trillium Health Centre Foundation, Hospice of Peel or the Parkinson Society Canada.
About Trillium Health Centre
Trillium Health Centre is one of Canada’s largest hospitals with regional tertiary programs in advanced cardiac, vascular, stroke, neurosciences, orthopaedic, and sexual assault and domestic violence services. Housing a model ambulatory care centre and the largest free standing day-surgery centre in North America, Trillium serves over one million residents in Peel and West Toronto and from other communities across Ontario. With the continued support of the Trillium Health Centre Foundation, the hospital’s fundraising arm, the two-site facility is attracting international attention for its innovative approach to providing safe, high quality health care services and has received numerous national awards for quality and innovation.
For more information visit www.trilliumhealthcentre.org.
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Media
Contacts:
Larry Roberts
Media Relations Consultant
Trillium Health Centre
Office: 905-848-7580 ext. 3832
Cell: 416-358-7201
lroberts@thc.on.ca