The Children's Hospital of Winnipeg began its existence in 1909, in an old three-story home on Beaconsfield Street, with 15 cots, one nurse and a staff of volunteer doctors and surgeons. It was established in acknowledgment of the fact that children are special, and they have special health care needs. It was established to make sick kids better.
Today, Children's Hospital has grown into a state-of-the-art, 127-bed facility that treats more than 130,000 children each year. It is the only hospital between Toronto and Calgary devoted expressly to the health care needs of children. From its base of operations in Winnipeg, the Hospital reaches out to children in every part of Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario and the Keewatin District, Nunavut. It is a teaching facility affiliated with the University of Manitoba, committed to educating and developing the very finest pediatric health care professional. It is an international centre of excellence for pediatric medical research.