Timeline
1970: The Medical Arts Building on Sheppard Avenue opens. This makes the corner of Leslie and Sheppard a focal point for health care in the community. All 586 beds are opened.

1970: The first class graduates from York Regional School of Nursing, located across the street from NYGH. In 1973, the custodianship of nursing schools is transferred from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and Seneca College subsequently takes over the school's operations.

1972: Renovations to the emergency and occupational therapy departments are finished.

1973: Expansion of the laboratory, radiology, dietary and stores departments are completed.
1976: The Volunteer Services organization plants five trees on the patio at the rear of the hospital to commemorate its 10th anniversary.
1977: The main lobby is refurbished and automatic doors are installed.
1978: Ambulatory care begins with an ear, nose and throat clinic and programs in speech and language pathology and auditory-verbal therapy. Classes in diabetic education and a comprehensive maternal-infant program follow.
1978: The intensive care unit expands to 17 beds from 10.


Dr. Charles Palmer, President of the Medical Staff Association, presents Dr. W. Kenneth Welsh with a colour portrait at the medical teaching library opening.
Throughout the years, residents of all ages have supported their community hospital:
- Fundraising continued even after the hospital opened. In the summer of 1971, Jennifer Stobbs, 12, and Connie MacDonald, 10, set up a booth in front of their North York house to sell soft drinks, stamps and chewing gum. In a letter, they sent along $3.35 and four unused pieces of gum. “We decided to help out. The gum hasn't even been unwrapped.”
- Another young person, 8-year-old Christopher Hewitt, was also a fan of NYGH after visiting the hospital in 1970 for repairs to a four-inch gash he suffered when he ran into a stone wall while playing. He wrote a letter when he got home:
I want to say thank you for the kindness. I like you very much, you are so nice. All my stitches are out now and it did not hurt when they were taken out. I also want to thank you for the bottle of lemonade. When I got home, I had lots of nice things to eat.