The Bay Centre encouraged Dr. Powell to do what she did best. The open atmosphere allowed her to haul her students, research ideas, funding connections and good medicine through the door like the bulging briefcase she carried with her.
Women’s College Hospital opened the doors of the Bay Centre for Birth Control on March 19, 1973. It was Toronto’s first hospital-supported walk-in birth control clinic.
It is difficult to talk about the history of the Bay Centre without discussing its greatest supporter and advocate; Dr. Marion Powell.
Dr. Powell worked her first shift at the Bay Centre on July 4, 1973, and remained on its staff for the next two decades. In 1984, she became its medical director. Dr. Powell was deeply devoted to the Bay Centre’s mission of providing education, information, counseling, and medical services to promote effective birth control use. By the end of its first year, the Bay Centre saw over 2,200 clients with 70% under the age of 20 years old.
Dr. Powell helped to create an open and welcoming environment for young people. Staff learned to never “assume, judge or make decisions for clients”. The Bay Centre was located in a house on a bustling downtown street, far away from the main hospital. It was open every weeknight until 9:00 p.m.
At the Bay Centre, Dr. Powell also focused on teaching and research. She provided learning opportunities for students in medicine, nursing, social work, and pharmacy. She also conducted numerous clinical research studies. Thanks to Dr. Powell and her work, the Bay Centre gained a reputation as a trusted authority in the field of sexual and reproductive health.
