# "Largest" hospital in US/Canada **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 7, 2021, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hospital-in-us-canada/939538 "2021-04-07T11:25:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hospital-in-us-canada/939538/1 "2021-04-07T11:25:52Z")
I am seeing claims that the recently completed CHUM hospital in Montreal is the “largest in North America”. I am trying to figure out what it is based on. Not bed count (it has about 1600 beds - there are others with over 2000 beds). Patient rooms? (all rooms are supposedly single occupancy - i.e. one bed per room). What about floor space? It has 3 million square feet (which includes research areas and offices) in adjoining buildings. I can’t find square footage for other hospitals (which may be greater - but in adjoining buildings?). How would something like the Mayo Clinic compare in floor space? Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hospital-in-us-canada/939538/2 "2021-04-07T11:40:20Z")
I’ve only found more specific [claims](https://www.canadianconsultingengineer.com/features/chum-mega-hospital-in-montreal/) that it’s the “largest serving a French-language population”, and that seems to be based on the floor space. Others all seem to use “_one of_ the largest hospitals” or the even more plausible “one of the largest University hospitals” The Mayo is [15 million square feet](https://www.mayoclinic.org/documents/mc2045-pdf/doc-20078949) ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hospital-in-us-canada/939538/3 "2021-04-07T15:41:23Z")
Maybe they mean the biggest scandal-ridden hospital in North America: > **[MUHC bribery scandal: A timeline of 'the biggest fraud in Canadian history'](https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/muhc-bribery-scandal-a-timeline-of-the-biggest-fraud-in-canadian-history)** > > Here is a breakdown of how the conspiracy began and what has happened in Project Lauréat since. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hospital-in-us-canada/939538/4 "2021-04-07T15:43:13Z")
Quebec is good at this sort of thing: [Quebec: The most corrupt province - Macleans.ca](https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/the-most-corrupt-province/) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hospital-in-us-canada/939538/5 "2021-04-07T15:45:38Z")
Hospital sizes are hard to evaluate because they seldom tell you exactly what is being included. The Mayo Clinic is undoubtedly huge, but it’s spread over [four main campuses](https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/minnesota/campus-buildings-maps) and three hospitals. The local Strong Memorial Hospital is 1.6 million sq. ft., but you can walk through it to the adjacent research School of Medicine, which is 2.1 million sq. ft. That would make it bigger than CHUM, although it only has half the number of beds. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hospital-in-us-canada/939538/6 "2021-04-07T16:10:52Z")
And half the medical facilities in northeast Ohio are part of the Cleveland Clinic. Is the Cleveland Clinic “a hospital”? ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hospital-in-us-canada/939538/7 "2021-04-08T11:21:08Z")
It was the MUHC that had the “bribery scandal” - not the CHUM which was the subject of my original post. (both Montreal hospitals are brand-new “superhospitals” each combining the facilities of several older hospitals. One basically serves the west end (more English-speaking), and the other further east (more French-speaking)).