The hospital serves over 1.2 million residents of Eastern Ontario, and the Gatineau region of Quebec.

Montfort is the only hospital in Ottawa that administers in French and the only Francophone academic healthcare institution west of the province of Quebec.

[1] Montfort trains Francophone healthcare professionals with the help of the hospital's knowledge institute, the Institut du Savoir Montfort (ISM), and in collaboration with its main partners, the University of Ottawa and La Cité college as well as other post-secondary education programs.

The psychiatry and orthopedics departments, intensive care unit, cardio-pulmonary and electroencephalography services were introduced in the 1970s.

The Montfort Long-Term Care Centre (formerly the Pavillon de la Sagesse), located behind the hospital, took in its first residents in 1978.

The public responded with immediate action and created the SOS Montfort movement led by Gisèle Lalonde.

[12] Over the years, various major campaigns have taken place: "Sincerely Yours", the SOS Montfort Resistance Fund, "Building a Unique Institution Together" and "For you, Sweet Heart".

Each year they contribute around 60,000 hours of volunteer time to the hospital, significantly improving the quality of patient service.

The purpose of ISM-Recherche is to develop and implement innovative research programs that endeavour to help improve the quality of health care, especially among Francophone populations in minority settings.

[14] Hôpital Montfort is affiliated with the University of Ottawa and it is the only health institution in Ontario that provides clinical training in a Francophone setting, with the help of ISM-Education.