Story 1: The Hardhatters - 1976

Before the first patients arrived, there were the Hard Hatters.

In 1976, as preparations for Queensway Carleton Hospital’s opening were underway, staff hires took place amid construction. Candidates were guided by flashlight through dark corridors, across muddy board walkways, and past piles of lumber and wiring, all while wearing hard hats.

Desks were improvised out of doors, propped on top of crates, and the first pay cheques were written out by hand. The new staff were building departments, programs, and the beginnings of the hospital’s outstanding reputation for care from the ground up. Their teamwork, creativity, and family spirit still shape QCH 50 years later today.