Ottawa Civic Hospital's trauma centre celebrates 100 years

The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus trauma centre is about to mark a major milestone – 100 years of saving lives.

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In 2018, Casey Delaney was severely injured in a watercraft accident when a jet-ski lost control and crashed into the raft she was on.

"Because of the severity of my injury, I didn't realize the severity of my injury," Delaney said.

Delaney, who took the brunt of the collision, was rushed to the closest hospital at the time before being taken to the Civic Hospital. The trauma unit doctors had to perform emergency surgery to relieve brain swelling.

"He removed two large portions of my skull and then they placed me in a medically induced coma," Delaney said.

Since opening on Nov. 27, 1924, the hospital's trauma unit has been critical in responding to incidents such as the Heron Road Bridge collapse in 1966, the 1998 ice storm, the 2013 OC Transpo and VIA Rail crash, and the 2019 Westboro bus crash.

"When something happens in the city, we kind of all get like, 'what's going to come to us?'" said Dr. Jacinthe Lampron, the trauma unit's medical director.

Lampron says Delaney's recovery is a testament to the team's dedication.

"So happy she's doing great. Very pleased that our team was part of her recovery. We were very, very worried about her. We gave all the best care we had, and it's been successful. So, it's very rewarding to see her doing so well," Lampron said.

Delaney has since made a remarkable recovery and is now back to living a normal life.

I'm back to work. I have run a half marathon, so I actually have gotten back to running. I had a baby at the Civic two years ago, and I'm currently pregnant with our second child, who will be born at the Civic in April," she said.

As the trauma unit marks 100 years of service, stories like Delaney's show the impact they have on the lives of so many.

"It's such an important place that we have in this city, and we're so lucky to have these professionals on hand when we need them," Delaney said.