CHEO launches new Emergency Department screening tool to improve access to care

Oct. 7, 2026, Ottawa, ON - CHEO has launched a new digital screening tool in its Emergency Department (ED) to deliver a more modernized and accessible experience for children, youth, families and caregivers. 

The new tool, Beacon, can be accessed on any mobile device upon arrival at CHEO’s ED, and it aims to improve the patient and family experience by providing personalized wait times on their device.  

Beacon also supports care teams by identifying opportunities to help move care forward sooner. 

Through a brief digital screening process, the tool identifies when a child or youth may be eligible for services available through the Kids Come First Care Clinic, located on-site at CHEO's Smyth Road campus. These referrals are only offered when clinically appropriate and when capacity exists. They give patients and families in the ED, who don’t need emergency care, an alternative that is just down the hall. 

Families remain under CHEO's care throughout their visit, regardless of the outcome of the screening, and all clinical decisions continue to be made by CHEO physicians, nurses and care teams. 

The goal is to ensure patients who can safely receive care outside the Emergency Department can access appropriate alternatives, helping to relieve pressures and shorten waits. 

“Patients and families come to the Emergency Department at a very difficult time. This tool is an important upgrade in how we deliver care. It gives clinicians better information to help deliver timely, patient-centred care, and it helps families get the right care in the right place at the right time,” said Vera Etches, CHEO president and CEO. 

The Beacon initiative, underway thanks in part to the generous support of the CHEO Foundation, falls under CHEO's commitment to improving access to pediatric care through innovation and partnership. 

This is also part of CHEO's ongoing commitment to meeting patients and families where they are and ensuring they can quickly access the care and information they need.