What to bring
The following information will assist you in preparing for your visit to CHEO.
Health coverage information
Be sure to bring your:
- provincial health coverage - OHIP card for Ontario residents or RAMQ card for Quebec residents
- CHEO hospital card (if you have visited CHEO before)
- private health insurance information (if you have this coverage)
A parent or legal guardian will have to sign the necessary Ministry of Health consent forms for children and youth under 16 years of age.
Personal Health information
Please bring:
- all your medications and supplements (The health-care team will review them and some may be used during your stay. We will also want to know the time of the last dose.)
- immunization records
- details about any known allergies to food or drugs
Items for you
Depending on the length of stay in hospital, you may want to bring:
- spending money for meals and parking
- clothes, pyjamas and slippers
- any special toys or family photos
- toiletries
Make sure to mark everything with your name.
CHEO mom and blogger, Chloe Girvan, has written a helpful article on what parents should bring with them for a hospital stay. We encourage you to review it.
What to expect while at CHEO
| Where will my child or youth be staying? |
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There are eight inpatient units at CHEO, including Neonatal Intensive Care and Pediatric Intensive Care. Sometimes a child may be moved within a unit, or moved to a different one, usually because of space pressures. You will be notified in advance if this is to happen. There are no private rooms, however there are single rooms used for isolation purposes. If your child or youth does not need to be isolated, they will share a room with one or two other children or youth. |
| Who will be caring for my child or youth? |
| A whole team of professionals will look after your child or teen when you come to CHEO. Healthcare teams in the hospital are grouped as Patient Service Units (PSUs). These groupings contain inpatient and outpatient teams so that no matter where your child is in terms of their recovery, he/she will remain under the same PSU according to their diagnosis. This organization makes it easier to have continuity in your child's care. The PSU healthcare teams are made up of many different professionals, including doctors, nurses, social workers, and others. Which team members are involved will depend on your child's or family's needs. |
| How do I inquire about my child or youth? |
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As a parent and valued member of your child's care team, you may call the hospital any time for updates. The unit where your child is staying can be reached through the hospital switchboard at 613-737-7600, or directly through the unit's phone number. Shift change is a busy time and outside calls will not be taken between 7:30-8:30 am and 7:30-8:30 pm. We're happy to take your calls at any time, with the exceptions of these indicated times. Information is always readily available through your child's nurse, who can also help you reach any other of the health-care team members caring for your child. Updates and information will only be supplied to the parent or legal guardian of a child. We would therefore appreciate your asking other family members or friends to check with you, and not the unit, for information. Respecting the privacy of other children, youth and their families is extremely important. |
| What about visiting? |
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Parents are always welcome 24 hours a day. One parent may stay overnight in the child’s room in a special armchair which converts into a bed. We encourage other family members, including siblings and grandparents, to visit during visiting hours from 3:00 to 8:00 pm daily, including weekends and statutory holidays. No more than 2 people at any time can visit a child or youth (includes at bedside and in playroom) at any one time. Other family members or visiting friends are invited to wait in the coffee shop, cafeteria or main lobby and to take turns visiting. All visitors, except parents, must sign in at the unit desk before going to a room for a visit. Visit our visiting ours and policies page to learn more. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) have special visiting arrangements which the nursing staff of these units will be pleased to explain. |
| Head to Toe suicide screening questions |
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To intervene early with children and youth experiencing suicidal thoughts, CHEO has developed the Head to Toe assessment program. It is now standard practice for all children and youth over the age of 12 to be screened for suicide upon being admitted to CHEO. |
| What activities are available? |
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