Family and Visitor Guidelines

young happy family

Visiting Hours

Visiting Hours is divided into three sessions:

  • Morning Hours: 6:30 am- 8:30 am
  • Lunch time Hours: 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
  • Evening Hours: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Parents are welcome 24 hours per day. There are times during the day when parents may be asked to step out of the room or unit.

Both parents or legal guardians or one family-designated caregiver may be in the patient’s room before and after visiting hours. Sleeping arrangements are available for one parent in most rooms. For the patient’s safety, please do not sleep in the child’s bed.

Restricted Visiting Areas

Additional visitation guidelines exist in several units where children are particularly ill or have weak immune systems, including the:

Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

In some instances, sibling visitation may be restricted.

Health Care Information

To protect each child’s privacy, only parents or legal guardians will be given medical information about a patient.

Gifts for Patients

Our patients love to receive toys and gifts to help them pass the time while they are in the hospital. Due to infection control requirements, we do not permit fresh flowers to be taken to any patient care areas. If visitors bring flowers, they will be asked to drop off the flowers at the front desk so that parents can take them home. They will not be taken to the unit.

For Parents

For a child, having their parents near them can significantly enhance the recovery process. Whenever possible, we encourage parents to stay with their child, including spending the night. Exceptions to this guideline may include:

  • Most rooms in the hospital can only accommodate one adult staying overnight
  • If a parent cannot stay overnight, families may choose one adult to remain with their child during the night

Please know that we will not give out information about your child’s medical condition to anyone other than his or her legal guardians. Please ask extended family and friends to use you as their resource for information on your child’s condition

Parents’ Visiting Rights

The hospital will not restrict or deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability and will ensure that all visitors enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with patient preferences. You will be informed in a language you can understand if visitation or communication is being restricted for health or safety reasons.

All visitors enjoy full and equal visitation rights consistent with the preferences of you and your child. You will be informed in a language you can understand if visitation or communication is being restricted for health or safety reasons.

Visits from Siblings

Our patients’ sisters and brothers are important to them, but children under the age of 12 have more infectious diseases than adults and teenagers. To preserve the health of all of our patients, we ask that you follow these policies:

Children under age 12 may only visit a patient if they are the child’s brother or sister

Siblings under age 12 who have rashes, runny noses, fever or recent exposure to an infectious disease MAY NOT visit patients

A maximum of two children may visit a patient’s room at one time

All child visitors must be supervised by an adult