Q. Who will be taking care of my child?
Q. What will I need to bring to the hospital?
Q. If our child is in hospital, can we phone the unit to get information on our child?
Q. Can I bring my child's personal items, like a special toy?
Q. Can I stay overnight with my child?
Q. How can I participate in my child's care in the hospital?
Q. My child is missing a lot of school because of hospitalization. What can we do?
Q. Can I bring snacks or other food for my child?
- How can we reduce the cost of parking while our child is in the hospital?
- What if I arrive on the weekend when the parking office is not open?
- What do I do for parking if my child is transferred from one hospital to another?
- Where can I locate disabled parking stalls?
- Parking is expensive, what if I am having trouble paying for parking?
Q. What if a parent or visitor is not feeling well?
Q. What can we do so we don't spread germs during visits to the hospital?
Q. How long is the wait in emergency?
Q. How can I locate a family member/friend staying in the hospital?
Q. What is the hospital address?
Q. What resources and services are available at the hospital?
Who will be taking care of my child?
There are many health care professionals with special skills who will care for your child while he or she is in the hospital. Some of these people are listed here.
What will I need to bring to the hospital?
Because maintaining normal activities is important, the hospital supplies pajamas and food for patients.
For patients who will stay in the hospital overnight (these are called inpatients), the hospital will supply the following:
- Pajamas
- Hospital gowns
- Food
- Diapers
- For bottle-fed babies, milk or formula (with nipples) will be supplied
Items you may wish to bring include:
- Socks for your child
- Underwear
- Slippers
- Favorite toy or blanket
- Soothers
- Comb
- Soap
- Shampoo
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Robe (housecoat)
- Photos of family or friends
Please label all personal items with your child's name. Although the hospital cannot be responsible for lost articles, we will try to keep track of your child's personal items. You will be responsible for laundering your child's personal clothing.
If our child is in hospital, can we phone the unit to get information on our child who is an inpatient?
Yes. To ensure confidentiality, we only give parents or a legal guardian(s) information about the child.
You will be given a card with your child's ID number at admission. You will be asked to provide your child's ID number when you call for information.
Please do not give this number to members of your extended family.
Can I bring my child's personal items, like a special toy?
Yes. Personal items are important to your child in the hospital. If your child has a special toy, photo, blanket or keepsake, put his or her name on it, and bring it with you.
Can I stay overnight with my child?
Yes, there is one bed provided in the patient's room for one parent, guardian or parent designee (18 years of age or older) to stay in the room with the child overnight.
Because family support is so important, the Stollery Children's Hospital welcomes and encourages parents or guardians to stay with their child at all times on the general units, with some exceptions.
- Out of respect for other patients, visitors and staff, we request that everyone be appropriately clothed at all times. If you are staying overnight, please do not wear sleepwear outside the patient's bedroom.
- Be sure to wear a robe.
- For your safety, please always wear shoes or slippers.
How can I participate in my child's care in the hospital?
Family participation in the care of your child is encouraged. Please discuss with your nurse how you wish to participate in the care of your child. Here are some tips:
- Tell us some of the things that are important to your child. Keeping your child comfortable is very important to us. Because you know your child best, we rely on you to let us know some of the things that are important to him or her.
- Comfort and support your child. Your voice and touch are important for providing comfort and support to your child. Please remember that your child will require frequent periods of uninterrupted rest.
- Ask for an explanation of medical equipment. Staff will respond to medical equipment sounds, beeps, alarms and buzzes. Please feel free to ask for help and/or explanations of these sounds.
- Tell us what you want to know. Communicate clearly with your child's care team about the type of information you expect to receive, how much you want to know and when you want to know it.
- Ask for clarification if you do not understand information. Medical terminology can be tricky and difficult to understand. Remember that sometimes a definitive answer is not possible. Sometimes risks and benefits must be taken into account and decisions made without absolute answers.
- Write down questions as you think of them. By doing this you won't forget to ask the important questions next time you see a member of the team.
- Bring some special personal belongings. Please feel free to bring any personal belongings, such as blankets, stuffed animals or pictures to make your child's stay as comfortable as possible. Make sure that personal items are marked with your child's name.
- Help us keep your child's room tidy. Please keep your child's room tidy for your child's safety and for ease of access by nursing and medical staff. Store personal belongings in the bedside table or closet.
- Take care of yourself and maintain your own health. Finding a balance between your need to be at your child's bedside and your own needs as well as the needs of other family members is a big challenge. Maintaining your own health is essential to supporting your child through the hospitalization. Make sure that you take care of your own needs for food and rest.
- Ask about what resources are available to you in the hospital.
- Ask your nurse to show you the quiet rooms that you can use for family discussions. We realize that hospitalization of your child can be a stressful time for you. We are here to help you deal with this stress.
My child is missing a lot of school because of hospitalization. What can we do?
At the Stollery Children's Hospital, the Edmonton Public School Board operates a classroom for hospitalized children. The hospital and the school board recognize the importance in helping hospitalized children and adolescents maintain ties with their school and their normal daily routine.
The school classrooms at the Stollery are able to accommodate both wheelchairs and support equipment. Teachers will also visit children who are unable to get to the classrooms in their hospital rooms.
The curriculum is flexible in order to meet the varied developmental and educational needs of the children and adolescents.
Hospital School Teachers will liaise with the child's school and parents to coordinate curriculum, share pertinent medical information as it pertains to learning and classroom experiences, to plan home teaching and collaborate in the child's transition back to the regular classroom
Contact number: phone 780-407-6300
Can I bring snacks or other food for my child?
Because many procedures or conditions require food limitations, please talk to your child's nurse before brining any food into your child's room. Also, ask your nurse about the Kidz Choice Menu, a special menu option for children at the Stollery Children's Hospital.
A variety of parking options are available to you, including hourly, weekly, and monthly parking. Please visit the parking office on level O of the hospital (OH1.01). They will help you find the best parking option.
Parking office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. Phone 407-8890.
For detailed information and a map about parking locations click here.
How can we reduce the cost of parking while our child is in the hospital?
To reduce parking costs for families weekly and /monthly parking passes are available by going to the Parking Office (0H1.01) in the hospital.
These passes usually allow for "in/out" privileges, which are not available on a daily basis at hospital parking lots.
Parking office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. Phone 407-8890.
Do not park in the underground parking lot – there is no daily maximum and you will find that it costs less to park in a surface lot.
What if I arrive on the weekend when the parking office is not open?
If you arrive on the weekend and are planning to purchase a parking pass, you may be able to apply the cost of parking to the cost of your parking pass (provided you park in the University of Alberta Hospital/Stollery Children's Hospital parking lots).
To take advantage of this arrangement, request a receipt when leaving the UAH/Stollery parking lot, and present these receipts on the next business day to the Parking Office when you purchase your parking pass.
What do I do for parking if my child is transferred from one hospital to another?
If a patient is transferred to another hospital within the Capital Health region, the balance of the term of a UAH/Stollery parking pass will be honored at the new facility.
Participating facilities include: Edmonton General Hospital, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Grey Nuns Community Hospital, Misericordia Community Hospital, Royal Alexandra Hospital, and Sturgeon Community Hospital.
To arrange for parking credit for the balance of the term stated on your UAH/Stollery parking pass, please go to the parking office at the new facility.
Where can I locate disabled parking stalls?
Patients/family members with disabled parking placards can contact the parking office for information regarding accessible parking.
Parking is expensive, what if I am having trouble paying for parking?
Patients and families having difficulty managing parking costs or transportation in general can contact the social worker on their unit to discuss options.
What if a parent or visitor is not feeling well?
Parents or guardians who are not feeling well may visit but are asked to remain with the child in his or her room.
Other visitors who are not feeling well are asked not to visit and to stay at home until they are well again. If a sick child were to catch your illness, he or she could become even sicker.
To prevent spreading germs during visits, all visitors are asked to wash hands with soap and water before and after being in the child's room.
If you have been near someone who has been sick in the past three weeks, ask the nurse if it is safe to visit. Contact with a sick person may give you germs that you can then give to patients. This is very important if you have been in contact with anyone who has chicken pox.
What can we do so we don't spread germs during visits to the hospital?
Wash your hands with soap and water before and after being in the child's room.
Please avoid touching other children or their belongings. If you do touch other children or their belongings, wash your hands right away with soap and water.
Before other children visit, ask the nurse.
If a child is in ISOLATION, there are special instructions to follow. These are posted on the child's door. Please read them carefully. If you have any questions, ask the child's nurse.
Tell ALL visitors about the need to wash their hands.
How long is the wait in emergency?
The Emergency Department provides treatment to the sickest patients first.
You can also call Capital Health Link for health advice and information. Registered nurses are available to speak to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 408-LINK (5465).
How can I locate a family member/friend staying in the hospital?
For information on patients in the University of Alberta or Stollery Children's Hospitals, please contact the hospital information desk at 407-8408.
The University of Alberta Hospital and the Stollery Children's Hospital are located within the Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre. The address is:
8440 – 112 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
T6G 2B7
Phone: (780) 407-8822
What resources and services are available at the hospital?
There are many resources and services available for patients and families at the hospital.
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