Hospital Care

Families with children and youth with special health care needs may make frequent and unexpected visits to the hospital. The pages in this section provide some information to help families through the difficult and sometimes confusing process of a hospital stay.

• The Hospital Admissions, Inpatient Stay, and Discharge page will help families understand the paperwork and processes for being admitted to the hospital and being discharged back home. It also provides helpful hints that families can use to be more prepared for unexpected visits and ideas to help with longer inpatient stays.

• The Hospital to Home/Community page will help families prepare for the transition between leaving the hospital and going back home, to school, or into another medical facility. It offers sample forms and helpful hints for keeping the Medical Home, school, and other organizations informed and working together for the best interest of the child.

• The Child Life Services page explains what child life specialists do in the hospital and how families can use these services to help reduce their child’s fears, keep them active, and access other in-hospital family services.