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Printable Guidelines

GUIDELINES FOR GROUPS VISITING RILEY HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN

We are delighted that you are interested in visiting Riley Hospital for Children. Your generosity in wishing to help make the hospital a positive experience for our patients and families is greatly appreciated. Properly organized Special Events mean a lot to a hospitalized child. The following guidelines have been put together to help you understand the physical, social and emotional needs of our patients and families:

PLANNING YOUR VISIT

1. All special events and visitors must be approved and scheduled in advance by the Child Life Department through the Special Events Coordinator at 317-274-8293.
2. All special visitors must be at least 18 years of age or older to comply with Infection Control Policies set up for the safety of our patients.
3. We hope your visit will be a memorable one, and you may want to take photographs to share with others. Arrangements must be made in advance if you wish to have photographs of patients taken for personal use or publication. Written permission from the parent on a Clarian Health Partners Media Release Form is required and needs to be filled out by a Child Life staff member. Media coverage of an event may frighten children, or they may become apprehensive in front of a camera. For this reason, we ask that a member of the Child Life staff be present to assist in media coverage. Please inform the Special Events Coordinator if you wish to take a picture for publication inside an organization or if a media release is going out to the general press.
4. Cold and Flu can hit us at anytime and cannot always be avoided. Visitors should postpone their visit if they are ill, have a fever blister, or exposure to any infectious illnesses such as chicken pox within the past two weeks (or 30 days after vaccination). We ask you call as soon as possible if you need to cancel your visit. We do invite the children to special events in advance so give as much notice as possible in order to deter any disappointment. Please call the Child Life Department at 274-8293 if you have any questions.
5. If you are planning a performance or activity, please keep in mind that many of our children will come and go during the allotted time. They may need to return to their room for a medical procedure or to rest. Please know that this is no reflection on your group.
6. Activities should be easily adapted to include children of all ages and to allow them to become actively involved. Suggestions include audience participation, group sing-along, distribution of rhythm instruments (available from the Child Life Department for musical performances), arts and crafts, and games are always a success.
7. Because our children come from very diverse backgrounds, we must limit some activities that might be frightening to a hospitalized child. Activities such as monsters, witches, and other costumed characters must be pre-approved by the Child Life Staff. Religious, political, and cultural sensitivity should always be taken into consideration.
8. Items that cannot be cleaned with a liquid cleanser provided by the hospital should not be used during special events. If you have an item that will be passed between patients, we will help clean the item between patient contacts. Cloth items or stuffed animals are unable to be cleaned and cannot be passed between patients due to infection control standards.
9. Many groups like to distribute gifts or souvenirs during their visit. Please remember that only toys or favors approved by the Child Life Department may be distributed. This is to insure the items are safe for our patients with diverse needs. Some items may be considered choking hazards or may contain latex, which is harmful to certain patients. It is very helpful when extra favors are available for the Child Life Department to distribute to children who were unable to attend an event. We discourage food items due to the dietary restrictions of some patients. Exceptions may be made but must be approved by the Child Life Department.
10. Performances must not include fireworks, candles, knives, or other potentially harmful materials. Latex balloons and other items containing latex may not be distributed to the patients due to allergies and the potential for choking. Mylar balloons are a safe alternative.
11. Please remember that jokes and humorous stories should be appropriate for younger children and should not discredit hospital staff. This is a pediatric setting, and consequently, adult humor and humor pertaining to children with illnesses may make patients and families uncomfortable.
12. Guests are asked to arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled event time to allow for parking and orientation to the hospital. If you have equipment set up needs, please arrive at least 1/2 hour prior to the scheduled performance.
13. Your visit may be videotaped for later broadcast on Riley Hospital’s Closed Circuit Television, Channel 5, and will be televised for patients unable to attend.
14. Parking for visitors is available in the Wilson Street Garage (off 10th Street). Please report to the Information Desk in the Atrium of the hospital as soon as you arrive. Ask the attendant to call Child Life at extension 4-8293. Your Child Life escort will meet you in the Atrium. A courtesy pass will be given to visitors, which will cover parking fees.
15. Refrain from wearing blue jeans, shorts, mini skirts, sweat pants, and other attire that is inappropriate when working in a hospital. Wear clean, closed toe, soft soled shoes. Tennis shoes are appropriate. Hosiery or socks are required. Flip-flops are not to be worn. If what you are wearing draws attention to you, then it is an indication that you have done too much.
16. Refrain from wearing perfumes, cologne, or aftershave. Many people have allergies or respiratory conditions and cannot tolerate scents and fragrances.
17. All special events and visitors must be approved and scheduled in advance by the Child Life Department through the Child Life Events Specialist at 317-274-8293.
18. All special visitors must be at least 18 years of age or older to comply with Infection Control Policies set up for the safety of our patients.
19. Due to the size of our playrooms, we can only accept groups of 8 people or less to help with our Activity Times.
20. An Outside Group is a group or individual that volunteers with the Child Life Department no more than 1 time in one year. If you would like to volunteer on a more consistent basis, please contact Volunteer Services at 317-274-8682.
21. If you would like to volunteer for an Activity Time, we require that you bring supplies for the Activity Time. Please refer to the Outside Group Agreement Form for craft options and a supply list.
22. Arrangements must be made in advance if you wish to have photographs of patients taken for personal use or publication. Written permission from the parent on a Clarian Health Partners Media Release Form is required and needs to be filled out by a Child Life staff member. Media coverage of an event may frighten children, or they may become apprehensive in front of a camera. Requests for photographs will be granted or declined on a case-by-case basis.

If you meet the requirements above, please fill out the Outside Group Agreement Form and return it to the Child Life Events Specialist via email or fax. We request that you give us 30 days notice so we can plan accordingly for your visit. We will attempt to fill all requests, but we must put the needs of our patients and families first. Due to the number of requests that we receive, we cannot guarantee that your group will be accepted or that you will get your first choice of dates and times.

We hope these guidelines assist you in planning your visit, and we look forward to working with you. The Child Life Department at Riley Hospital for Children strives to normalize the lives of our patients. Bringing special events to the hospital helps us complete our goal and put smiles on the faces of our patients. We appreciate your efforts to brighten the day of the children in our hospital. We hope you enjoy your visit.

The Child Life Department