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At Shriners Hospitals for Children® “family centered care” is not just a catchphrase. It is a philosophy of care and treatment that impacts every aspect of how we interact with, and care for, our patients and their families.

We understand that you are the expert on your child. You know how he will respond to new people and places, the best way to get her to take her medicine, how to settle him down to sleep at night, what she likes to do for fun and which stuffed animal absolutely must be packed in the bag when you come to the hospital. It is your detailed knowledge of your child that helps make our medical team more effective. And it is why we put the family at the center of our care.

Here are a few of things you and your family will experience when your child is a patient at Shriners Hospitals for Children.

• Meetings with you and the entire medical team treating your child – including a pediatrician, surgeons, radiologists, physical/occupational/speech therapists and nurses – to review your child’s condition, discuss the treatment plan and set goals.
• Support groups for parents to help cope with caring for a disabled or critically injured child.
• Family accommodations available onsite so that you can be close to your child during his or her stay.
• Ronald McDonald is our most important support for low-cost accommodation, it also provides transportation parents to/from Ronald McDonald house to hospital  
• Spacious inpatient rooms that make it easy for you to stay at your child’s bedside around the clock.
• Psychological/psychiatric services for patients and families.
• Social workers to help families with a variety of issues at home and in the community and also help you with every aspect of your child’s care, both here at Shriners Hospitals for Children and when you return home.

In our experience, strong families make strong children. That is why we do everything we can to answer your questions, make you and your child as comfortable as possible, and provide the resources you need both now and in the future.

One of the first things you notice when you walk into Shriners Hospitals for Children® is that they do not look very much like hospitals, which is exactly how we want it to be. After all, our hospitals are a reflection of our patients – bright, hopeful, happy and full of possibility.

Every aspect of our hospitals' physical design and overall atmosphere is based on putting children at ease and creating an environment that allows kids to be kids. In our hospitals you will find things like:

• An open terrace where kids have recreational activities.
• School and Child Life Departments have a program of activities for bedside.
• A fully stocked library for the patients with books, school texts.
• A stock of videos movies and video games for bedside.

Even the clinical areas of our hospital are child-friendly.

• Our outpatient clinic treatment rooms have examination tables shaped like fire trucks and hippos.
• Our radiology suites have lots of pictures on the walls and ceilings to keep kids engaged during procedures.
• Our physical therapy rooms include video games and lots of toys to help kids have fun while doing important therapeutic activities.
• Our hospital lobbies are stocked with toys and games to keep patients and siblings busy while waiting for appointments.

And the most unique thing you will find in our hospitals is the Shriners themselves, giving their time to entertain and visit our patients, talk with parents about how they are doing.

For those of us who work at Shriners Hospitals for Children, watching kids run, jump, explore, laugh and play is our greatest joy and proof that our mission is making a difference.

No matter what their medical condition, kids are always looking ahead, always wanting to move forward. These hospitals are designed solely for the purpose of making that happen.