Hear from Families

Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Erie delivers state-of-the-art care for children with a host of orthopaedic and neuromusculoskeletal disorders and diseases. Our hospital is light-filled, colorful and designed to put children and families at ease. Every member of our staff, from surgeons to therapists, nurses to orthotists, is focused on providing the highest quality care that puts the family at the center of the team.

Read Leaders in Care, our hospital magazine.

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 therapists and nurses – to review your child’s condition, discuss the treatment plan and set goals
• Waiting room activities to keep patients/siblings busy during visits to the facility 
• A cafeteria open to families and patients that serves inexpensive meals
• Transportation assistance getting to and from the facility for scheduled appointments
• Psychological services for patients
• Social workers to help families with a variety of issues at home and in the community
• Care coordination services to 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:

• Play areas and televisions in the various waiting rooms to keep children entertained wile waiting for appointments and procedures
• Outdoor playground
• Bright colors, friendly faces and happy smiltes

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

• Our outpatient clinic treatment rooms are decorated in bright, cheerful designs
• Our physical therapy rooms include video games and lots of toys to help kids have fun while doing important therapeutic activities.

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.