Hear from Families

Situated just outside of downtown Lexington, Ky., Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Lexington delivers the highest quality of care to 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 nd 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.

• Full inclusion and respect for your role as the primary decision maker in planning, implementing and evaluating your child’s treatment plan.
• Respect for family and cultural preferences
• Open communication and collaboration with your child’s providers (doctors, nurses, therapists, and care coordinators).
• Ongoing patient/family education regarding your child’s health condition and treatment plan
• Coordination of care by a care coordinator responsible for assisting you coordinate your child’s care within Shriners Hospitals and with resources and services in the community including your child’s medical home.
• Family support while your child is hospitalized at Shriners Hospitals or staying in Lexington for reoccurring outpatient visits
• Planning for your child’s transition from pediatric to adult services.
• Assistance in arranging travel to and from Shriners Hospitals
• Assistance in arranging housing accommodations for outpatient or inpatient visits.
• A child and family friendly environment that lets patients and families know that they are valued by Shriners Hospitals for Children.

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® — Lexington is that it does not look very much like a hospital, which is exactly how we want it to be. After all, our hospital are a reflection of children and teens we care for – bright, hopeful, happy and full of possibility.

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

• Teen lounges stocked with books, movies, music and video games.
• Game rooms with pool tables and foosball.
• Children’s play areas with blocks, books, arts and crafts supplies, climbing structures and more.
• Outdoor playgrounds.
• Spacious indoor recreation areas for games like wheelchair basketball.

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

• Our exam rooms have colorful artwork depicting domestic and exotic animals.
• Our radiology suites are decorated with themed artwork on the walls and ceilings to keep kids engaged during procedures.
• Our physical therapy areas 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.
• Small children drive themselves into into surgery in cars and jeeps just their size.

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

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.