The CHOC Experience Video Guide

Where do I enter the parking garage?
Enter from Providence Avenue or Pepper Street. Use the Pepper Street entrance if you have a disabled parking permit. Speak with a parking attendant if you have an oversized vehicle.

How much does parking cost?
The first 20 minutes are free. For parents and guardians, self-parking is $2 with validation available upon check-in. Visitors to the outpatient pharmacy park for free with validation. For visitors, fees are $6 for 21 minutes to four hours of parking, and $9 for more than four hours. People with lost tickets pay the daily maximum of $9.

Can I buy a parking pass?
Weekly, monthly and quarterly parking passes are available for purchase at the parking booth and valet stands. They cost $10 a week, $30 a month and $75 a quarter. Requests for parking fee waivers are also available. Speak with a customer service staff member, case manager or social worker for more information.

Does CHOC Children’s Hospital have valet services?
Valet is available outside the main hospital entrance from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Valet for drivers going to the emergency department is available 24 hours a day. Use the main or emergency department driveways off of Pepper Street to access valet services.

Valet costs $8 per car, with a $2 reduced rate with a rehabilitation badge, outpatient infusion center hangtag, emergency department validation stamp, or notice from the surgical center.

Where can I check in for a visit or stay?
You can check in at the front desk in the main hospital lobby on the first floor of the Bill Holmes Tower. You may also check in at the desk on the second floor of the Bill Holmes Tower, though you may be directed to the first floor depending on the reason for your visit.

What do I need to bring to my child’s visit or stay?
Bring your insurance information and co-pay method. All adults must show a picture ID.

Can I go with my child if I’ve been recently ill?
For the safety of our patients and staff, anyone who has been sick in the last 24 hours or has recently been exposed to measles, mumps or chicken pox cannot go with the patient. Admitting staff will inquire about your health.

When will I see my child’s doctor?
You will be visited daily by a hospitalist, a pediatrician who practices in the hospital.

How will I have my questions answered?
Please ask any team member if you have a question. It is important to us that we hear your concerns and answer all your questions. We also encourage you to take notes to jot down questions as they arise or to record answers. You’re also encouraged to use the whiteboard in your child’s room to write down your questions.

Can we have visitors?
Visiting hours end at 8 p.m. Parents or guardians can come and go as they please, and a sleeping cot will be provided for one parent or guardian to stay overnight. Visitors are temporarily limited to parents and a few surrogate caregivers during the winter viral season. Your nurse will explain visitor guidelines at the time of admission.

Will my child have a private room?
We cannot guarantee a private room for all patients. For patients in double rooms, we are careful to make the most appropriate pairings of patients. Curtains between the beds help establish privacy.

Can my child leave their room?
It depends on what they have been admitted for. If their physician clears your child to leave the room, their nurse can help them to the playroom or other amenities. If the child must stay in their room, the nurse can help choose activities to do in their room.

How long until we can go home?
Because each child is different, it’s often difficult to predict a length of stay. You are encouraged to participate in daily rounds to receive information, help develop care plans for each day as well as after discharge, and get your questions answered.

How will my child get food?
We offer room service for our patients staying in the hospital. A menu is located in each patient room. Call the number listed to order food of your choice to be delivered to your room. Orders can be made from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. One additional meal per day may be ordered for a parent or guardian for $5.

Does a parent need to stay with their child during the EEG monitoring?
A parent or caretaker needs to be at the bedside throughout the electroencephalogram or EEG monitoring. It is important for a parent or caretaker to inform our staff if they observe seizure activity that is similar to the activity that they see at home. Parents will be provided breaks for meals as needed. A sleeping cot will be provided.

How will my child get food while they are staying as an inpatient?
We offer room service for our patients staying in the hospital. A menu is located in each patient room. Call the number listed to order food of your choice to be delivered to your room. Orders can be made from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. One additional meal per day may be ordered for a parent or guardian for $5.

Where are other places to eat inside the hospital?

• The North Tower Cafeteria is located on the first flood of the North Tower. It’s open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., with brief closures from 10:30 to 11 a.m. and 3:30 to 4 p.m. for cleaning and restocking.
• The Express Café is located on the second floor of the Bill Holmes Tower. It’s open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., with a brief closure from 1 to 1:30 a.m.
• A Starbucks coffee kiosk is located on the second floor of the Bill Holmes Tower. It’s open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a brief closure from 5:30 to 6 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, it’s open from 6:30 a.m. to noon, with a brief closure from 10 to 10:30 a.m.
• Vending machines are located throughout the CHOC Orange campus and are available 24 hours a day. One is located on the first floor near the North Tower elevators and ATM machine. Another vending machine is located on the second floor of the Bill Holmes Tower, just inside the café eating area. Vending machines are also located in the Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department and near the primary and specialty care clinics.

How can I pay for food at CHOC?
All of cafes and the Starbucks coffee kiosk accept cash, credit or debit cards.

How can a mother nursing a CHOC patient get food at CHOC?
Mothers who are breastfeeding or pumping for CHOC patients receive complimentary food from CHOC’s cafeteria to help support their nutrition and breast milk production. Tell the cashier you are on the “nursing mothers list.”

What are the FRC’s hours?
The FRC is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with hours subject to change.

Can children be at the FRC without supervision of a parent or guardian?
No. All minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

May I take books for my other children who are not CHOC patients?
Yes. Siblings are welcome to select and keep one book per day.

Can children play on the computers in the business center?
No. The computers are reserved for adults only.

May I eat my meal in the FRC?
No. We do not allow food or drinks in the FRC.

How do I find out about monthly programs or activities in the FRC?
Please refer to a monthly calendar posted in the center. Also, refer to the digital signs outside the center.

May I donate gently used books to the FRC?
Due to our infection prevention efforts, we can only accept new books. We also cannot accept books with religious, political or violent themes.

Is the FRC open to extended family and friends of CHOC patients?
Visitors who have obtained badges from the admitting desk are welcome to visit the FRC. However, visitor restrictions may apply during winter viral season

Can anyone use the Meditation and Prayer Center?
Yes. The room is open for patients, families and staff to use at any time.

Can I reserve the room for a prayer meeting?
Yes. Please contact CHOC’s Spiritual Care Services team at 714-509-4381. We will work with you to accommodate your request.

Why does the room offer materials for so many world religions?
The Spiritual Care Services team provides spiritual and emotional support to all at CHOC, no matter their religious beliefs. We also offer support to those with no religious preference.

Do the prayer requests I leave in the prayer box really get prayed for?
Yes. We have prayer partners around the world who commit to pray with us for the requests in our prayer boxes. We ensure anonymity and confidentiality while also assuring each request is prayed over.

Can I take the resources from the Meditation and Prayer Center?
Please take any resource that you find helpful

When is my bill due?
Payment is due when you receive your bill. If you are unable to pay the full amount, we can help you arrange a payment plan or offer our financial assistance program.

What does my insurance cover?
We will do our best to confirm your coverage with your insurance provider. Please direct any questions about your coverage to your insurance provider.

What if I don’t agree with the charges on my bill?
Please call 714-509-8600 and let us know. We will do a thorough investigation of all charges to ensure they have been billed correctly.

Why is my bill so high?
We do our best to keep our costs as low as possible while accounting for the higher cost of providing highly specialized care for children. CHOC is a comprehensive pediatric healthcare system with a higher level of pediatric services not available at most facilities. Our physicians and staff have additional training and our equipment and technology is customized for pediatrics.

Why am I being charged a facility fee?
It is common for health systems to charge a facility fee at hospital-based offices. Some of CHOC’s outpatient offices are considered hospital-based offices because they are located on our main hospital campus and use hospital-based services. Coverage of this fee varies by insurance. You may also see this fee on your bill if you have not met your deductible for the year. If you have questions about this fee, please call us at 714-509-8600 or contact your insurance company for more information about your coverage.