During Your Visit

The hospital security staff can assist you in many ways, ranging from helping with car trouble to escorting you to your car after dark. Members of the security staff patrol the hospital and parking structures 24 hours a day. Please lock your vehicle and place any valuables in a locked compartment so they will be hidden from view. Valuable items should be left at home to prevent loss. Valuables that you must bring, such as a purse or wallet, should never be left unattended in a patient room or parent lounge. The hospital cannot be responsible for lost or damaged personal items. Security can help you locate missing items in our “Lost and Found.” If you should lose an item during your child’s hospitalization, notify the Security department. To reach Security, call 714-509-3900 from inside the hospital.

The Burlew Medical Library at St. Joseph Hospital is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library is located on the first level of the Northeast Building, east of Pepper Street.

If your child will be missing more than a week of school, CHOC has a teacher on staff. The teacher will coordinate lesson plans with your child’s school.

A Wells Fargo bank automatic teller machine is available on the first floor of the north tower, near the cafeteria in the lobby of the CHOC North tower.

You can buy the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register in the newspaper boxes located on Pepper Street.

There is notary public service available nearby in the community. Please ask your nurse if you need assistance in locating one.

A TDD device is available upon request. Please ask your nurse.

CHOC has both Inpatient and Outpatient pharmacy services staffed by professionals specially trained to understand the complexities of pediatric health care.

The trained professional social workers at CHOC recognize the impact of illness on patients and their families.

Patient Rights and Responsibilities
We believe everyone deserves special treatment and high quality health care. You and your family have rights and responsibilities under California law. We want you to understand and use these rights and responsibilities.

Patient Safety Statement
With the increasing national and public focus on patient safety, CHOC participates in multiple initiatives to remain innovative in protecting our young patients from medical errors. Learn more.

At CHOC, we are committed to providing the ideal patient experience. Learn more about our philosophy of patient and family centered care and how to provide us feedback about your experience.

Our customer service representatives are here to help you cope with the complex hospital environment by explaining policies, connecting you with appropriate staff, answering questions or assisting with problem solving. Customer service representatives can act as a personal link to the hospital and ensure that your rights as a patient/family are respected. To contact a customer service representative, please call the Customer Service CARE Line at 714-509-3200.

The cozy, 20-bedroom Orange County Ronald McDonald House is a place where you can rest without being far from your child. It is located a few blocks from the hospital.

Spiritual Care
Many families find it comforting to be able to practice their faith in the hospital. Learn about our Spiritual Care services.

Meditation & Prayer Room
This beautifully designed space located on the second floor of the Bill Holmes Tower is a quiet and sacred place designed to accommodate people of all faith traditions.

We have developed a medical emergency team, much like 911, here at the hospital called Rapid Response Team (RRT). They are a group of doctors and nurses trained to deal with medical emergencies. Nurses and other staff may call this team if they are concerned about your child’s medical condition. We also want to partner with you, because you know your child the best. As a family member, you can call the RRT if you see a sudden change in your child’s medical condition or if there is a medical emergency.

To activate the Rapid Response Team, talk to your child’s nurse and/or medical team and tell them what you are worried about. If you are still uncomfortable about your child’s condition, dial 15433 to activate Rapid Response. The phone number is posted in your room. The operator will ask you a few questions to get more information and the team will be there within 5 minutes. Please tell the team about your child’s medical emergency.

Hospital staff will follow special precautions while caring for your child in order to prevent the spread of infection. This is why you will sometimes see your child’s health care team wearing gloves, gowns, mask or goggles. They will also wash their hands or use hand sanitizer prior to and after providing care. You can help prevent the spread of germs by washing your hands and having your child wash his/her hands before eating, going to the cafeteria and after using the bathroom. Hand sanitizer should be used before and after going to the playroom. Family and visitors may be required to wear gloves, gowns or masks. If this is necessary you will see a posted isolation sign and receive instruction from your child’s nurse. In addition, you may receive information on preventing specific types of health care acquired infections such as bloodstream, urinary tract, pneumonia or surgical site infections.

During your visit, your child might have the opportunity to participate in organized events, celebrity visits and special entertainment that include video and photography of patients. A parent or legal guardian must provide written consent to allow for videos or photographs to be taken of minor patients. Without a consent they cannot be photographed. The term “photograph” includes video or still photography, in digital or any other format, and any other means of recording or reproducing of images and/or audio. The use of these photographs/video will be used for traditional media, social media, education, brochures, advertisements, websites, etc.

In these situations, a CHOC staff member will provide parents or legal guardians with a form to be completed and signed granting such permission. The staff member can answer any questions you may have about the form. If you are not comfortable with your child being photographed, please notify a CHOC staff member immediately. You are under no obligation to provide consent for photography.

There may be times during your stay when you would like to take a photograph or record a video. We understand and want to work with you. In return, we ask that you please respect our policies, guided by state and federal laws, to protect the health, safety, and privacy of everyone on our campus. Please note the following:

Please do not take photos or video recordings of anyone without their permission. This includes individuals who are the direct subjects of your photo or video, as well as those in the background.

Taking photos or video recordings is not allowed in areas where treatment is actively occurring.

If a member of our staff believes patient care is being compromised or that an individual’s safety or privacy has been violated, you or your family members may be asked to stop recording, delete photos or videos from your device, and/or leave the room or area.

Thank you for your cooperation, helping us maintain a safe and positive environment.

Service animals (defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as dogs individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability) are allowed in all CHOC areas and locations, so long as the animal is housebroken, free of fleas and parasites and is well behaved. Emotional support animals (animals that only provide comfort or support to their owners) do not qualify as service animals.