Community Involvement

Community Visitor Guidelines
Community Visitor Form
Supporting Child Life Programs
Service Project Ideas
Contact Us

Guidelines
• Practice the activity you will be presenting to the patients. Your visit will run more smoothly if you are well prepared.
• Visitors to the unit must be free of any signs of infection (i.e. cough, cold, fever, rash, vomiting or diarrhea). Anyone exposed to chicken pox who has not yet had the illness, measles, or other contagious illness within the past three weeks will not be allowed to participate. Group leaders will be responsible for screening members prior to the visit. (A screening form may be obtained from the Child Life department.) The Child Life department will also take precautions to protect visitors from exposure to contagious or infectious patients. If a visitor shows any signs of infection within three days of the visit, please contact the Child Life office, so our Infection Control Department can be notified.
• On the day of your visit, please allow enough time to get to the hospital, park, and enter the building. Click here for directions and parking instructions. Please keep in mind that Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital cannot reimburse guests for parking or validate parking passes.
• Please enter through Lutheran General Hospital’s main entrance. Stop at the Public Safety Office and present your Visitor Form, which includes your name, the name of the Child Life specialist you are meeting and the Child Life specialist’s pager number. The Child Life specialist will be notified of your arrival and will escort you to the unit.
• Limit your group size to no more than six visitors as space is limited and large numbers of people can be overwhelming to young children.
• Consider wearing nametags. This will enable staff to identify individuals by name and make your visit more personal.
• Please keep your visit short (from 30 minutes to an hour) as patients tire easily, and some have a limited attention span.
• Help us to maintain a quiet environment by avoiding unnecessary noise.
• Mylar balloons are the only type of balloon that can be given to patients. Latex balloons are prohibited, due to possible allergic reactions and choking hazards.
• Please do not bring refreshments or food items for patients as some of our patients are on restricted diets, and must have their food intake regulated.
• A large patient turnout cannot be guaranteed as many of our patients are on bed rest. Whenever possible, we will try to bring the activity, at least in part, into individual patient rooms. We appreciate your flexibility in planning accordingly.
• During your visit with patients, please be aware of our need to protect patients’ privacy and understand that we do not discuss patient health conditions. The hospital’s confidentiality policy safeguards our patients’ right to privacy.
• Permission for personal photographs must be obtained from Child Life staff prior to your visit. In addition, personal photographs may not be taken of any patient without first obtaining a signed written release from the patient’s parents.
• The children and families we serve are from various social backgrounds, home environments, religions and nationalities. It is our mission to respect those differences and avoid offering just one point of view. Out of respect for this diversity, any program with religious content must be discussed with and approved by the Child Life department before being presented.
• The hospital is not liable for loss or damage to personal property. Individuals and groups visiting Lutheran General Children’s Hospital assume all responsibility for any personal belongings, equipment, etc. brought into hospital property.
• Should you need to cancel your visit for any reason, please contact the Child Life office as soon as possible at (847) 723-PLAY.

Please Note:
It is a good idea to place a sticker or tag with the name of your organization on each donation. This allows your group to receive credit for the donation and makes patients aware that the item is a gift intended for them to keep.

Project Ideas

1. Create “Get Well” packets for patients. Decorate a bag, box or container and fill it with stickers, activity sheets, books, crayons, markers, art supplies, playing cards, trinket type toys, Play-Doh, bubbles, etc. Please avoid using glitter.

2. Create seasonal or holiday “Get Well” packets with theme related goodies. Due to dietary restrictions, no food items are permitted.

3. Assemble craft kits. Include materials for a craft project along with an instruction sheet. Pack inside a zip lock baggie or decorated bag.

4. Hold a toy drive. Have your friends, school or youth group gather toys suggested on the Patient’s Wish List or the Children’s Hospital Wish List. Due to infection control guidelines we can accept any type of stuffed animal.

5. Quilt or crochet new blankets for the patients (infants through teens appreciate the comfort they can provide). For the safety of our patients, blankets must be new.

6. Adopt a department. Outpatient areas of the hospital provide service to many children. These children also need comfort and support. Please contact the Child Life department to find out a department’s needs.

7. Create a piñata for a playroom party. Piñatas should be filled with small toys instead of candy due to the dietary restrictions of many of our patients.

8. Publish a “Cheer Up Newsletter”. Include jokes, health care related stories, articles of interest, a feature on your own group, word games, puzzles, etc.

9. Create “Get Well” cards for patients. Include stickers which patients can keep.

10. Create a “Parent Comfort Kit”. Parents are under a great deal of stress. This kit lets moms and dads know others care about how illness affects them. Suggested items include journals, decks of cards, travel-size toiletries, etc.

11. Collect videotapes including Disney movies, new releases, parent videos, popular teen movies and videos in Spanish.

12. Save your pennies to purchase an item on our Patient’s Wish List or the Children’s Hospital Wish List.