Hospice
Children with life-limiting illnesses are first and foremost children—children who want to play, laugh, learn, connect with the people they love and spend time in the places that feel most like home.
Nationwide Children’s Hospice provides specialized care for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Our pediatric interdisciplinary team focuses on comfort and quality of life, supporting children and families in living as fully as possible together.
We work with each family to understand what matters most to them. Care may include managing pain and other symptoms, preparing for changes in a child’s health, and helping families care for their child at home whenever possible. We also support the whole family—emotionally, socially, spiritually and practically—throughout a child’s illness and into bereavement.
Our goal is to help each child live as fully, comfortably and meaningfully as possible.
How to Reach Us
To learn more about hospice services or make a referral, call (614) 355-1100. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding national holidays. Hospice staff are available by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to support patients and families.
Hospice Program Services
-
Staff with pediatric expertise on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week
-
Coordination of care
-
Nursing visits
-
Keeping your child at home
-
Social worker visits
-
Chaplain visits
-
Pain and symptom management
-
Medications
-
Home Medical Equipment and supplies
-
Massage Therapy
-
Music Therapy
-
Sibling Support
-
Legacy building
-
Community Resource Information
-
Counseling
-
Volunteer information
-
Spiritual services
-
Patient and family emotional support
-
End of Life planning
-
Bereavement support and follow-up
-
Perinatal Hospice Care available through the Columbus Fetal Medicine Collaborative
Meet Our Leadership
Steven Smith, MD
Medical Director, Hospice & Palliative Care
Laura Knaur, MSW, LISW-S
Manager, Hospice and Palliative Care
Your Care Team
At Nationwide Children's Hospital, our entire team works together in their unique roles along side of parents and families to help provide the best possible care.
Resources for Families
- Pleasure Guild
- Ohio Council for Home Care & Hospice (OCHCH)
- Ohio DNR Comfort Care
- Neonatal Hospice Form
Testimonial
“Our Hospice caregivers helped us at a very difficult time. They did it with grace and understanding.”
– Hospice Family Member
