Family Support Services
When your child has special health care needs, you do all you can to love and comfort them and provide the best for their medical care. As a parent, you may also be caring for the rest of your family, managing a job and maintaining a home. We understand how stressful this can be. We know that you may feel overwhelmed, and that you probably have a lot of questions.
At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, we believe in family-centered care. While we provide everything your child needs, we also care for and support parents and guardians, brothers and sisters, and grandparents, too.
Our doctors, nurses and staff can connect you with many resources to help make life a little easier. We provide assistance with:
- Coordinating your child’s services
- Coping with special challenges
- Talking with other families who have managed similar health challenges
- Getting information about available services
Support for the Whole Family
When your child is in the hospital, it can be difficult to manage everyday tasks, let alone think about the future. And it can be hard to give yourself a rest.
Everyone at Nationwide Children's Hospital is dedicated to making your time with us as worry-free as it can be, whether it's help finding a place to stay, paying bills or getting haircuts for the rest of the family.
Our Family Resource Center is designed for you. The center is available to all families of our inpatients and outpatients.
The center offers these free services:
- Cell phone charging stations
- Laptop and iPad usage
- Toys
- Lunch and learn programs
- Book and snack programs
- Free haircuts
- Massage therapy sessions
- Help with access to assistance services, such as child care and food stamps
Location: on the Green Path, near the Chapel
Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Phone: (614) 722-2252
The Clinical Services and Care Coordination team helps families find and coordinate the health care and special services their children need. The staff:
- Provides needed support to families
- Assists families in overcoming problems that interfere with their ability to care for their children
- Helps families identify and secure hospital and community services
Clinical Services and Care Coordination uses a multidisciplinary approach and includes:
- Medical Social Workers
- Nurse Case Managers
- Nurse Practitioners
- Utilization Review / Discharge Planning Nurses
- Interpreters
Talk to your child's doctor or nurse about using Clinical Services and Care Coordination services or call (614) 722-6300.
The Family and Volunteer Services Department staff and volunteers create services and resources to provide a health care environment that supports development, coping and comfort.
Programs and services are designed to meet patient and family needs, including:
- Developmental
- Psychosocial
- Educational
- Recreational
Family and Volunteer Services also manages several programs, such as:
- Child life
- Early childhood development
- School programs
- Volunteer programs
- Gift shop
Talk to your child's doctor or nurse about accessing Family and Volunteer Services or call (614) 722-3635.
Chaplains are available to offer emotional and spiritual support to families, patients and staff of Nationwide Children's Hospital 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
Talk to your child's doctor or nurse about accessing Pastoral Care or call (614) 722-5250.
As members of the health care team at Nationwide Children's Hospital, social workers make sure people get the help they need, when they need it, from the best resources available. Social workers provide advocacy, emotional support and links to community resources. To learn more, please call (614) 722-6300.
If you need financial support such as assistance with health insurance, signing up for Medicaid or paying for prescriptions, there are many programs to help. Learn more.