Visitors

Parents can be with their child as much as they are able - 24 hours a day. We encourage one parent to spend the night with their child.

Other family and friends can visit during regular visiting hours. If you have a special visit request, please talk with your child’s nurse.

If a patient is placed in isolation, visits may be restricted. Please check with the child's nurse for instructions.

Visiting hours. 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Patient safety. Keeping your child healthy and limiting exposure to other illnesses in our top concern. We know it is important for your child to see friends, siblings and other family members, but to stop the spread of illness like the flu, visits may be limited to parents and guardians.

To protect your child, the following people should not visit:

• Children under age 12 – including siblings – because of germ exposure, on the intensive care units, the neonatal units, H4A, H8A and Hematology/Oncology.
• Friends and family who have been around any contagious disease, like a cold or chicken pox.

Talk with your child’s nurse for more information.

When you visit, please follow these guidelines:

• Parents and visitors must wear an ID badge at all times.
• Badges are available at the Welcome Desk in the main lobby.
• When admitted, parents and guardians will be asked to create a Guest Code. All visitors must have the Guest Code to enter to your child’s unit.
• Please limit the number of visitors to your child’s room and please keep visits short.

All patients, their families and visitors will be treated with respect regardless of: race, ethnicity, religion, education, illness, socioeconomic status, culture, language, disability, income, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

For patients older than 18. When you are admitted, you will create a Guest Code if you are able.

• Anyone visiting you will need your Guest Code to enter your unit.
• You have the right to choose a support person to be with you for emotional support during your stay in the hospital.
• A support person can be a spouse, domestic partner (including a same-sex domestic partner), another family member or a friend.
• You have the right to take away consent from your support person at any time.

We will welcome your support person unless they are considered harmful to you or others.

There are visitor parking garages and parking lots around the hospital for your use. Please view maps and directions for more information.

If you have questions about parking, please contact Nationwide Children’s Security at (614) 722-2128.

Parking Fees

• There is a flat parking fee for most visitor parking.
• Tickets are issued at the entrances.
• As you are exiting the buildings, you have the option to pay your parking fee by using the various “pay-on-foot” stations around the buildings or you can pay from your vehicle as you exit.

Valet Parking

Valet parking is available for $5. The valet service is located outside the main hospital entrance, outside the Crossroads Entrance and outside the Outpatient Care Entrance. Valet is also available at the Livingston Ambulatory Center.

Handicapped Parking

All of Nationwide Children’s parking lots offer handicapped parking.

Those requiring handicapped parking for high-top vans are encouraged to speak with Patient Relations by calling (614) 722-6593 for more information.

Vehicle security. When you park your car:

• Always lock your vehicle.
• Do not leave cash or valuable items in view.
• Lock valuables in the truck to hide them from view or take them out of the vehicle.
• At night, select the most well lit and most visible parking spaces.

Escorts. If you prefer, a security officer will take you to your vehicle or walk with you from the parking lots into the hospital. To arrange for an escort to your car:

• Call (614) 722-2128.
• Go to any of the main doors.
• A security officer will meet you at the door.

To get an escort from the parking lot to the hospital:

• Call (614) 722-2128 from your cell phone.
• Drive to the Emergency Department area and ask Security to meet you in your parking lot.

All visitors need to check in at a Welcome Desk.

Welcome Desks are located:

• In the lobby of Outpatient Care (next to the Orange Parking Garage)
• At the Urgent Care Parking Lot entrance
• At the Crossroads Library
• In the main hospital Atrium

In order to visit a patient, you will need to share the patient's Guest Code and obtain a visitor badge at the desk.

Parents or legal guardians may call at any time to talk to a nurse about their child’s care or condition.

Friends and family can call to leave a message for a patient or family between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. To leave a message:

• Call the hospital operator at (614) 722-2000
• Call the Information Desk at (614) 722-2001
• Messages will be delivered to patient rooms
• Children’s Hospital cannot provide information about a patient’s condition to anyone other than parents and legal guardians

Stay in touch. You can also communicate with a patient electronically. Most patients have access to the Internet through our Patient Edutainment system, so siblings, family and friends can use social media to connect.

For the protection of our patients, callers from outside the hospital who wish to speak in detail about a patient’s condition will be required to provide the patient’s Care Code.

Cards, letters, flowers and other gifts are welcomed.

Some hospital units limit what is allowed in patient rooms.

• Check with the patient or his or her parents on any restrictions.
• Latex (rubber) balloons are not allowed in the hospital, as they are unsafe for children.
• Mylar balloons are acceptable.

You can send mail to patients at:

Child’s Full Name
Room Number
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
700 Children’s Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43205

Send an Online Greeting Card

This service makes it easy for family and friends to express just how much they care and to brighten up your child's room, not to mention his or her spirits.

• Follow a few online steps to personalize a greeting card.
• Once submitted, the card will be e-mailed directly to the Nationwide Children’s print shop.
• Cards will be printed once a day, Monday through Friday, at 9 a.m.
• A hospital volunteer will hand deliver each card to the patient's room.
• Card delivery is not guaranteed without the patient's full name.
• If the patient is discharged, please provide a forwarding address and we will mail the card to the recipient.

Gift Cards

Nationwide Children's Hospital also provides a variety of gift cards for patients, families and visitors to the hospital. Options include:

• Family gift cards can be used in the cafeteria, food court, coffee shop, gift shop and outpatient pharmacy
• Kaleidoscope cuisine cards for room service meals
• $5.00 gift cards for use at all food venues, gift shops and the outpatient pharmacy

To contribute for a family, call the Gift Shop at (614) 722-9265 and any sales associate will gladly help, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m.

• Provide the patient’s name.
• Provide your credit card number along with the amount you wish to contribute.
• All credit card information will be kept secure and a receipt is available upon request.

Nationwide Children's offers a wide range of dining options. Click here to learn more.

There are two ATMs at Nationwide Children’s. They are located:

• On the Orange Path near Clementine's Cafe
• In the vending area outside the Cafeteria on the lower level

The ATMs are maintained by Huntington Bank. Non-Huntington customers are charged a $1.50 fee for each cash withdrawal.

Other helpful services:

• A change machine is available in the Outpatient Care Center lobby.
• The change machine will break $10 and $20 bills to $5 bills.
• Stamp dispensing machines also are available next to the ATM machines.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital is a smoke-free and tobacco-free campus.

To keep patients, families, visitors and employees in the healthiest of environments, smoking and the use of tobacco products is prohibited:

• On all Nationwide Children’s Hospital property
• Indoors and outdoors
• In garages and parking lots

We appreciate your donations to Nationwide Children's Hospital. Learn about giving to Nationwide Children's.