For Patients and Families

At Shriners Hospitals for Children - Erie, our entire staff is available to help patients and families understand the health care process. We always encourage our patients and families to ask questions about any aspect of their care.

Once the application process has been completed and an appointment made, the patient is ready to begin receiving medical care. If desired, the patient’s local Shrine Center or Shrine Club should be able to provide free transportation to and from your home to the hospital. Information about this free transportation program may be obtained by calling local Shriners (see Affiliated Temples) or by calling the hospital’s care coordination department.

What to Bring

Upon arrival at the Erie Shriners Hospital for Children, check in with the receptionist in the main lobby. She will direct you to where you need to go. If the child is being admitted to the hospital, please bring:

1. Special formula (if applicable – one day’s supply)
2. Medications
3. Custody papers (if applicable)
4. Child’s immunization record
5. Legal documents regarding divorce, adoption or change of name
6. School books and assignments for at least one week (I.E.P. if applicable)
7. Shoes, braces, prostheses, specialized wheelchairs
8. Comb, brush, toothpaste, deodorant (no sprays, please)
9. A favorite toy or blanket
10. Names and telephone numbers of child’s therapists and teachers

The hospital will furnish clothing for patients while they are in the hospital. If patients choose to wear their own clothing, their families will be responsible for safekeeping or laundering.

Information to Remember

Patients always look forward to receiving mail. When sending cards or letters, please be sure to address the envelope with the child’s full name, followed by Shriners Hospitals for Children, 1645 W. 8th St., Erie, PA 16505.

Money that patients receive in the mail will be kept in a locked room at the nurses’ station to be taken home at the parent’s visit. The hospital does not assume responsibility for valuables (radios, jewelry, etc.) left with patients. All electrical equipment must be checked at the nurses’ station for safety inspection.

The hospital maintains a K-12 school program for all hospitalized children. Please bring books and assignments for at least one week from your child’s home school, as well as his/her Individual Education Plan (IEP) if one exists. A teacher from the City of Erie School District is assigned to our classroom to supervise the children’s educational activities.

The game room and teen lounge at the hospital are available for inpatients, offering a wide variety of recreational activities. Hospital staff and volunteers are always available to monitor and assist with these activities.

Please remember to respect the privacy of other patients.

Visitation and Discharge

Parents and guardians may visit patients at any time throughout the day. Other friends or relatives may visit between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. All visitors must be at least 12 years of age, unless they are siblings of the patient. Adult supervision is required for all young visitors while they are in the hospital.

Patients will only be discharged to parents or legal guardians.

Visitors are reminded that smoking is prohibited in the hospital. A smoking shelter located outside the main entrance is the only designed smoking area on the hospital grounds.