Ena C. MacDonald

 Anyone who would give a hospital less than 5 stars is just wrong. They truly cater to children and will do their very best to take care of you. Food is what you expect. Its to fill you up while you wait for them to take care of your little ones. One thing I love about children's is that the design is open space with lots of colors. It makes it just a little bit happier.

 Grateful, 100% grateful that this place exists, and the people who work for, work in, volunteer in, and keep it running. The cleaning staff make this place safe, the volunteers never let your children go forgotten in any of the dozens of programs they run. From bingo, to art classes and pet therapy, countless hours are donated to ensure your children have many things to look forward to when they are visiting. The nurses who work, what someday must feel like endless hours, are always on hand to help and make sure your child's care is a priority. The doctors, and surgeons in every department we have dealt with have been, in my opinion, world class. In the unfortunate event that you need these services, rest assured they are putting in all the possible resources to make sure that it is the best experience you can have. We are just to thankful that the sciences are advanced enough to save our children in a safe, clean, and well resourced environment.

 The waiting times were brutal when I went. And, be prepared for crying children and parents who could not care less for other patients with their loud talking. Emergency was okay, the nurses forgot I needed to eat and left my meal for hours, I had to inquire about what happened to it multiple times in my ward. This was after I was told I would be admitted. I went in at around 11 AM and finally got moved into a room at around 7-8 PM. Most of my time was spent in a room inside of emergency on a comfortable bed but no entertainment at all but my phone (which happened to die and nobody had a charger). Therefore, I'd say be prepared to wait the entire day and waste it in emergency, especially if they do not have a bed available as they did for me. The rooms are definitely up to quality, they are clean, modern, and comforting. The washrooms are very big and private (depends on ward) with a clean shower. Alongside that, the cafeteria is amazing as are the rest of the facilities in the hospital. It is all very bright, cheery, and colorful. The food (depending on which ward you are in) is definitely tasty and they offer a very wide variety of menu options (both in the cafeteria and in wards). The cafeteria also always has people in it and since it is very open you do not feel isolated at all. The nurses are absolutely amazing from my experience, they are very caring and understand how to talk to children and teenagers in a way to reassure them and keep them cheerful. They're interested in getting to know you and are all very social-able and lovely. In conclusion, if you can survive emerge a.k.a hell in every hospital (yes, there is not an exception for this hospital) you'll find your child's stay will be most pleasing and definitely easy for them.

 I was astounded to see anything but five stars for this establishment. Most cities don’t even have a children’s hospital. The staff cater to their patients respectfully and promptly. It’s always nice knowing that we can take our children here and be respectfully looked after. A hospital is a daunting experience even for an adult. Having a hospital that focusses specifically on children is enlightening because it takes the sickly mentality away from a hospital environment. When you’re at the Calgary Children’s Hospital you feel like you’re at home. The decor and pleasant environment makes you feel like you’re at the best bed-and-breakfast, and the staff are trained to understand kids because most doctors don’t. Five stars, if there had been six I would’ve.

 My daughter has been going to the Alberta Children's Hospital since she was a month old. She was diagnosed with failure to thrive, (being born a premature baby)She ended up having seizures and back in the hospital.She has been seen by Neurologist. Weight management and the Dental team there. And every team that has worked with my daughter has been wonderful. We work as a team together so that she has the best care possible. I highly recommend and support the staff members here. They come in and take care of our children, us parents, to the best of their ability. Thanks You for all that you do, for the love you give to the patients who you care for and their families.