Treatment
trouble breathing, especially with rapid or laboured breathing patterns
blue lips and skin that appears pale
lost consciousness
not peed within 12 hours and have stopped drinking fluids
excessive vomiting, particularly if it is bright green or there is blood in the vomit
ingested a toxic chemical, including a suspected drug or alcohol overdose
a persistent high fever for more than four days
- excessive coughing, especially with a fever
- fallen more than five feet or 1.5 metres
- started vomiting after a head injury
- a visible bump after a head injury and the child is less than three months old
- an injured limb that looks swollen or crooked
If your child is thinking about ending their life, get urgent help by calling 9-1-1 or 1-800-SUICIDE.
For a mental health crisis, in Vancouver Coastal Health, you can contact the Child and Adolescent Response Team (CART) and in Fraser Health Authority, you can contact The Short Term, Assessment, Response, Treatment (START) Team.
Emergency departments can be busy and sometimes, to avoid long unnecessary waits, your child’s illness could best be treated at a doctor's office, a walk-in clinic or an
urgent primary care centre.
Take your child to a family doctor/walk-in clinic or urgent/primary care centre for non-life threatening illness or injuries:
- rash
- pink eye
- earache
- cough, cold, sore throat
- fever in child 3 months or older
- strain or sprain
If your family doctor is not available, check medimap.ca for walk-in clinic wait times and hours or see a doctor virtually through TELUS Health MyCare or Viva Care.
For a possible poisoning or exposure to a toxic substance, call Poison Control at 1-800-567-8911.
To find locations for COVID-19 testing, visit the BCCDC website.
If your child is not seriously ill but you still need medical advice, contact HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 for immediate health advice.
When you get here
When you arrive at emergency, you will see a triage nurse who will provide an initial assessment that the healthcare team uses to determine which patients are seen first. Children with life-threatening illnesses or injuries are seen first.
We appreciate how stressful a visit to the emergency may be for your child/youth and you. We try to see all of our patients as quickly as possible while maintaining high quality care. If you feel that your child’s health situation has changed while you are waiting, please tell a nurse right away.
View the ED wait times in real time
- Park in any 'Patient and Visitor Parking Only' stall
- Remember your stall number
- Go to the nearest parking meter and touch the screen to activate the meter
- Input stall number
- Scroll through menu to find the appropriate rate
- Pay the required rate by exact coin or credit card (Note: the dispenser does not accept debit cards and it does not provide change)
- Pay stations can be found at every major entrance to the hospital
- Keep your receipt with you; you do not need to return to your vehicle to display the receipt
- Helpful tip: if you paid for parking but need to come and go during this time, simply return to the hospital, park in any available patient parking stall and display your parking meter receipt on your dash.
- $1.75 per 1/2 hour portion or $3.50 per 1 hour
- $14.25 for 24 hours.
- 7- day pass: $63.75
- 30- day pass: $115
Financial hardship permits may be available on a case- by-case basis. Please talk to your unit social worker for more information.
Valet services at BC Children's Hospital are provided to patients and visitors free of charge and are available at the following locations:
- Outside Emergency (Entrance 55)
Hours: 8:30am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday (excluding statutory holidays) - BC Children's Hospital Oak Street Entrance (between Entrances 5 and 11)
Hours: 8:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding statutory holidays)
British Columbia Children's Hospital Emergency department is the province's only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma centre and provides care to more than 49,000 patients annually from across the province.
