Visiting the Hospital

On this page:

Visitors and family

The Ottawa Hospital allows visitors in accordance with our Visitors, Essential Care Partners, and Family Presence policy. 

This policy encourages patients, families and care teams to determine how many people should be present at a time. 

A smiling elderly person lies in a hospital bed, holding hands and sharing a happy moment with a younger person in a yellow floral blouse sitting beside them.
Icon Handwashing

Hand hygiene

When you arrive at any of our three campuses (Civic, General and Riverside), you will see handwashing stations set up at each of our entrances. Please stop and wash your hands before entering the hospital.  

Icon Balloons

Balloons (Mylar only)

A latex allergy is an adverse reaction to products made from latex or natural rubber. We make every effort to provide a latex-safe environment for patients, visitors, employees and volunteers. Only Mylar® balloons are allowed within the hospital. 

Icon Scent Free

Scent-free

Wherever possible, we have eliminated the use of products with scents or other properties that are known to cause health problems for patients, visitors, employees and volunteers. Please do not wear or use perfume, aftershave or other scented personal products in the hospital or when visiting a patient.

Icon Shield

Violence in the hospital

The Ottawa Hospital will not tolerate violent acts or threats directed at any employee, physician, patient or volunteer. Security Services will be notified and take the appropriate action. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

No.  

There are no defined visiting hours as part of this policy, and loved ones are welcome to visit patients at The Ottawa Hospital at times that work best for patients in collaboration with care teams.

Yes.  

Masks are optional throughout the hospital, but required:

  • If you are patient coming for an appointment, and you are symptomatic or instructed to wear a mask as a result of screening.
  • In patient rooms, as needed based on individual patient precautions.
  • On units where there is an outbreak of a respiratory illness.

You are also welcome to wear a mask throughout your time at the hospital, if that is what you prefer.

Essential care partners and social visitors are not the same. An essential care partner is a support person whose presence is considered essential to the safety and well-being of a patient while they are in the hospital.  

Learn more about The Ottawa Hospital’s Essential Care Partner Program.

While a unit is experiencing an outbreak, there may be increased precautions on that unit to ensure the safety of patients, staff and essential care partners. Before visiting a unit experiencing an outbreak at The Ottawa Hospital, visitors are advised to consult with unit staff.  

Yes, provided the patient has consented to visitors.  

If you would like to bring a child to visit someone in the hospital, please talk to the patient and their care team in advance. 

Sending items to patients

To protect our patients, staff and care providers, the hospital is only able to accept certain items for delivery to patients who are staying in hospital. 

  • Clean personal items that can be easily disinfected such as toiletries, freshly laundered clothing, electronic devices, medications.  
  • Food and anything that can’t be cleaned, such as suitcases, books, newspapers or magazines.  
  • Items must be cleaned at the units.  
  • Items will be individually placed into a delivery bag (approved by The Ottawa Hospital) at the entrance to ensure they meet these guidelines. The bag will be labelled and stored at the entrance for periodic delivery by transportation workers. 
  • Mental health units only accept electronics and medications.  
  • A staff member from Labour and Delivery will collect a one-time delivery of food for a pregnant patient.  

Masking

Masks are optional throughout the hospital, but required:

  • In the Emergency Department waiting rooms.
  • On units where there is an outbreak of a respiratory illness.
  • On units identified as “high alert” for outbreaks.
  • If you are patient coming for an appointment, and you are symptomatic or instructed to wear a mask as a result of screening.
  • In patient rooms, as needed based on individual patient precautions.

You are also welcome to wear a mask throughout your time at the hospital, if that is what you prefer.

COVID-19

COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses continue to circulate in our community. Please ensure you continue to follow public health recommendations to help keep you, your loved ones and our community safe. 

If you are having a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Information for smokers

By law, all hospital property in Ontario is entirely smoke-free, including all three of The Ottawa Hospital’s campuses. 

Learn the basics about the Smoke-Free Ontario Act

All of the hospital’s former designated smoking areas have been removed and cannot be used for smoking anymore. Anyone wishing to smoke must now leave hospital property. Smoking in cars and in parking lots is not permitted on hospital property. More information, directions and maps are available from volunteer services.  

You may be fined $305 for smoking on hospital property. 

  • Civic Campus: Cigarette butt receptacles have been placed on Carling Avenue and Ruskin Avenue.  
  • General Campus: Smyth Road, Roger Guindon Avenue.
  • Riverside Campus: Riverside Drive or Smyth Road.

Resources for smokers: 

University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI): Quit Smoking Program.

Ottawa Public Health: Services in Ottawa to Help People Quit Smoking.

Canadian Cancer Society: Get Help to Quit Smoking.

Canadian Cancer Society: Smokers’ Helpline.

Cancer Care Ontario: Indigenous Tobacco Program.

Ontario’s Anesthesiologists: Stop smoking for safer surgery.

Good Wishes 

Want to let someone know you are thinking of them while they are in hospital? You can send them a message through Good Wishes!

A patient wearing a light blue T-shirt smiles while sitting up in a hospital bed, covered with a white blanket. The background shows a wooden wall with electrical outlets and a telephone on a side table.

We can deliver messages to inpatients at our Civic and General campuses, as well as at the Rehabilitation Centre. Simply fill out this form with their name, room number and your message. 

If you don’t know the room number where your friend or family member is staying, you can call 613-722-7000 and ask for their room number. There may be some cases in which we can’t confirm whether a patient is admitted at the hospital.  

This inbox is checked every weekday and messages are hand-delivered to patients by hospital volunteers within one to two business days, as resources allow.  

Emails received after the patient has been discharged won’t be delivered.  

This system is only for sending good wishes. Any other messages (for example, emails conducting personal business, containing questionable content, or solicitations) will not be delivered and will be deleted.

This system is set up only to receive your e-mail messages.  

We cannot confirm if a patient is indeed registered. (What does this mean??)  

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.