Media Contacts
On this page:
The Ottawa Hospital balances our responsibility to the media in providing information of public interest with our responsibility to protect patients’ rights to privacy and confidentiality, including the right not to be interviewed or photographed without their written consent.
Media inquiries
All media inquiries, including requests for interviews with patients, staff, physicians, volunteers and for visuals (interior or exterior) of the hospital, must be directed to Media Relations.
After hours
On weekends, after hours and during statutory holidays, our corporate offices are closed, and medical experts are not available. Outside regular office hours, the hospital always has Media Relations staff on-call; however, this service is strictly reserved for emergencies.
Ottawa Hospital Switchboard
613-722-7000
Reporters must leave a full contact name and phone number.
Media guidelines
- We will respond to interview requests promptly and do our best to connect you with the appropriate spokesperson. Please identify yourself as a member of the media, including your media outlet.
- Media are not permitted to interview staff, patients or families, or to be on hospital premises unless authorized and accompanied by a Communications staff member.
- For reasons of safety and patient confidentiality, security must remove media from the premises if they are unauthorized or unaccompanied. All members of the media should identify themselves and the news outlet they represent once they arrive at the hospital.
- Due to patient confidentiality and privacy legislation, The Ottawa Hospital will not provide patient condition checks to the media. We may provide general updates related to community incidents involving multiple patients.
Things to keep in mind
- Patients and families may not wish to have media involved and we ask that media please respect their wishes.
- Staff and physicians have the right to refuse requests from media, and all interview requests must go through the Media Relations Officer. Media should never approach staff and physicians while they are on hospital property.
- The Ottawa Hospital Media Relations team will coordinate patient interviews in hospital with clinical staff. All patients must sign a consent form prior to their participation in media events. Media relations will be present during the duration of the interview.
- The Ottawa Hospital will try to provide experts on various topics if they are available within a reasonable time frame.
- Our health-care professionals cannot comment on a specific patient even with patient consent.