Jamaica Hospital Medical Center is committed to providing each child with the best care possible and to ensuring that you, as your child’s primary protector and caregiver, are assured certain rights and freedoms. Jamaica Hospital views every parent and legal guardian as a valued member of the health care team and encourages you to speak with hospital staff about your child’s care.

Jamaica Hospital’s Parent’s Bill of Rights, in addition to the “Patient’s Bill of Rights,” sets forth the rights of patients, parents of minors, legal guardians or other persons with decision-making authority to certain minimum protections required by the regulations governing the provision of care in New York State’s hospitals.

Jamaica Hospital’s Parent’s Bill of Rights is subject to laws and regulations governing confidentiality, and is in effect if your child is admitted to the hospital or during an emergency room visit.

As a parent, legal guardian or person with decision-making authority for a patient receiving care in this hospital, you have the right, consistent with the law, to the following:

  • To be asked the name of your child’s primary care provider and have this information documented in your child’s medical record.
  • Qualified and appropriately credentialed staff in a setting and with equipment appropriate for the unique needs of children.
  • To the extent possible given your child’s health and safety needs, at least one parent or guardian may remain with your child at all times.
  • For all test results completed during your child’s admission or emergency room visit to be reviewed by a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who is familiar with your child’s presenting condition.
  • For your child not to be discharged from our hospital or emergency room until any tests that could reasonably be expected to yield critical value results are reviewed by a physician, physician assistant, and/or nurse practitioner and communicated to you or other decision makers, and your child, if appropriate. Critical value results are results that suggest a life-threatening or otherwise significant condition that requires immediate medical attention.
  • For your child not to be discharged from our hospital or emergency room until you or your child, if appropriate, receives a written discharge plan, which will also be verbally communicated to you and your child or other medical decision makers. The written discharge plan will specifically identify any critical results of laboratory or other diagnostic tests ordered during your child’s stay and will identify any other tests that have not yet been concluded.
  • To be provided critical value results and the discharge plan for your child in a manner that reasonably ensures that you, your child (if appropriate), or other medical decision makers understand the health information provided in order to make appropriate health decisions.
  • For your child’ primary care provider, if known to Jamaica Hospital, to be provided all lab results of this hospitalization or emergency room visit.
  • The right to request information about the diagnosis or possible diagnoses that were considered during this episode of care and complications that could develop as well as information about any contact that was made with your child’s primary care provider.
  • The right to be provided, upon discharge of your child from the hospital or emergency department, with a phone number that you can call for advice in the event that complications or questions arise concerning your child’s condition.