Among the potential uses of the space are:

• Priority 1: Hospice Care

  A child and family in the Journeys program that is receiving end-of-life care would have the highest priority to use this space if they choose to spend the final days in the hospital. We could also see, if circumstances allowed, children who suffered traumatic, sudden illness and injury use a space like this.

• Priority 2: Diagnosis

  Without question, the day a diagnosis is given for a life-threatening illness is truly one of the most unimaginable days a parent could ever experience. Your head is spinning, your body is numb, and it takes every ounce of effort to stay afloat for your child. It becomes even more challenging once, after a diagnosis, the child is in a room with another patient. The proposed suite would allow a family to be together on diagnosis day and night to try to comprehend the news that has been delivered. The private suite would also allow for friends and family that will likely be visiting to have a place to discuss and console.

• Priority 3: First Treatment

  Speaking specifically about cancer treatment, the first time a child receives chemotherapy can be very unnerving. In most cases, families have heard about chemotherapy but aren’t quite sure what to expect. There are often lots of questions about the beeps and alarms that machines make. To make a family feel at ease, they should have priority of using the private suite during that first treatment cycle. They deserve that privacy and comfort without the concern of having to share the space with another child.

• Priority 4: As-needed use

  When any of the first three priorities is not in play, the room could be used as needed by the hospital for special situations and circumstances. It is understood that the hospital would need to ensure that any space available would need to be used when bed space is required and keeping a room empty for only priorities 1-3 is not feasible.