Bone Health-Osteology Clinic

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Children, youth and families Healthcare providers

About the Bone Health-Osteology Clinic

The Bone Health-Osteology Clinic provides care and treatment for children with:

Unexplained bone fragility (i.e. low-trauma vertebral and/or non-vertebral fractures)
Primary bone fragility (e.g. osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), OI-like conditions, syndromic bone fragility, and connective tissue disorders associated with osteoporotic fractures including Ehlers-Danlos, Marfan and Loeys-Dietz syndromes)
Skeletal dysplasias (e.g. fibrous dysplasia, hypophosphatasia [low alkaline phosphatase levels with dental and/or muscle-bone symptoms], achondroplasia and other short stature skeletal dysplasias)
Bone morbidity secondary to chronic illness (vertebral and non-vertebral fractures, osteonecrosis)
Calcium and phosphate metabolism disorders
rickets
Ectopic mineralization disorders (e.g. tumoral calcinosis, Ollier’s disease, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, others)
High bone mass conditions (e.g.sclerosing bone disorders, osteopetrosis)

About our team

Our team includes physicians (Pediatric Osteologists), nursing staff and a multi-disciplinary network comprised of dentists, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, geneticists, radiologists, physiatrists, audiologists, chronic disease sub-specialists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

Information for children, youth and families

Before your appointment

Please sign-up for a MyChart account before your first visit. 

Our scheduling team will call you to schedule an appointment. 

If something changes and you need to reschedule your appointment, please let us know at least 24-48 hours in advance by calling 613-737-7600 x2222.  No-shows or frequent cancellations may result in discharge from the service. 

What to expect during your appointment

Please come 10-15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time in case there are delays with parking or finding the clinic and to complete any required paperwork.

We are located in Clinic C-10 on the main floor.   

Please bring a list of any medications your child is currently taking, including vitamin and mineral supplements.

After your appointment

Your Physician or Nurse Practitioner will let you know whether any additional appointments or testing are needed after your visit. 

Frequently asked questions

How can I make an appointment?

All patients must be referred by a Physician. We accept referrals from:

post-natal units in Ottawa
referrals from family physicians
transfers from other hospitals when families relocate
transfers from other clinics at CHEO.

After a referral is received, we will notify the referring Physician whether the referral has been accepted or denied. If accepted, we will provide an estimated wait time.  This wait time can vary based on demand and urgency.  Once we have an appointment spot to offer, our Scheduling Team will call you to schedule an appointment. 

Who should I contact if I am worried or have questions?

For any emergency, call 911.  This includes emergencies involving your child’s bone health.

For patients who are being followed by the Bone Health-Osteology Clinic:  For patients who have seen a CHEO physician in the Bone Health Clinic, call your Nurse Case Manager or send a direct message to them through MyChart.  This is not for urgent calls.  Our nurses are here to give support, education and will work to coordinate your child’s care.  It may take 3-5 days for us to get back to you (and sometimes longer during holidays).  We will return the most serious calls first.  Please avoid leaving multiple messages for the same issue. 
For patients who are waiting for their first visit with the Bone Health-Osteology Clinic:  Please do not call the nursing line if you have not yet been seen by a CHEO physician in the Bone Health Clinic.  Please call your family doctor, pediatrician or visit your nearest walk-in clinic for everything else.

Sign up for MyChart to access your CHEO health record anywhere, any time.
MyChart is a secure, online patient portal that connects you to parts of your CHEO electronic health record and allows you to send two-way secure communication to your care team, complete any questionnaires your care team sends and much more.
To learn more about MyChart and sign up, visit our MyChart page and fill out the MyChart Access Request Form.

Looking for more resources or supports on childhood-onset bone disorders?

Visit Bones Canada to find helpful information, educational videos and more.

Information for healthcare providers

Make a referral

Our clinic is now accepting e-referrals with Ocean!

If you’re already on Ocean, look us up via your account by searching "CHEO".
If you don’t yet have an Ocean account, no problem - signing up is free.

Make a referral in Ocean

You can make an e-referral using Ocean, or send a referral by mail or fax to our address below.

Infants, children and adolescents with primary and secondary bone disorders will receive clinical care from a Pediatric Osteologist with access to a multi-disciplinary network of collaborating consultants plus state-of-the-art diagnostic testing (genetic, laboratory, imaging), treatment options, opportunities for participation in research studies (optional), and nursing support.

Information to include in the referral to the CHEO Pediatric Bone Health-Osteology Clinic:

Referring physicians should clearly state the reason for the referral and include the patient’s growth chart.

Contact us

Bone Health Clinic (C-10)
CHEO
401 Smyth Road
Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1

Fax: 613-738-4236