Leave of absence passes during COVID-19 and Peak Season

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We understand that there are times when children or youth might benefit from some time outside of the hospital while still an inpatient. A leave of absence pass (LOAP) is part of the treatment plan, and allows children and youth to transition to home while still under the care of CHEO.

How is it determined whether a pass would be appropriate/helpful?

First, speak with your doctor or health care team, as passes require planning and preparation. During the pandemic, we will be more careful with who gets passes in order to prevent infections coming back into CHEO and putting others at risk. Children and youth will only receive leave of absence passes if their medical team deems the pass medically necessary.

Cold and flu season (December-April)
Every year during the winter months, many people catch the seasonal flu virus, common cold or get sick from other infections. At CHEO, we call this "peak season" because it is the busiest time of the year. During this time we rely on you to help protect against the spread of infection—when young children and babies get infected with cold and flu viruses, they can have life threatening complications. We all have a role to play.

How will we care for our child or teen while on a pass?

We want your child or teen to have a positive experience during the pass. We’ll make sure you feel well prepared by:

• reviewing your child’s care needs
• discussing any possible problems/questions
• teaching you how to care for your child or teen
• helping you plan what to do if something goes wrong
• developing a safety planning sheet with your child prior to pass, when appropriate

What happens if we run out of something or aren’t sure about how to handle a situation?

We will make sure that you have everything you need while out on a pass. If you are not sure about how to handle something during the pass (for example a dressing comes off, a pump is beeping) or you run out of anything, please call the unit and speak to your child’s assigned nurse, and we’ll work out a solution.

Protect, don't infect

We need your help to lower the chance of your child or youth bringing an infection back to CHEO after a pass home — especially in a pandemic.

If your child or teen will be getting a pass, we need you to:

• Let us know if anyone at home is sick with fever, cold symptoms, diarrhea or vomiting 
• Monitor your child for the entirety of the pass for new or worsening symptoms. Keeping your child away from crowded areas (i.e. stores, movie theaters, and family gatherings) is key to prevent contact with potentially ill individuals. 

• Be strict about masking and physical distancing with people outside of the immediate household 

• Screen anyone your child/youth will be in contact with to make sure they are symptom free and have not had any contact with anyone with COVID or infectious symptoms
• Please call your child’s assigned staff member two hours (max.) before returning from pass, so that you and your child can be screened prior to returning to CHEO.
• Let us know if your child has been exposed to anyone with any COVID type symptoms while on pass (someone with a fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, vomiting or diarrhea) during the Return from pass screening phone call.

Hand washing

Viruses can live a long time on surfaces like door handles or grocery carts. Cleaning your hands and your child’s hands often can really reduce the chance of infection. Clean hands with hand sanitizer or soap and water for 15 seconds:

• use soap and water and hand sanitizer whenever you can
• wash your hands before you eat 
• wash your hands after touching commonly touched surfaces like doorknobs, handrails, elevator buttons, etc.

What if we want to extend the pass or not return to CHEO?

• If this pass was a trial to see how things would work out at home, your doctor has probably already spoken with you about this. There were reasons for the time frame you agreed upon.
• You may feel that things are going so well that you don’t need to return, or you would like a bit more time at home. If this happens, it’s important to call the inpatient unit before you are due to return to CHEO. We’ll be concerned if your child or youth doesn’t come back when expected. We can also talk about any supplies or equipment you may need. We wish you the best experience possible on this pass, and hope that it helps you toward your goals!

Signs and symptoms to look for

• Fever, cough, shortness of breath, changes or loss of smell or taste

• Unusual or unexplained fatigue or malaise
• Unusual or unexplained muscle aches or pain
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Minor symptoms like sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, abdominal pain, headache, pink eye, loss of appetite