McMaster Children's Hospital

11/12/2025

Our emergency department doctor, Dr. Anthony Crocco experienced the patient and caregiver side of our hospital when his daughter required care for RSV. At the time, it was before an RSV preventative medication was available. But now that it is, he recommends it to all eligible babies.

“I most definitely would give my children this protective treatment against RSV,” he says. “RSV is a dangerous disease and anything that I can do to prevent my child from experiencing that in its many forms, I would do.”

Read more at https://www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/share/rsv-hits-close-to-home-for-emergency-doctor/

11/01/2025

And the winning team for our Halloween costume/decoration contest, as voted by our patients, is... the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit as Jurassic Park! Check out their amazing job in the first three pictures.

But we just have to share some pictures of our other teams as well, since there were so many amazing costumes and decorations. A big shout out to all of our staff and physicians for making our hospital a fun place for kids to be kids on Halloween.

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween!🎃 Our staff and doctors go above and beyond to make sure Halloween is a fun day for our patients and families, despite being in the hospital. This includes our tiniest patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, because even though they may not be ready for trick or treating yet, they can absolutely wear a costume. So, this week we had crafting sessions for families to make their little ones a costume.

Stay tuned for more Halloween fun later today. 👻

10/24/2025

“I was alone in the hospital with my sick child, post-partum after a C-section. My husband couldn’t come because he had pneumonia. It was Christmastime. My older child was at home with our parents. It was absolutely horrible,” says Amber Cowan.

Stella was three weeks old when she was admitted to our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit with RSV. This was 11 years ago, before there was a medication to protect babies from severe RSV infection. After her experience with Stella, Amber urges eligible families to take advantage of the RSV medication, available through our RSV clinic.

Read more about the family's experience at www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/share/rsv-over-the-holidays/

10/15/2025

HHS' Indigenous Health Plan is a vital step in working with Indigenous communities to build health care systems grounded in Indigenous wellness principles.

10/02/2025

We're putting funds from the MacKids Walk & Wheel to good use. Check it out.👇

The McMaster Children's Hospital Fracture Clinicrecently received four new cast saws thanks to the MacKids Walk & Wheel fundraising event.

The increasing volume of patient visits to the pediatric fracture clinic (more than 25,000 last year!) means that each technician is removing multiple casts per day.

The old cast saws no longer worked effectively and were beginning to cause difficulty for the technicians.

The new saws will reduce ergonomic strain on technicians, improve patient wait times and support a positive care experience.

"They arrived today and our team is beyond excited," says Krista Binnington, Clinical Manager. "We are all so grateful for the support."

Learn more about what’s happening at HHSF: hamiltonhealth.ca