Valley Children’s Hospital: Pediatric Care & Info

Valley Children’s says its Emergency Department sees approximately 120,000 patient visits each year. Board-certified pediatric emergency physicians staff the department, with immediate access to pediatric subspecialists throughout the hospital.

What to bring to the ER

• Insurance card.
• Parent/guardian identification.
• Name of the child’s primary-care provider.
• Preferred pharmacy information.
• Relevant paperwork or outside test results.
• Medication names and doses.
• List of allergies.
• Formula, diapers or change of clothes when appropriate.
• A familiar blanket or quiet comfort item for the child.

How ER waiting works

Patients are triaged according to medical urgency, so the order in which families arrive is not necessarily the order in which they are treated. Wait time can change quickly depending on trauma arrivals, respiratory illness volume and the number of critically ill patients.

ER visitor rule

Current policy allows one parent, guardian or direct caregiver to accompany a patient initially in the Emergency Department. When the patient is placed in a room, a second parent or guardian may enter.

Pediatric specialty appointments

Cancel or reschedule

Call 559-353-8899 or contact the specialty clinic directly.

Hospital surgical volume

Valley Children’s reports more than 12,000 inpatient and outpatient surgeries annually, including thousands of general pediatric, orthopaedic, ENT, urology, plastic, ophthalmologic, cardiac and neurosurgical procedures.

Where to go on surgery day

Enter through the hospital’s clearly marked Surgery entrance. Check in first with Security and then at the pre-surgery registration desk.

Valley Children’s currently allows two healthy adults to accompany the child in the pre-surgery room while staff prepare the patient.

Before surgery

• Follow the surgical team’s food and liquid restrictions exactly.
• Remove jewelry at home.
• Dress the child in clean, comfortable clothing.
• Bring identification and insurance information.
• Bring any requested outside imaging or laboratory results.
• Confirm medication instructions before arrival.
• Bring a familiar comfort item when appropriate.

NICU visiting times

PICU visiting

Parents, grandparents and significant others may generally visit the PICU at any time. Visitors use the telephone outside the unit to identify themselves. The nurse may alter visitation depending on the child’s condition or care needs.

Hospital bill vs doctor bill

Valley Children’s states that one visit can generate separate hospital and physician bills.

Get a personalized price estimate

Valley Children’s provides an online estimate system for planned care, including estimated copay and deductible amounts. Patient Financial Services can also help at 559-353-7009.

The current hospital standard-charge listing is effective October 1, 2025, and Valley Children’s says its machine-readable transparency file was updated March 31, 2026.

Valley Children’s maintains county-specific contracted health-plan information for Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne and other counties.

Before scheduled treatment

• Verify that the hospital is in-network.
• Verify the individual pediatric specialist.
• Ask whether prior authorization is needed.
• Confirm expected copay and coinsurance.
• Ask what remains on the individual/family deductible.
• Ask whether professional bills will come from separate physician groups.

Who may qualify?

The current Valley Children’s financial-assistance policy provides discounts to uninsured patients and patients with high medical costs when family income for the prior 12 months does not exceed 400% of the federal poverty level.

Under the current policy, “high medical costs” generally means annual out-of-pocket medical expenses exceeding the lesser of 10% of current family income or family income during the prior 12 months.

How much can eligible families be charged?

Qualifying patients’ obligations are reduced to no more than applicable Medi-Cal rates. Where a Medi-Cal rate cannot be determined, the current policy states that eligible patients receive a 75% discount from charges.

Emergency physician discounts

Emergency-room physicians are included under the hospital Financial Assistance Policy. The current policy states that emergency physicians must provide discounts to uninsured patients or patients with high medical costs and incomes below 400% of the federal poverty level, in accordance with California law.

Other ways to reduce a bill

• Uninsured discount.
• High-medical-cost discount.
• Prompt-pay discount when eligible.
• Interest-free monthly payment plan.
• Medi-Cal eligibility assistance.
• California Children’s Services eligibility support for qualifying conditions.

A prompt-pay discount may be available when an eligible balance is paid in full within 30 days of the date of service. It does not apply to copays, deductibles or Medi-Cal share-of-cost amounts.

Apply through MyChart

1. Sign in to MyChart.
2. Open the main Menu.
3. Scroll to Billing.
4. Select Financial Assistance.
5. Complete the application and upload the requested documents.

RV parking

Six RV parking spaces are available east of the hospital in Lot G for families during extended stays. Reservations are not accepted and length of stay is limited. Families must register with Safety and Security before using a space.

Security / RV parking: 559-353-5115.

Nighttime parking escort

Security operates 24 hours a day and can provide a nighttime escort to hospital parking areas. Ask the child’s nurse or call 559-353-5115.

RSV-season restriction

During declared RSV/cold-and-flu restrictions, children age 12 and younger are not permitted to visit patient-care areas of the hospital. NICU restrictions are even more specific and generally require visiting children to be at least 13 during cold and flu season.

Wellness Wristbands

Visitors check in at the Information Center at the main entrance, or through the Emergency Department when the main entrance is closed. Visiting children under age 13 may be screened for signs of illness and issued a Wellness Wristband.

Flowers and balloons

• No live plants or flowers in the PICU or NICU.
• Latex balloons are not allowed anywhere in the hospital.
• Mylar/foil balloons are permitted.
• Check with the unit nurse before sending gifts to a patient.

Pharmacy services

• Pediatric liquid compounding.
• Medication flavoring.
• Medication interaction review.
• Specialty medications.
• Patient-assistance and specialized billing support.
• Home shipping.
• Prescription pickup at Valley Children’s or another Walgreens when eligible.
• Medication counseling.

Processing time

Valley Children’s currently advises families to allow approximately 7–10 working days for records-request processing.

Medical-record fees

Some Health Information Management requests may have a copy fee. Valley Children’s publishes a separate fee schedule and says the requester will be informed in advance when a fee applies.

Parent proxy access after age 12

California adolescent privacy rules affect portal access beginning at age 12. Valley Children’s states that expanded parent/legal-guardian proxy access after age 12 requires additional authorization from the patient and must be renewed annually.

Two-way appointment texting

Families can opt in to Valley Children’s appointment and health-alert texting by texting START to 59048. A MyChart account is not required for this texting feature.

Interpreter Services

Language assistance is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through in-person, telephone and video options.

Interpreter Services: 559-353-5250.

Qualified interpreters and communication aids are provided at no cost to the patient/family.

Social Services

Social Services: 559-353-5270.

Services can include crisis intervention, counseling, discharge planning, community resources, legal/advocacy help, transportation, accommodation and bereavement support.

Patient Representatives

Patient Representatives help explain policies, investigate complaints, connect families with staff and resolve care concerns.

Phone: 559-353-5425.

Child Life

Child Life specialists support children with medical preparation, coping, therapeutic play and hospital-related stress.

Child Life: 559-353-5444
Email: child_life@valleychildrens.org

Ronald McDonald House

An 18-room Ronald McDonald House is only a few steps from Valley Children’s Hospital. It provides guestrooms, kitchens, laundry facilities, library, game room, television room and a children’s playroom.

Ronald McDonald House: 559-447-6770.

A nominal fee may apply, but Valley Children’s notes that the fee can be waived for families unable to pay.

Patient bedside accommodations

Most regular patient rooms have a sleeper chair or sofa so a parent/guardian can remain overnight. Acute-care units can allow two designated adults to stay overnight, while the NICU and PICU follow their own rules.

Grape Jellyfish Café

Located on the garden level of the hospital.

Starbucks

Family Resource Center

Located inside the Medical Library on the garden level at the east end of the hospital. Families can use health-information resources, children’s books, computers, internet access and printing.

Monday–Friday: 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
Holidays: closed

Gift Shop

The Gift Shop is in the rotunda at the hospital’s main entrance. Phone: 559-353-5221.