Celebration Hospital and others nearby ???

[sajetto]

We are headed back to the world on Friday. We're taking along a 13 year old with epilepsy. She takes her meds religiously and we don't expect any problems, but you never know.

Just in case the worst happens is Celebration Hospital the closest? If she has to be transported by EMS it would be best to have the shortest ride possible. 1) because it would be best to get there quickly and 2) because of cost

Also, in your opinion is Celebration Hospital really good or are there better facilities nearby? Are the services at Celebration Hospital more costly than those of the hospital in Kissimmee or Orlando?

Do any of you have a preferred hospital in the area? Any recommendations or opinions?

I know its a lot of questions, but we'd like to figure out what is the best to go with before we leave so we can map out a plan. Thanks!!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Celebration Hospital is part of Florida Hospital System. It is considered to be a good hospital.

I don't think that you have to worry. You may not be aware, but during Park hours there is a Reedy Creek EMS Alpha Unit actually backstage at the park, and RCES is very competent.

I have never heard of anyone being charged for emergency evacuation from WDW to a local hospital; if there ever is need expect the EMT to take you to the closest one best for the situation. Also, if there is need to go to a hospital, and you are staying at a Disney Resort, Disney will pick up the cost to get you back from the hospital.

One thing, which I get an implication from your post, is that if the child you are bringing along is not your child. Make sure you have a notarized letter from the parents allowing your to sign for medical treatment as well as the child's medical insurance informaiton with you.

 

[sajetto]

Thank you!!! No, I wasn't aware of any of the above information, but it calms my nerves some. We are taking two 13 year olds, they are best friends and neither child belongs to us. We have all of their medical information, insurance cards, and parent consent, but I had no idea Reedy Creek EMS was constantly on the scene.

I have another question...In the event that either child became ill due to a virus, injury, or some sort of allergic reaction at the hotel how would we handle transport then? Do we call 911 directly or contact the front desk?

Also, considering something were to happen that was not life threatening, but we felt we needed to take them to the ER for something like stitches...we would drive them ourselves. Would you choose to drive them to Celebration Hospital or is there a better choice for that sort of situation?

Do you happen to know if any particular facility is more costly than others? I would hate to have their parents shell out nearly $1,000 for a couple of stitches.

 

[krismom]

Hi- I also wanted to add that we used the Kissimee CVS "Minute CLinic" for a strep culture / ear infection check last trip. The cab was $40.00 round trip and the prescription was filled right away. Obviously, this isn't for emergencies... but it was great for getting a refill or a new prescription.
Good luck- I hope you never need the info though!

 

[Chuck S]

I had to take Mom to Celebration hospital a couple of years ago, she contracted pneumonia during the trip.

I drove her, and did not use an ambulance. The wait in the emergency room was several hours before they actually got her in for treatment. However, they did a good job of triage right away and were getting the most serious cases in fairly quickly. For Mom, they did run tests and did x-rays right away, but since her condition wasn't immediately life threatening, we had to wait to get into the treatment area.

After she was admitted, her care was wonderful. Her doctors seemed very knowledgeable, friendly, and answered questions. If in need of treatment Celebration is a very good hospital.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

In addition to Celebration Hospital which has a full ER, there is also Florida Hospital's Centra Care, which is a 24 hour urgent care facility just outside the Hotel Plaza Blvd gate. They also have a 24 hour pharmacy (Turner Drugs) co-located with them.

As they are part of Florida Hospital's system they can handle just about any type of insurance.

(To get there, take Hoptel Plaza Blvd to where it goes off-property just before the Crossroads Center. Turn left at the traffic light onto SR535. Go to the next traffic light and do a U-Turn to head back to Disney. Centra Care is just after the Sheraton Safari hotel which will be on your right.)

And if there should be any problems at all in the park which do not require EMS, there is a staffed First Aid location in each park (including the water parks) with at least two RNs on duty at all times from park opening until slightly after park closing daily.

 

[sajetto]

Thanks again everyone! I really appreciate all of the information and Chuck, I'm glad you posted because that makes me feel a lot better about taking them to Celebration if the need were to arise. Thanks.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

My DS is a special needs child and has seizures. He is on meds and was seizure free for quite a long time. On one of our trips he had a grand Mal seizure in our POR room. I am pretty sure heat, exaustion, etc. triggered it. I called 911 and they arrived very very quickly and took us to Celebration Hospital. The Drs were fantastic. They were great with my son and they listened to me about his care etc. The Dr contacted my Dr back and NY and talked about my son etc. I really was very happy with the care my son received. The male nurse who was helping us went and got batteries from the hospital gift store for my sons tape recorder and he sang Barney songs for him (DS loves music and Barney calms him). Come to find out when nurse was in school he was the Big Purple Guy at Universal Studios. When we were ready to leave the ER we phoned DH who was stil at POR with the other children. Seems the front desk had called and told him if DS and I needed a ride back to WDW they would pick us up! We had a rental so DH and kids made the trip. Disney contacted us later that day and was going to give us an extra day in the parks to make up for the one we lost but since we had length of stay hoppers it was not necessary.
I was not charged for the ride except for the copay from my insurance company.

 

[Mary976]

We also used Centra Care (and Turner drugs) when DD had a severe asthma attack (it was the one right past Downtown Disney). I was very impressed with the care we got and it was relatively fast (faster than an ER, I'm sure). The one thing I will say is that they did not take our insurance at the Clinic or the pharmacy, so I had to pay upfront and submit to my insurance company myself.

Mary

 

[SandrainNC]

My youngest had a febrile seizure last trip in our room. I was so scared they weren't going to be able to get to us quickly being at the hotel (Contemporary). It seemed like forever at the time, but in reality it didn't take them long at all. And they took him (and me) to Celebration Hospital emergency room. And took very good care of him.

Sandra

 

[ORMom2Four]

We used Celebration hospital when our son fell down at Epcot and broke his forearm.

They were quick to get him in, take x-rays and wrap his arm. They told us we would need to wait until we got home (it would be 3-4 days later) to cast it. We were told we could pick up the x-rays the next day and bring them home to our Dr.

The only issue we had was with the billing. They had ALL of our info. His medical card and our personal info (they took a copy of my drivers licence). Our son was a foster child and he had the state medical insurance. Instead of billing the state, they sent us the bill in full, with a note saying we had 30 days to pay it. I was on the phone with them over the next few months trying to get them to bill the state health plan. At one point, they sent us a letter saying we would soon be sent to collections if we did not pay!

They never did figure out how to do it. They finally sent a letter saying they were writing it off. This was in 2004. Hopefully they have new people in their billing department now.

 

[zoeyh2000]

Suggestions for hospitals in Kissimmee?

 

[kadesha]

Just wanted to say that during our last trip I had to take my 3 year old to Celebration hospital. She was running a high fever and vomiting, and was lethargic when I took her in. When they saw me come through the door and saw how lethargic she was they took us right back in. I never had to sit in the waiting room. They have a wonderful system in the emergency room and we were moved through very quickly and efficently. If we ever have anymore problems, we'll definetly go there, we had great service.

There is also Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital, but it is a bit of a drive. I think Celebration would be fine.

I had a similar problem with billing as a poster a few responses above. So, no that part hasn't improved!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Last year my 7 yr. old DD had a gran mal seizure on a Disney bus traveling to AK. She and I were transported to Celebration Hospital. DH and other DD were taken back to resort by Tranportation Supv. to get insurance info and then they were brought to me at the hospital. They then offered us transportation back to CBR when we were done, just call. Disney was good about it, Celebration Hospital was fairly good in their treatment of DD as well. The Dr. there did however, rely on our neurologist here at home for direction for her treatment. All in all I was not disappointed.