Parents Please Read!

[Chedstro]

I had to take my husband to an urgent care clinic last Sunday. (We live about 20 min from WDW)

While I was waiting while he was being seen I saw the saddest thing happen.

A grandfather brought his grandaughter in to be treated for whatever. There was nothing they could do because he did not have an authorization to have her treated from her parents.

By law in Fl (and I assume everywhere else) they could not touch her.

They tried to tell him that if the Mom could Fax them a permission slip, then they could help. Otherwise referred him to the closest Emergency Room.

Just a reminder - never let your kids go off with anyone - even on a sleepover - without giving someone written permission to get medical help for them.

Mom called the urgent care and they talked her through a fax. It was just so scary. Worked out ok - but just a "Heads Up" for all.

 

[disneybridetobe]

I had to take my husband to an urgent care clinic last Sunday. (We live about 20 min from WDW)

While I was waiting while he was being seen I saw the saddest thing happen.

A grandfather brought his grandaughter in to be treated for whatever. There was nothing they could do because he did not have an authorization to have her treated from her parents.

By law in Fl (and I assume everywhere else) they could not touch her.

They tried to tell him that if the Mom could Fax them a permission slip, then they could help. Otherwise referred him to the closest Emergency Room.

Just a reminder - never let your kids go off with anyone - even on a sleepover - without giving someone written permission to get medical help for them.

Mom called the urgent care and they talked her through a fax. It was just so scary. Worked out ok - but just a "Heads Up" for all.

DH and I went away overnight and left DD with my mom- I wrote a consent to treat letter, just in case. My mom looked at me like I was nuts, but better safe than sorry! I made sure to include my mom's name, DD's DOB, and what kind of insurance we had, along with the insurance ID#, and contact info for us.

 

[noahdove]

I am the same way when I take any child, this is one of the first things I ask for from the parents...

 

[juliana_sd]

Yep, excellent reminder! My parents have one for DS somewhere, I should make sure they know where it is next time we visit.

In a true "emergency" (car accident etc) do they wait for authorization?

 

[tinkwdw47]

Great Advice....you just never know when things can happen ....Thanks for posting this.....

 

[SueM in MN]

Yep, excellent reminder! My parents have one for DS somewhere, I should make sure they know where it is next time we visit.

In a true "emergency" (car accident etc) do they wait for authorization?

No.
In a true emergency, where the person needs life saving or very important care, they treat first and get authorization later. That is the same in every state and is the same for adults or children - if you were in an accident and could not give consent for yourself, they would do what they needed to do to stabilize your condition without consent.

(Nurse working in hospital here).

 

[Chedstro]

Thanks so much, SueM. I was not sure enough about this to post an answer. Good to hear from someone who knows

 

[Belle1962]

I keep an "improtant papers" kit in my fire box in a ziplock. Whenever I am going anywhere with my DGS I just grab it and put it in the suitcase. It includes: copy of his insurance card; notarized authorization to treat; certifid copy of custody papers (because even in this day and age it is sometimes hard to convince people that a Dad has custody); list of emergency contact numbers in the event I am also incapacitated; and brief medical history including allergies, name of ped, name of dentist, etc. I move this to my backpack/park bag once we reach our destination.

I really should purchase a medical bracelet but haven't yet. Shame on me.

 

[cajunbaby1]

My ex husband is military and when we were married and the kids went to either grandparents for the summer or whatever- he would get from the base law office a medical power of attorney. This stated we gave them permission to seek any and all medically nec treatment while the kids were in their care and usually made it good for 1 year or so. This sometimes came in handy if they needed to make a routine MD visit or if they got sick. They never had a problem because it was notorized. We made sure to have all important info such as dads rank, ssn phone numbers for work and home, etc.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

Thanks so much for posting this. So many parents are simply not aware that their family members cannot just "give" authorization for treatment. This happened to us years ago when my parents took our son camping. He got hurt and needed stitches and they would not treat him at the local hospital without talking to me or DH. My Father nearly tore the place apart he was so upset. Fortunately then they accepted talking to me on the telephone. Now we have a grandson of our own and I would never take him anywhere without this important information.

 

[traceyr13]

My mom is a nurse, and is fanatical about having consent to make medical decisions letters with her whenever she watches our kids overnight. Thanks for the PSA!

 

[UAB master]

Exactly what information do you need to put on the consent??

 

[Terry36]

Thanks for the heads up. Should the letter be notarized?

 

[T. Lynn]

Does anyone have a sample of a consent letter they could share?

This is great advice...

 

[CraftyOtt]

Here a variation of the one my husband uses for Scouts (he is a Scoutmaster). We adapted it for our son who has major cardiac problems. Just cut and paste in any word program.

To Whom It May Concern:
I give permission to __________________________________________________to render First Aid, should the need arise. In the event of an emergency, I also give permission to said person to make decisions regarding selecting a physician, to hospitalize, secure proper anesthesia, order injection, or secure other medical treatment, as needed.

Signed______________________________________________Date:________________
Parent of Johnny S. Doe (replace with your child's name)

In case of emergency please contact:

(list at least 3 different contacts here, as well as all possible numbers you could be reached at)

Medical Information for Johnny S. Doe:

(list any medical information here like recent surgeries, current prescriptions, allergies, etc.)

I hope this helps!

 

[scouthawkk]

Here a variation of the one my husband uses for Scouts (he is a Scoutmaster). We adapted it for our son who has major cardiac problems. Just cut and paste in any word program.

To Whom It May Concern:
I give permission to __________________________________________________to render First Aid, should the need arise. In the event of an emergency, I also give permission to said person to make decisions regarding selecting a physician, to hospitalize, secure proper anesthesia, order injection, or secure other medical treatment, as needed.

Signed______________________________________________Date:________________
Parent of Johnny S. Doe (replace with your child's name)

In case of emergency please contact:

(list at least 3 different contacts here, as well as all possible numbers you could be reached at)

Medical Information for Johnny S. Doe:

(list any medical information here like recent surgeries, current prescriptions, allergies, etc.)

I hope this helps!

When my mom was a GS leader in Florida (MANY years ago) the generic permission form was not enough for the ER to treat one of her girls that broke a leg at a roller skating event because it was not notarized! The parents were not reachable because they decided to take the boat out that day. It wasn't until several hours later the girls 18 year old sister was reached, and was able to give permission for treatment. Because of that one event, my mom always had the parents get all the forms notarized, just incase.

Fast forward to when my sister's troop (mom was the leader) and the troop took a trip from Ohio to Georgia, over to Tennessee and back. Had to rush one of the girls to the ER for a broken ankle (jumped into the pool feet first, and didn't pay attention to how shallow it was at that poing). The ER was very happy to hear she had a notarized permission for treatment, because otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to treat without hearing from the parents...all the way back in Ohio!

All of DS's grandparents have a notarized letter giving permission to seek medical attention when we are not available, until he turns 18. We give them updated copies of insurance cards whenever we get them. Better safe than sorry!

 

[CraftyOtt]

Good point. Depending on the hospital, they may require it to be notorized (although we haven't had a problem with our BSA Permission to Treat forms that are not notarized, my DH had to use one for a scout a little while back and the urgent care clinic had no problem with the form). Another good idea is to attach a copy of your insurance cards (or copy it on the back of the form). If your child is traveling with grandparents/family/friends, it would be a good idea to have some sort of written consent for medical treatment with the child's name clearly stated, your name, the temporary caregiver's name (that would be the grandparent, etc.), social security number of the child (every hospital will ask for it usually), and a recent dated signature.

 

[Chedstro]

Thank you so much both scouthawkk and Craftyott You have helped so much to explain what all is needed.