Was wondering if any of you all have done hospital clowning and was wondering who you contact at the county hospitals to get permission to go there.

If you just show up will they let you go room to room to cheer people up?

How hard is it to set this up...

Its harder than it used to be, you can't simply show up and be allowed to see strangers. I am a staffmember of the hospital that I clown in, so I already meet the requirements to be allowed to roam unescorted through the building.

HIPAA law mandates that hospitals protect the patients' privacy, so the patients' diagnoses and even their names must be kept confidential. The hospital accreditation committee requires that hospitals ensure that everyone on staff, to include volunteers, receives annual training regarding HIPAA, infection control precautions, and take security measures to prevent infant abduction. You will probably be required to attend a daylong new employee's orientation in order to receive the necessary classes.

See if the hospital you are interested in has a volunteer coordinator's office, a hospital chaplain, or public affairs office and contact them for specific instructions.

It really depends on the hospital. Some places are really strict about who visits, and some aren't. Some places forbid any balloons, for fear of a latex allergy, and some just say don't offer a balloon without asking first.

Check to see if there's some kind of volunteer coordination office. A good place to start.

BTW, I think there's a "hospital clowning" area, somewhere on the site. Haven't looked in a long time.

We checked in the voluntees office. We has to attend the orientation meeting then a annual re-orientation meeting plus have a annual TB check. But it is well worth doing all of this to give and receive all the smiles. I love hospital clowning