When a child needs to receive medical care far from home, every kilometer becomes an added burden for their family. The En Cœur Foundation is there to help ease this weight by providing financial support for travel expenses.
Other public programs may also be able to help (CSSS, CLSC, Transportation–lodging). Our role is to complement these resources and support you in finding the assistance you need.
Together, we want to bring you a bit more lightness along the road to heart care. For more information, please contact the social worker responsible for your case.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Accommodation support is offered to all families of children with heart disease in the event of a stay required for surgeries, hospitalizations and examinations related to the child’s heart condition.
Parking
The En Coeur Foundation provides financial support to parents of children with heart disease, to help them pay parking costs during their child’s stay at the hospital.
Grocery card
The Foundation can help you with grocery costs to ease the financial burden while your child with heart disease is hospitalized.
Gas card
The Foundation can help you with gasoline costs to ease the financial burden while your child with heart disease is hospitalized.
Travel expenses
Travel expenses can be paid by the Foundation. This service aims to help families in the regions cover gasoline expenses in order to get to their child’s appointments.
Purchases and loans of medical equipment
Donations received allow the loan and purchase of medical equipment for families with a child with heart disease (stethoscopes, therapeutic bears, Cardiomemos, CardioStats, AED external defibrillators, CoaguCheks, fetal Dopplers, breast pumps and tubes, pulse oximeters, etc.)
Meal voucher
The meal vouchers offered by the Foundation are a second-tier support and aim to help families who have to cover food expenses during the hospitalization of their child.
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Participants share in a group their experiences and reality as parents of children with heart defects, in a space marked by respect, kindness and solidarity. Open group of 90 minutes led by 2 social workers.
Learning that your child has a heart defect, knowing that his health is fragile and that he will therefore never be like the others, is a shock for many parents.
The En Coeur community is here for you ♥ The PARENTS community is a private group supervised by the En Coeur Foundation team which aims to be a place for exchange, support and mutual aid between parents.
Individual support and guidance meetings for parents of children with heart disease.
Offer groups to adolescents and preadolescents to help them normalize their condition by meeting other children facing cardiac issues. Involve parents in this format to facilitate the flow of information between parents and teens, and to provide close support to the youth when needed.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Over the years, En Cœur has participated in the publication of a large number of documents intended for children with heart disease and their families. These are available at the Foundation as well as in the cardiology departments of the various hospitals.
The En Cœur Foundation has decided to stop issuing Info-Cœur cards. This decision is related to several factors, including the protection of personal information and the manual steps required to print the card in its current format.
Given that current technologies allow us to obtain a similar electronic version, we suggest following the steps* below to add the information to your smartphone and thus create a medical record accessible at all times.
The En Cœur Foundation, in collaboration with cardiologists, has developed a downloadable form specifically designed for parents of children living with heart disease.
This tool aims to facilitate communication between families and the school environment. By filling out this form, parents can easily and clearly share essential information about their child’s condition with school staff (teachers, educators, administrators, etc.).
With this document, school staff will be better equipped to understand the child’s reality, respond to their specific needs, and ensure a safe and supportive environment.