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Allergies & Sensitivities at WGH

Healthcare professional talking to patient

An allergic reaction can be serious and even cause a life-threatening situation. For the safety and comfort of patients, visitors and staff, we ask everyone to be aware of the most common allergens and related hospital policies.
 

Scents and Smells

The smell of perfume, cologne, soap, lotions and sprays can cause a serious allergic reaction or aggravate an existing health condition such as asthma. Even people who do not have allergies may get headaches or feel sick from smells. For these reasons, all Yukon hospitals have a policy to keep the buildings scent-free. This means we ask all patients, visitors, volunteers and staff not to use any scented products when they are in or coming to a hospital.

Learn more by reading our Making sense of scents at Yukon Hospitals pamphlet (PDF).


Smoke-Free Facilities

For everyone’s safety and comfort, and in accordance with Yukon law, our hospitals are smoke-free facilities. This means no smoking is allowed inside the hospital or within five metres (about 16 feet) of public doorways, windows or air intakes. At Whitehorse General Hospital, this means no smoking on the entire front sidewalk, bus stop or door outside the hospital or Thomson Centre. There is a designated area outside with signs showing where smoking is permitted. Please do not smoke in any other areas.
 

Balloons and Other Latex Products

Latex is a type of rubber that many people are allergic too. Balloons and some types of rubber gloves and tubes are made from latex. If you are a patient and have an allergy to latex, it is very important that you tell the person who checks you in when you first arrive at the hospital. If you are a visitor and want to bring balloons, please make sure that they are labeled as “latex free.”
 

Flowers

Flowers are a wonderful gift for most patients. If you would like to bring flowers to a patient, please ask one of the patient’s nurses beforehand, just to make sure that there are no allergy concerns. It is also best to avoid strong-smelling flowers such as lilies.