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Welcome to Altoona Regional Health System
From the moment you're admitted to Altoona Regional Health System, we want you to know that you're not alone. A diversified team of professionals is working to restore your good health. If needed, your primary care physician or our hospitalists will call other specialists to help. These health professionals may include respiratory therapists, physical therapists, mental health professionals, chaplains, social workers, health educators, laboratory technicians, radiology technicians and other physicians who specialize in particular areas of medicine.
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While you are receiving our services, our focus is on providing you with high quality care in a safe manner. Altoona Regional is a Continuous Performance Improvement organization that reviews the care and services rendered to our patients on an ongoing basis to address any opportunities for improvement in our processes for delivering quality care.
The treatment team's efforts are successful when it's time for you to be discharged, and even then our care and concern continues. Often, arrangements are made for follow-up care at another facility or for a nurse to provide care to you in your home. Are you satisfied with your care? For your comfort and convenience Special services for you To meet your spiritual needs For your safety Obtaining full insurance benefits Visitors information Discharge process Are you satisfied with your care? At Altoona Regional Health System we make every effort to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible. We want to ensure your complete satisfaction with your care that you receive. If we have failed to meet your expectation in any aspect of your care, please complete our online patient feedback form or call our customer service representative at (814) 889-2271. In an effort to continually improve our services for you, Altoona Hospital Campus surveys some patients via a telephone survey. If you prefer to give us written feedback, comment cards are available in each department. For your comfort and convenience What to bring when you come to the hospital: Please bring only a few personal items for your stay - toiletries, such as toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, nightclothes, a sweater, robe and slippers. If you wear eyeglasses, please bring a protective case. Your doctor will prescribe the medications you will need during your hospital stay. If you are already taking medicine, please bring it with you to the hospital. What not to bring: The hospital cannot be responsible for money or other valuables kept in the room. Please leave valuables such as jewelry and money at home, or send them home with members of your family. If you must bring valuables, leave them with hospital security for safekeeping. They will be placed in the hospital safe until your discharge. Bedside call system Your bed and bathroom are equipped with an electronic call system. If you need assistance, simply push the call button as your nurse demonstrated. This will turn on a light above your door and at the nurses' station. Your call will be answered through the intercom or by a nurse. Meals Nutrition plays a very important role in your recovery, and your physician has ordered the best diet for your needs and your physical condition. If you are out of your room for tests when your meal arrives, your food will be kept in the kitchen or on your floor until you return. Just notify a nurse when you are ready to eat. Each day, someone from Nutrition Services will visit you to obtain your menu selections. Any visitor who would like to eat with a patient in his/her room may purchase a guest tray for a fee. Lost and Found Lost and Found is located in the Safety/Police Department. Please call (814) 889-2121 at Altoona Hospital Campus or (814) 889-4276 at Bon Secours Hospital Campus. Smoking Policy For your health, Altoona Regional is smoke-free. Telephone Calls at Altoona Hospital Campus Telephones are available in every room to make and receive calls, except for critical care. Relatives and friends may call you directly by dialing the seven-digit number on your telephone. Incoming calls cannot be received after 10 p.m. or before 7:30 a.m. To make a local call, dial 9 + the seven-digit number. All long-distance calls must be made collect, or charged to a credit card or your home phone. Patient room numbers may not be used for billing. If you have any problems or questions, dial "0" and the hospital operator will assist you. Mail and Newspapers at Altoona Hospital Campus Mail is delivered to each nursing unit daily, Monday through Friday. Newspapers may be purchased at the gift shop on the 1st Floor of the Outpatient Center. Special services for you Volunteers More than 500 volunteers served more than 100,814 hours last year. Volunteers provide valuable services for our staff and patients. Volunteering your time to help friends and neighbors is very rewarding. If you need anything during your stay or if you want to join our volunteer team, call the Volunteer Services office at (814) 889-2151. Case Management Altoona Regional's Case Management department assists with special needs related to your illness. The case management staff may help you and your family arrange for follow-up care and nursing extended care facilities, as well as direct you to other programs. A case manager and/or social worker may contact you during your hospital stay. If you need assistance from Case Management, please call (814) 889-2256. To meet your spiritual needs Pastoral Care is available to persons of all faiths; we believe in the worth and dignity of every person and respond to the diverse faith needs of all people. During a hospital stay, your faith can be a great source of healing and comfort. A person's spiritual well-being strongly influences the body's ability to heal and a positive emotional attitude helps clinical treatments. At Altoona Regional, we care about the entire person: body, mind and spirit. When to call Pastoral Care Questions often arise during a hospital stay. "Why me? How can I cope? Where is God now that I'm ill?" During times of questioning it is often helpful to speak with a chaplain. Please call Pastoral Care: When you want someone to listen compassionately. When you want someone to pray with or for you. When you feel lonely, forgotten, afraid, or worried. When you feel grateful, blessed, or prayerful. When you feel like giving up. How to Contact Us Patients, their families, and staff may request a pastoral care visit seven days a week, 24 hours a day, simply by pressing "0" for the operator and asking that the chaplain on-call be paged. A caring chaplain is always available, day or night. For more information, please call Pastoral Care at (814) 889-2132 (Altoona Hospital Campus) or at (814) 889-4323 (Bon Secours Hospital Campus). For your safety Cellular phones may be used in "Safe Areas"- waiting rooms, nonpatient areas, and elevator lobbies. Cell phones are not to be used in patient rooms. They interfere with and disrupt the operation of medical equipment. Also, do not bring or use appliances that plug into the wall outlets (fans, radios, televisions, heating pads/blankets). Most battery-powered devices (radios, tape/CD players, shavers) are permitted. Please check with your nurse first. Visitors are asked NOT to bring in latex balloons. Latex exposure may cause serious allergic reactions in those who are sensitive. Mylar balloons are permitted. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe environment for patient care. Obtaining full insurance benefits Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Notifying your county assistance office (CAO) is very important any time you are unable to pick up your assistance check, medical assistance card, or food stamp benefits because you are in the hospital. You can do this by calling your caseworker or having a friend, relative or hospital social worker call for you. Prompt and accurate reporting of changes in your circumstances allows the CAO to meet your needs and avoids unnecessary delays or cancellations of your benefits. Assuring quality service is a partnership between you and your CAO. Visitors information Cafeteria and City View Cafe, vending services at Altoona Hospital Campus The dining room is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. every day. It is closed between 10:30 and 11 a.m. Hot lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and hot dinner is served from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Coffee, sandwiches, desserts, and snacks are available from 8-10:30 a.m. and from 12:40-6:30 p.m. For your convenience, the City View Cafe, located on the 4th Floor of the Outpatient Center, is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed on major holidays. For carryout, the telephone number is (814) 889-6393 (in the hospital, dial ext. 6829). Vending is available 24 hours a day in the 4th Floor vending area and the Outpatient Center lobby. Guest trays are available for visitors and can be purchased in the cafeteria. Cafeteria and vending services at Bon Secours Hospital Campus The cafeteria is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Dinner is served from 4:45 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. A full line of vended items prepared by the staff is available 24 hours a day in the cafeteria. Guest trays are available for purchase in the dietary office on the 1st Floor. Altoona Hospital Campus Gift Shop A wide assortment of gifts, mylar balloons, magazines, newspapers, candy, snacks and cards are available at the hospital gift shop on the 1st Floor of the Outpatient Center. Gift shop hours are:
10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturdays 1-5 p.m., Sundays Family Surgery Waiting Area Family of general surgery patients may wait in the family surgery waiting area provided on the 7th Floor of the Outpatient Center at Altoona Hospital Campus. This area is open from 5:30 a.m. until 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. Vending machines are available, as well as a television. A telephone is available for physician consultation and so that visitors may be notified when patients reach the recovery room and when they are returned to their regular room. Surgeons will also make contact with the family in this aarea available on each floor. Flowers Self-service floral arrangements are available 24 hours a day in the visitor's elevator lobby, 1st Floor of the Tower building at Altoona Hospital Campus. Proceeds from the 24-hour Flower Center go to Friends of Altoona Regional Health System and are returned to the hospital to benefit patient care. Visiting guidelines We believe that visiting should be flexible and patient-controlled. Although rest is an important part of your treatment, visits from friends and loved ones are part of your therapy, too. Please limit bedside visitors to no more than three at one time from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Brief, supervised visits by children under 16 may be appropriate at times. Please see the nurse in charge to make arrangements. Specialty units Phone numbers for nursing units The discharge process Being discharged from the hospital depends upon many things. Discharge is a step-by-step process. Your primary care doctor and consulting physicians decide when it's appropriate for you to go home. Typically, the doctor tells you or your family the day before discharge is expected. The final discharge decision isn't made until the doctor sees you the next day. Doctors visit at various times during the morning, afternoon or evening. Please ask the doctor what time he or she expects to see you, but understand that he or she may be delayed. The doctor will conduct a final examination. He or she may order additional tests, review those results, and then decide if you are able to leave. The doctor writes the discharge order, but consulting physicians involved must agree. Many other things then take place. Arrangements for therapy, prescriptions and equipment often need to happen before you leave. For example, your doctor may want you to talk with a member of our education or dietary staffs. This will help you recover. The nurse will review the doctor's directions with you. Each patient's situation is different. Case Management works closely with patients and families to coordinate discharge needs. Please allow time for this to happen. Predicting an exact discharge time is often difficult. Please ask your nurse BEFORE making arrangements with whomever is driving you from the hospital. This will help avoid having a family member wait for a long time. If family circumstances make discharge difficult during a particular time of day, please talk to your nurse. Altoona Hospital Campus's health professionals want to make your stay - and discharge - as convenient and pleasurable as possible. |
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