Local telephone service is provided to patients at no charge:
- To reach someone within the hospital, dial the last five digits of the phone number.
- For local calls, dial 9, followed by the area code and phone number.
- For long distance calls, dial 9 + 0 to place a collect call. You may also use a calling card.
- The Hospital Call Center Agents will place courtesy calls for patients who require long distance calling. Dial 0, to access call center agents.
Once you are comfortably situated in your room, your nurse will give you your phone number so you can provide it to family and friends.
Phone Call Hours
Please note: To provide a quiet environment for patients, incoming calls to patient rooms begin at 7 a.m. and end at 10 p.m. If a call comes in at other times, the operator will assist the caller.
TTY NexTalk devices for the deaf and hard of hearing are available for public use in various locations throughout the hospital. Please ask hospital staff for assistance.
Guidelines for Receiving Food from Outside the Hospital
The hospital’s Food and Nutrition Services Department prepares meals for patients under strict sanitary conditions to insure food served to patients is safe. We strive to accommodate your individual diet preferences. If you feel your dietary needs are not being met, ask to speak with a dietitian. Bringing in food from outside the hospital is discouraged because many patients are on special diets. Also, patients in the hospital are more likely to become sick from bacteria in food that may not affect a healthy person.
If your family wishes to bring in special food for you, they should check with your nurse first to make sure any special diet requirements are considered. Other guidelines:
- Food must be fresh and prepared under sanitary conditions (wash hands, utensils, cutting boards and work surfaces before and after handling food).
- Wash all fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Thoroughly cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
- Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
- After cooking, refrigerate foods within two hours.
- Store foods in a sealed container or completely wrapped.
- Label container with patient’s name, room number, date and time delivered to the hospital.
- Note: If the food is not used within a certain time, health regulations require that we discard it.
Volunteers will deliver mail to your room each afternoon, Monday through Friday. Mail received after your discharge will be forwarded to your home. Packages that arrive after your discharge must be picked up at the hospital. Please check with your unit nurse to see if they have any available newspaper. If they do not, you may arrange for newspaper delivery to your room by calling Patient Support Services after 9 a.m. at ext. 63351. There is a charge for the newspaper. Delivery is free.
