To help us provide care that matches your daily routine, a nurse will ask you a number of questions about your health and normal lifestyle. Our goal is to provide comfort and safety along with your medical treatments.

Patient Safety

Bed side rails
Since the hospital surroundings and bed are unfamiliar to you, we usually raise one or both of the bed side rails when you sleep. You may even want the side rails up while awake to make your nurse call light readily available, to reach your television remote control, and to provide something to hold onto or help you move around in bed. If you prefer the side rails to remain down at all times, please discuss this with your nurse, since their use is intended to assist, not limit, your movement.

Fall Prevention
As part of our Fall Prevention Program, it you are at risk of falling while you are hospitalized, you will be given a yellow arm band to wear, and a yellow star will be placed outside your room and at the nurses' station. To keep you safe, these and other interventions are in place so your nurses and other caregivers can reduce your chances of falling. We also ask that you keep the following in mind:

• Do not get up on your own. Please use your "call light" to ask for help.
• Wear shoes with ties or hospital-supplied slippers when out of bed.
  
• Do not lean on furniture or other items for support.
• Use caution when bending or leaning to pick up things.
  

Wristband Bracelets
To ensure that all staff is aware of medical conditions that may place you at increased risk, Memorial Hospital participates in the nationwide standard model for colored “alert” bracelets for patients. When you are admitted, in addition to your white identification bracelet, you will have a special colored bracelet placed on your wrist if you are at risk for the following:

• Allergy - red
• Latex risk - green
• Fall risk - yellow
• Restricted extremity (for example, an arm to not be used for an IV) - pink
  

If you are wearing a “social cause” bracelet or a bracelet from another institution, you will be asked to remove these to prevent confusion. If you refuse to remove them, these bracelets will be covered with white tape until you are discharged.

Hospital Fire Drills
The hospital conducts routine fire drills to ensure that our staff is skilled in fire procedures. If you hear a fire alarm, stay where you are until given directions.

If for any reason you have an immediate concern about your safety, please call extension 2222. If you have a general
concern to discuss regarding safety, please call the Safety Officer, Thomas Ross, at extension 2146.

Personal Protective Equipment
You may notice members of your healthcare team wearing gloves, masks, eye goggles, yellow gowns and/or other items during some or all of your hospital stay. These items are used to prevent the spread of infection to patients and staff. The use of these protective items does not necessarily mean you have an infection. If you have any questions, please ask your nurse.

Barber/Hairdresser
Arrangements for haircutting in your hospital room can be made through your floor's unit secretary, or you may call Henry’s Home Haircuting Service directly at (401) 728-2597.

Payment must be made at time of service. If you require other services of a hairdresser, please feel free to make your own arrangements.

Electrical Appliances
To protect our patients, strict safety codes in the hospital require that any electrical items brought from home, such as hair dryers, radios, or televisions, be checked by one of the hospital’s electricians. Ask your nurse for assistance with this.

Home electric bill payment extension
If you are hospitalized for at least five days, you are eligible for a 60-day extension on your electric bill payment. For details, call National Grid at 1-800-322-3223.

Ethics
Memorial Hospital has a bioethics committee that patients, families and healthcare professionals may access to assist with care decisions they perceive to be ethically difficult. You and your family may access the bioethics committee through your attending physician or nurse.

At any time, you or a family member can obtain a copy of Memorial Hospital’s Code of Ethics. In addition, Memorial has a policy entitled “Conflict of Interest,” which reinforces our commitment to quality patient care as a first priority. You may request a copy of this policy.

Interpreter Service and Hearing Assistance
Communication between health professionals and patients is important for effective medical care. As a patient at Memorial Hospital, you have access to our free interpreter service. If you are hard of hearing or deaf, a staff member will assist you with your communication needs. Interpreter Service and Hearing Assistance

Meals
The Department of Food and Nutrition Services offers various selections for each meal. Each morning you will receive a menu for the next day, from which you make your food choices according to the diet ordered by your doctor. You may also select any items from an alternative menu (containing soups, sandwiches and other items), if it is allowed on your special diet.

A representative from our Food and Nutrition staff will visit you regularly to review your meals with you and ask about your likes and dislikes and try in every way to meet your dietary preferences. Meals arrive at approximately the same time every day. Scheduled tests or procedures may require a change or delay in some meals. You will be served your meal when you return to your room.

Food from Home
Your doctor has ordered the kind of food you should eat. Please check with your nurse before consuming any food or drinks brought to you by friends or family. You may need to refrain from eating or drinking because of special tests that have been scheduled. Eating may require the cancellation of a test and could result in a longer hospital stay. If you put food items in the kitchen refrigerator, they must be labeled with your name, room number and date; these items will be discarded after 48 hours.

Tobacco Use
To improve community health, well-being and safety, Memorial Hospital has joined with other members of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island in creating a tobacco-free environment. You are not allowed to use tobacco products during your stay or during the times you visit for outpatient treatments or appointments. Patients who refuse to comply with this policy may be discharged. Patients are encouraged to discuss with their physician smoking cessation counseling and/or the prescribed use of pharmaceuticals.

Your visitors may not use tobacco products anywhere on the hospital campus. Individuals who wish to use tobacco products need to leave the property to do so.

Newspaper Delivery
The Providence Journal and The Times are available for purchase and can be delivered directly to your room by calling the Information Desk at extension 2322.

Volunteers provide many complimentary services including delivering newspapers, mail, reading materials and flowers.Call extension 2325.

Personal Belongings
Clothing and other personal items are to be sent home with a family member or someone else at the time of your admission whenever possible. However, make sure to keep any dentures, hearing aids, and eyeglasses with you to ensure full participation in your care. However, you should not wrap dentures, hearing aids, or eyeglasses in tissue or leave them on a meal tray or near a waste basket where they might accidentally be discarded.

Spiritual Care
A member of the clergy is on call for emergencies. Spiritual visitors can be requested by calling extension 2322. A non-denominational chapel is located on the first floor of the Hodgson Building. Catholic patients may receive communion daily by contacting their parish priest or by calling extension 2322.

Telephone
Telephone service is available by dialing 0 and speaking with the hospital operator. A $16 deposit is required, which includes a $4 non-refundable activation charge and three days of service at $4 per day. If your hospital stays lasts more than three days, then you will be charged an additional $4 per day to the maximum charge of $28. Any added charges will be collected upon discharge.

Local calling areas include Centredale, Cumberland Hill, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket in Rhode Island, and phone numbers with area code 508 in Seekonk and South Attleboro, Massachusetts. Long-distance calls must be made collect or billed to a credit card or third party. To place a long-distance call, dial 7-0 and then the number.

All incoming calls between 9:30 pm and 8:00 am are received by the switchboard operator, who will not forward the call to your room unless the call is an emergency.

If you have a sight, hearing, or physical impairment, special arrangements are available; ask your nurse for assistance.
 
If you are a maternity patient, please designate a support person to communicate information to your family and friends. Incoming calls for labor patients are directed to the maternity unit nurses’ station, and are not forwarded to the labor/delivery rooms.

Television
There is no charge to use the color televisions with cable service available in all patient rooms.