Visitor Information
Visiting hours
We understand how important it is for our patients to visit with friends and family. Children may visit too but, for their own safety, they must be supervised by an adult at all times.
Visiting hours and guidelines vary for each care unit. If you need more information about the best time to visit, please check with a nurse. We are sensitive to and respectful of special circumstances and do our best to accommodate select, after-hours visiting.
If you are visiting at the Main Campus after-hours, the Emergency/Oupatient entrance (located on Medical Center Drive) is the only open entrance.
Medical-Surgical Units (3 East, 3 West, 4 East, 4 West)
- Daily 1:00 pm until 8:00 pm
Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- Daily 10:00 am until 8:00 pm
Visiting is based on the condition of the patient and is limited to immediate family. Please check with the ICU staff for specific guidelines. When you come to visit, pick up the phone outside the ICU entrance before entering the unit, to let us know you are here.
Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit (West Campus)
- Monday - Friday, 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm.
The Family Center
For all units (The Birth Place, Pediatrics and NICU), visitors must wear an identification badge after 9:00 pm. Badges are given out by the nursing staff at The Birth Place, and by Security staff at the Emergency Department entrance.
The Birth Place
Fathers, partners, grandparents and siblings (of any age) are welcome any time. All other visitors are welcome between 12:00 noon and 8:00 pm.
Pediatrics
Parents and siblings (of any age) may visit any time. All other visitors are welcome between 12:00 noon and 8:00 pm. For our patients' safety, the Pediatrics Unit is locked. Please pick up the phone outside the unit to let us know you are here.
Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Parents and siblings (of any age) may visit any time. Other children must be at least 12 years old. At least one of the baby's parents must be present with all visitors. For our patients' safety, the NICU is locked. Please pick up the phone outside the unit to let us know you are here.
If you call
Family and friends may inquire about a patient's condition at any time: call Patient Information at
(603) 577-2201. An operator will forward the call to the patient's unit where you may speak directly to the nurse caring for the patient. For patients in the Intensive Care Units, only calls from immediate family members can be forwarded.
Waiting rooms
When patients are in surgery, you may wait in the Family Waiting Room, located on the second floor of The Medical Center. A volunteer is available to assist family members. There is a consultation room for family members to speak privately with the surgeon, and two workstations with
internet access.
There are lounge areas for visitors on each floor and in the main lobby. Special waiting areas are located near the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department, and in The Birth Place.
Meals
You are invited to share meals with your loved one/family member if you wish, for a nominal charge. (See Room Service.) There is a cafeteria located on the ground floor of the hospital, and the Auxiliary Coffee Shop is near the main entrance. At the West Campus, there is a cafeteria open (Monday - Friday, 7am to 2:30pm). Any staff member would be happy to direct you to these areas or to vending machines.
When not to visit
If you or a close family member have been exposed to chicken pox, TB, mumps or measles or any other infectious disease within the past three weeks, please speak with the patient's nurse before visiting. In some cases, your exposure may not allow you to visit. It might pose a risk to the patient. If you have a cold or the flu or are not feeling well, you can protect the patient by postponing your visit.
We encourage all visitors to wash their hands before entering and leaving a patient's room. Anti-bacterial soap is available in every patient room and washroom in the hospital. Hand-washing is the most effective way to prevent spreading germs and protect our patients.
Privacy
Patients have the right to limited access and confidentiality. If they indicate to the admissions or nursing staff that no information is to be shared about his/her condition and/or that he/she wishes not to have visitors, we will follow their requests and inform you of them.
For your convenience
In the lobby of The Medical Center's Main Campus, you
will find:
- the Information Desk
- Guest Services, where volunteers escort visitors to
locations within The Medical Center
- Automated teller machine (ATM)
- Newspaper stands
- Flowers for purchase
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