During Your Stay

Your Patient Care Team

Your Room and Bed

Calling Your Nurse

Your Comfort

Medications

Pastoral Care (Ministry)

Conveniences for You

Patient Relations and What You Can Expect

Your Patient Care Team

Your Medical Care
A doctor will lead your patient care team. This doctor may be your primary care provider (PCP), your specialist, or a hospitalist. Hospitalists are doctors who specialize in caring for patients in the hospital. Learn more ►

Your Nursing Care
A team of professional registered nurses (RN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN) provide your 24-hour nursing care. Our nurses are committed to your comfort and safety while providing the best care. Licensed nursing assistants (LNA) and clinical assistants (CA) assist your nurse in caring for you.

Case Managers
Case managers help plan for your needs during and after your hospital stay. They can also help explain insurance benefits and disability coverage.

Patient and Family Services
Social workers are assigned to each patient care area and can help patients and family members cope with financial, social, and emotional concerns.

Our social workers can help you with:

• Services and resources: to help any patient, especially those whose illness or hospitalization has created emotional, family, or social concerns.
• Financial concerns: The Medical Center will provide quality health care for patients even when unable to pay for treatment. If you need assistance with your hospital bills, ask to speak with a social worker.

Therapists

• Physical therapists (PT) help to improve your ability to move, relieve pain, and prevent or limit physical disabilities.
• Occupational therapists (OT) help you improve your ability to care for yourself, return to work, or prepare for your return home.
• Respiratory care practitioners (RCP) help improve breathing and prevent lung problems.
• Speech therapists.

Dietitians
Registered dietitians provide information about healthy eating. They will talk with you and your doctor to be sure that you receive the nutrition you need. They provide information about healthy diets and will help you to plan a diet to fit your lifestyle.

Other Personnel
During your stay other members of your patient care team, including staff from the laboratory and radiology departments and supervised students from many professions, may be involved in your care. The team at The Medical Center also includes many behind-the-scenes staff - for example: housekeeping, security, dietary, and pastoral care - who join in our commitment to your care and satisfaction.

Your Room and Bed

We do our best to respond to your preferences whenever possible, however, your room assignment is based on your diagnosis and bed availability at the time of your admission.

Your bed may be electrically operated and your nurse will show you how to use it properly. Please be careful because your hospital bed is higher and narrower than your bed at home. The side rails on your bed are used for your safety.

Calling Your Nurse

• Use your call button if you need help. When you press the call button, a light will flash outside your door. The nurses' station will also be alerted that you need help.
• The Medical Center uses the latest technology, the SpectraLink Wireless Telephone System. It allows you to call your nurse and get the care you need as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Your Comfort

Our goal is to make you as comfortable as possible during your stay. When your pain and discomfort are treated, you feel better and get well faster. Feelings such as nausea, fear, being cold, muscle aches, or anxiety can make you uncomfortable and should be treated. Your room temperature can be adjusted for your comfort. Please ask your nurse. Our staff wants to know about your pain or discomfort. We will give you information about how to manage these. We will ask you to rate your pain or discomfort on a scale from 1-10. We use both medicine and non-drug approaches to make you more comfortable:

• Moderate to severe pain is treated with medicine. Short-term use of pain medicine is not addicting.
• Non-drug approaches are very effective, and we often use them in combination with medicine to treat pain and discomfort. Some of the approaches we may use include changing positions, massage, Therapeutic Touch, Reiki, use of heat or cold, prayer, music, and visits from family and friends.

Your role in pain and comfort management :

• Ask what to expect.
• Ask your doctor and nurses about options for pain and discomfort.
• Work with your doctor and nurse to develop a plan.
• Tell your nurse when pain or discomfort first starts.
• Tell your nurse if your pain or discomfort is not better after pain relief or comfort measures.
• Tell your doctor or nurse your concerns about taking pain medicine.
• Let us know if you are not able to pay for your medicine for use at home.

Medications

Your role in medicine safety is to:

• Take only medicine that is given to you by our staff during your stay.
• Tell your nurse if you brought your medicine to the hospital.
• Bring an updated list of your medicine, including over-the-counter medicine, viatmins, and herbal supplements.
• Tell your doctors and nurses everything you know about your allergies, sensitiviites, or other reactions.
• Learn about your medicine, including the name, reason for taking it, strength, times to take it, how to store it, and possible side effects.
• Ask what foods, beverages, other medicines, or herbal supplements may interfere with the medicine you are taking.

For more information, ask for a copy of our brochure, "Medication & You."

Our role in medicine safety is to:

• Ask you your name and check your hospital ID band before giving you any medicine.
• Tell you the name of the medicine that you are being given and the reason for taking it.
• Help you keep an updated list of your medicine, including over-the-counter medicine, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Pharmacy:

Our Pharmacy offers patients who are going home the convenience of filling prescriptions for medicines that are needed right away.

• The Pharmacy only fills prescriptions that are written by our hospital providers at discharge.
• Prescriptions need to be filled on the same day they are written.
• The pharmacy cannot refill prescriptions.
• The pharmacy cannot fill prescriptions from office visits with your doctor.
• The pharmacy is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am until 6:00 pm, and is closed on holidays.
• Most major insurance plans are accepted
• The pharmacy also accepts payment by cash, check, VISA, or MasterCard.
• The pharmacy is located next to the main lobby.
• Please use your neighborhood pharmacy to fill your routine prescriptions. There are several pharmacies nearby that are open 24 hours a day. Please ask your nurse for names of local pharmacies.

Pastoral Care

At The Medical Center, we believe that the mind, body, and spirit work together in the healing process. The ministry of the Pastoral Care department is interfaith. We value all religious and spiritual traditions, cultural backgrounds and communities as resources for health and healing. We advocate, provide, educate and support a mind-body-spirit, holistic approach. We serve patients and their families, medical staff, hospital employees, volunteers and adjunctive community service providers.

We seek to promote holistic service partnerships between the Medical Center and the wider community of spiritual, mental, and physical health care providers.

When you need prayer, sacraments, spiritual guidance, or comfort, our pastoral care staff is here for you and your family, no matter what your religious beliefs are. If you would like a pastoral care visit, just tell your nurse or call ext. 2123. Our offices are located on the 1st Floor of the Medical Center, across the hall from the chapel. Our staff includes:

• Reverend Dr. Shoushan M. Salibian, Director
• Rev. Paul Chervenak, Claire Couillard part-time Chaplains BHU & Northeast Rehab
• Sr. Doris Gagnon, Fr. John Mazzei Deanery Chaplains
• Volunteers

INTERFAITH CHAPEL: The Medical Center's Interfaith Chapel is open at all times for prayer, meditation or reflection. It is located on the first floor near the front door and is open 24 hours a day.

SERVICES

• Patient Visitation
• Healing Services
• Conferences
• Training
• Outreach
• Prayer Shawl Ministry
• Therapeutic Touch and Reiki Training
• Therapeutic Touch and Reiki available to patients before and after surgery and also for inpatients
• Lap top Labyrinth available to Cancer patients for comfort and meditation

When to Contact a Chaplain:

• When you desire the sacraments and/or someone to pray with you.
• When you need someone to listen.
• When you are unable to forgive.
• When you feel the need to draw strength from your spiritual roots.
• When you need support in time of crisis or loss.
• When you want to clarify your values regarding health care decisions.
• When you need spiritual direction and counseling.
• When you need spiritual support with End of Life issues.

Conveniences For You

Newspaper Delivery

If you would like to receive a newspaper, ask your nurse. Newspaper stands are located in the Main Lobby. If you are a member of 55PLUS, a newspaper will be delivered to you free of charge.

Notary Public
Notary services are available at The Medical Center at no charge. For more information, ask your nurse.

Patient Relations

Courtesy and caring are an important part of the quality health care we provide. If you have comments, complaints, compliments, or questions about your care, we want to hear from you. Your feedback is very important and helps us to improve our service to you and others.

There are several ways to voice your concerns or comments:

• Please feel free to speak to any staff member about your concerns. You will be directed to the most appropriate person who can assist you.
• During business hours you may call our Patient Relations Administrative Representative by dialing ext. 2196 or ext. 2700.
• After business hours, an operator can direct you to a Patient Relations Administrative Representative. Dial “0” for assistance. You may also leave a message for a Patient Relations Administrative Representative at ext. 2196 or ext. 2700.
• We use information from patient surveys to plan and improve our services. A survey may be sent to you during your stay or after you leave. If you receive a survey, we ask that you complete it to provide valuable feedback about your experience at The Medical Center. If you would like to request a survey, ask your nurse or call ext. 2367.

What You Can Expect

• The staff member you speak to will do their best to have your concerns or needs addressed as soon as possible.
• A timely response will be provided for concerns that cannot be addressed immediately.
• Based on the nature of your concern, follow-up may be addressed in person, by telephone, or in writing.
• The review process may include our quality management department and additional clinical or administrative staff.
• When you contact us about your experience, we will share appropriate information with the people that need to be involved.

If you have questions, comments or concerns after you leave The Medical Center, you may call our Patient Relations Administrative Representative at (603) 577-2196 or 577-2700 or write to the address below:

Southern New Hampshire Medical Center
Patient Relations
8 Prospect Street
P.O. Box 2014
Nashua, NH 03061-2014

At Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, a higher level of care is more than words. Our people make it happen every day.