Guidelines for Inpatients and Families

• Visiting hours are from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.
• No visitors under the age of seven are allowed in the inpatient unit
• All patients must return to their room once visiting hours are over unless supervised by an adult family member.
• All patients need to be in their own rooms by 10 p.m. 
• Medications brought from home must be locked up at all times, including medications for parents. Please see staff for assistance.
• Snacks are provided in the inpatient unit for patients only. Vending machines located in the cafeteria provide snacks for families/visitors.
• Visitors under the age of 18 must be supervised at all times in all areas of the hospital.
• Parents may not take patients other than their own children outside of the inpatient unit.
• The hospital provides accommodations for only ONE parent to stay overnight in the hospital.
• Beds in the inpatient unit are for patients only. Parents may sleep in the bedside chair, which unfolds to make a sleep chair, or in a parent room.
• The nursing staff makes frequent rounds to check on patients throughout the day and evening hours.
• Group rounds by the orthopedic surgeons and nursing staff take place Mondays and Fridays around 7:30 a.m. The night staff will awaken patients/families around 7 a.m. We encourage patient and family input during these rounds. Your questions are encouraged.
• If you have any concerns or questions, there is a nursing supervisor available at all times; the offices are located in Room 2 on the inpatient unit.
• Patients using the outside play lot must be supervised by family or staff at all times.
• Alcohol consumption and smoking are strictly prohibited inside the hospital; patients are not allowed to smoke even in designated smoking areas outside the hospital.
• All patients must be accompanied to their vehicle by a staff member upon discharge.
• All food left in inpatient unit refrigerators must be marked with the the patient's name, room number, and the date and time it was placed in the refrigerator.
• Valuables must be locked up or sent home with a family member.
• Phone calls can be made via cell phone, a calling card from the patient's room phone or pay phones in the hospital; staff can provide assistance.

All patients and families have the right to access nursing staffing information. For information, contact Terry T. Wheat, director of patient care services, at (773) 385-5518.