Springhill Medical Center
Springhill, Louisiana
Copyright 2009, Springhill Medical Center, Inc. -
Admissions...
Patient registration works hard to make your admissions process quick and easy. Office
hours are Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. -
About Your Admission
Your physician has arranged for your admission to Springhill Medical Center. Except in emergency situations, we have been advised that you are coming; so we are usually able to take care of many of the details of admission prior to your arrival. Our admission staff will make sure we have the information necessary to give you appropriate care. Of course, all hospital records are confidential, and you can be sure that such confidence will be maintained. Generally, we will assign a specific time for your arrival. Please try to be prompt. This is especially important if you are scheduled for surgery.
Medical Care
Your complete medical care is under the directions and supervision of your physician,
who is a member of the hospital medical staff. It is your physician who determines
what diagnostic tests you will take, whether or not you require x-
The physician, the nurse and other healthcare providers, together with your and your
family, plan the treatment to meet your health needs.
Advanced Directive
The federal Patient Self-
Organ and Tissue Donation
Springhill Medical Center is required by law to ensure that the family of every potential
donor is informed of its option to donate organs and tissues for transplantation
or not to donate. We have an agreement with the Louisiana Organ Recovery Agency to
help us comply with the law. If you would like more information on organ and tissue
donation, please contact LOPA at 1-
Non-discrimination
Springhill Medical Center provides hospital inpatient and outpatient care without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin or handicap.
What to Bring
You should bring with you those possessions for your personal comfort, including pajamas or nightgown, bathrobe, slippers, toothbrush and other personal effects you use every day.
Medications from Home
Please bring all medication from home that you are currently taking. We will need
to compile an accurate list of your medications utilizing the information listed
on the bottle during the admission process. However, we will ask you to send the
medication home after we have completed the admission process. Your nurse will indicate
when it is appropriate to send the medication home. If you are unable or uncomfortable
with bringing your medication to the hospital, we ask that an accurate list be provided
that includes all medications you are currently talking. Any list with your medications
should always contain the specific dosage that you take as well as the times you
take the medication. Your nurse will provide instruction if any information is incomplete
or unclear. We encourage you to keep this list with you at all times and update it
regularly with your physician(s).
In some cases it may be necessary for medication
to be kept at the hospital. Your nurse will explain the reasons when this situation
exists. In order to protect your safety, all medications will be stored at the nursing
station and administered to you as directed by your physician.
Treatment Consents
We will ask you to sign appropriate consent and release forms that authorize hospital personnel to provide the services your physicians have ordered for you.
Identification Bands
You will be required to wear an identification band during your stay. This helps ensure that you will receive the proper tests and mediations.
Your Accommodations
The hospital offers private and semi-
You will notice
that you have a lavatory and full bath for your use, subject to your physician’s
orders. Each room also has individual temperature controls. Please do not attempt
to adjust these yourself. Ask the staff to do so for you. Your bed is designed for
your comfort and safety. You can electrically raise and lower the height of the entire
bed or elevate the head or foot. The nurse-
In the wall adjacent to your bed there are connections for such items as oxygen,
suction and lighting. Side rails are on your bed for your safety. The nurses have
been instructed to place them in the “up” position, especially in the evenings when
patients may have had sedatives or other medications. Never try to lower them or
to climb over them. If you need assistance, please use your nurse-
Safety Precautions
Most patient accidents within the hospital are caused by falls. Unless you have been
told it is permissible to do so, it would be best not to get in or out of bed by
yourself. Please ask your nurse to help you.
If the rails on your bed are in the
“up” position, they are there for your own protection and to assist you in turning.
Also, please do not try to get in and out of a wheelchair by yourself.
For safety
measures, we discourage the use of electrical appliances that have been brought from
home. This would include such items as electric shaves, hair dryers or curling irons.
If you feel the use of such an item is necessary, please check with the nurse in
charge. Our maintenance personnel will check the item for safety and approve its
use.
Inquires About You
We believe your health is a personal matter. Therefore, diagnostic and other confidential information about you will not be released to others. We urge you to tell your friends and relatives that they should contact a member of your immediate family to inquire about your progress. If relative or friends call the hospital, only a general report can be given after obtaining your permission.
Lost and Found
For items that are lost and/or found during your stay, please notify your Patient
Advocate or your nurse. Unclaimed lost and found items will be turned in to our Environmental
Services Department where they may be identified and claimed. To inquire about lost
items, please call 318-
Overnight Stay with Patients
Occasionally, it is necessary for a relative to remain overnight. These situations
may occur at the request of the patient, family or physician. For your safety and
the safety of others, we ask that overnight guests be limited in number. For the
comfort of those staying after normal visiting hours the hospital will provide available
linen and comfort items upon request.
For our patients who are under the age of 16,
it is required that an adult, preferably a parent or guardian, remain with the patient.
During your hospital stay, it may become necessary for tests and procedures to be
conducted outside your assigned unit. In those cases, family and parents are asked
to remain in the patient’s room unless otherwise directed by staff.
Private Duty Nurses
Your physician will determine if you need a private duty nurse. All nursing personnel who practice in the hospital must be approved by the hospital nursing office. Should your physician require that you have private duty nursing care, the nursing office can provide current available resources to assist you in securing this service.
Mail and Flowers
Mail will be delivered to your room by volunteers every day except Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. Gifts will be delivered to your room when they arrive. Plants and flowers are not permitted in the critical care units or the isolation rooms.
Telephone and Television
A telephone and television set are available in every patient room. Their use should
be guided by a concern for others around you. Patients may receive calls between
7:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Calls placed outside the local area must be placed collect
or charged to your home phone number or credit card number. Local calls can be dialed
at no additional charge. To call most local exchanges, first dial “9”, then dial
the local number including area code. For long distance calls, dial “0” to reach
the hospital operator. The hospital operator will ask if you need an in state or
out of state operator. The hospital operator will then connect you to an outside
operator.
Valuables
Valuables and/or money should not be kept in your room, as the hospital cannot assume responsibility for personal property. If a relative is present, you are encouraged to send such items home with that relative. If not, we encourage you to place such items in a valuables envelope, which we provide for you, to be kept in the business office safe.
Valuables may be obtained between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the presentation of the valuables ticket to the business office. Once valuables are returned to you, the hospital is no longer responsible for their safety.
Copyright 2009, Springhill Medical Center, Inc. -
