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During Your Stay at Jefferson Hospital

Coronavirus Policy Updates

We have changed our visitor policies. Please note, the information on this page may not be accurate.

Jefferson Hospital has a full range of amenities and services to make your stay more comfortable. Descriptions of these are below.

Advance Directives

Advance Directives and Healthcare Power of Attorney are documents that inform your physician of your wishes regarding medical treatment if you cannot speak for yourself.

If you do become unable to communicate and you have not written down your wishes, Pennsylvania law authorizes certain individuals to speak for you as "healthcare representatives." Hospitals must use this list in this order, unless you have told your doctor, nurse or another healthcare provider otherwise. You are the only one who can communicate your wishes through an Advance Healthcare Directive.

For more information on these documents, call the Case Management Department at ext. 7556 Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. On weekends or evenings, ask to meet with the administrative supervisor.

Bank machine

Advance Directives and Healthcare Power of Attorney are documents that inform your physician of your wishes regarding medical treatment if you cannot speak for yourself.

For your convenience, an automated banking machine is located in the hospital main lobby adjacent to the visitor elevators and the vending area of the Emergency Room adjacent to the Security station.

Beautician/barber

To have your hair cut and/or styled, call ext. 5195 to request an appointment. Services are provided on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday in the privacy of your room. There is an additional charge for this service. Payment is due at the time services are rendered.

Cell phone usage

Cell phone usage is permitted in lobbies/reception areas, J-Café, hospital exterior and parking areas and the Guest Shoppe. This guideline applies to two-way radios, cellular, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or any wireless handheld devices and other equipment utilizing cell technologies. Cell phones must be turned off when entering restricted areas.

To protect patient privacy cell phone cameras are NEVER to be used within the hospital.

Food and nutrition

A Food Service Associate will visit you between 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM each day to take your order for lunch and dinner. Our "Heart Healthy" menu offers two entree specials and six alternative choices for lunch and dinner. You will be asked for your preferences for each meal. Please call ext. 5796 if you were not in your room to make your meal selections.

Meal delivery times depend on your location. The meal periods are:
Breakfast: 7:00 AM to 9:30 AM
Lunch: 11 AM to 1:30 PM
Dinner: 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM

An explanation of special diets can be provided by a registered dietitian. These diets include prudent heart, diabetic, low sodium, soft and mechanical soft texture.

Please tell your food service associate if you:

  • Have any ALLERGIES or DISLIKES.
  • Have trouble CHEWING or SWALLOWING.
  • Would prefer double or half-sized portions.
  • Receive a supplement (milkshake or nutritional drink) and do not like it.
  • Would like an evening snack.
  • Have questions about your prescribed diet.
  • Are unhappy with your meal and want a substitute.
  • Have any barriers with communication (language, hearing, vision or other impairments) and would like paper menus for a family member to fill out.

Hearing impaired

All of our room phones have a volume control located either on the hand set or in the lower right corner that can be used to amplify the incoming voice. Please advise your nurse if you require other assistance due to a hearing impairment.

We offer the following services at no cost to the patient:

  • Telecommunication Relay Services (TRS) permits persons with a hearing or speech disability to use the telephone system via a text telephone (TTY/TTD) or other device to call persons with or without such disabilities, free of charge.
  • If you're a TRS-TTY/TTD user, and need a TTY/TTD to use during your stay with us, your nurse can arrange to have this device brought to your room. If you want to call someone using TRS, use your TTY/TDD or telephone, dial 9,711, and you will automatically be connected to a TRS operator.

How to call for assistance

Do not hesitate to call for assistance. Your room is equipped with a nurse-call system. To summon assistance, press the call button attached to your bed rail. When the operator answers your call, state your request. The operator will promptly relay the request to your nurse.

Another call button is located on the bathroom wall within easy reach. If you need assistance for any reason while you are in the bathroom, pull the cord to activate the button. A staff member will respond promptly.

At Jefferson Hospital we realize how important rest and sleep are to the healing process. While some noise is unavoidable, we will always strive to limit the noise to allow you to get the sleep necessary to recover from illness or surgery. If there is noise around your room that is preventing you from getting the rest you need, please notify your nurse.

If you are not satisfied, a telephone line dedicated for reporting your concern about noise is available by dialing x7444 from your patient room.

Mail

Your mail will be delivered unopened. If you need help to open or read your mail, please ask any member of the nursing staff for assistance.

Greeting cards addressed to patients can be sent via U.S. Mail to:
Jefferson Hospital
Attn: (Name of Patient)
PO Box 18119
Pittsburgh, PA 15236

Inpatients can also receive free E-Cards that can be sent through our web site. Go to the E-Card page for more information and to send a message.

Patient centered communication

Jefferson Hospital has Language Interpretation Services available for any patient with Limited English Proficiency or is deaf/hard of hearing.

At the initial point of contact, please share if you do not speak English or are deaf/hard of hearing. We want to ensure that you are provided with information about your medical care in a language that you understand and that our medical professionals understand you completely as well. This is especially important when sharing medical information and obtaining your consent to provide care. In these situations, we will provide interpretation services to meet your needs.

Patient representative

A Patient Representative is available at Jefferson Hospital. If you have questions or concerns that a staff member cannot address, please call the Patient Representative at (412) 469-5178 extension 5178. You may call Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

During off-hours and weekends, complaints may be directed to the administrative supervisor.

Personal appliances

To provide a safe patient environment, free of electrical and fire hazards, Jefferson Hospital suggests that patients bring only the following personal appliances with them: electric razor, hair dryer, curling iron and battery-operated entertainment devices. No wall outlet-powered entertainment devices are permitted. Please be sure to have your nurse check the appropriateness and use of your personal appliances. The hospital is not responsible for personal items brought with you during your stay.

Privacy

We recognize that your health is a very personal matter and we are committed to assuring your privacy. Please let us know throughout your stay if you have any questions about how your health information is being used, or if you have any concerns about your privacy.

Read our Notice of Privacy Practices.

Private and semi-private rooms

More than 95% of our rooms are private with individual temperature control. The remainder are spacious, semi-private rooms designed for privacy with a curtain that can be pulled around the patient care area. Each side of the semi-private room has an individual temperature control, television and telephone to afford patients the same amenities offered in the private room setting.

Room transfer policy

Our goal is to make your stay as comfortable as possible. In some cases, your condition may warrant a transfer to another patient care unit. We will strive to make this transfer in a comfortable and timely manner. Your physician will determine when this transfer is necessary based on your condition.

Security

Security services are provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at Jefferson Hospital for the benefit of patients, visitors and employees. Security guards routinely patrol the hospital and parking areas. If you or your visitors need escort service to a parked vehicle or other assistance, contact Security at (412) 469-5072 or the operator at "0".

Spiritual care

At Jefferson Hospital, we recognize that being a provider of quality care is not only about medical treatment; it's also about the human spirit, the compassion shown to a person in need and the heart and soul of caring.

Weekly Catholic Mass on Thursdays at 9:30 AM and nondenominational Reflection and Meditation service on Tuesdays from 10:00 AM until 10:15 AM are televised live from the Echement Family All Faiths Chapel on channel 7 on the patient room TV.

Dial-a-Prayer is available by calling extension 4848.
Holy Communion is distributed to Roman Catholic patients throughout the week. Communion is also available to non-Catholic patients by calling extension 5855.
Your nurse may contact the chaplain for you should you have any concerns about receiving the sacraments provided through the Spiritual Care Department.

Telephone service

All patient rooms are equipped with telephones. All patient phones have a volume control located either on the hand set or in the lower right corner of the phone base that amplifies the incoming voice.

The $3 daily fee for phone service is not covered by your insurance. Please pay your telephone bill at the cashier's office, located in the hospital lobby, before you leave the hospital.

Television service

Television service is free of charge. The available channel listing is located on the inside back cover of your patient information guide. Classes and televised educational programs on diabetes, cancer, renal disease, heart disease and orthopedic procedures are available on the patient channels 7 and 18 on the television in your room.

Valuables

Valuable items should be left at home while you are in the hospital. If you are admitted via the Emergency Department, we advise that you arrange for your valuables to be taken home. If that is not possible, items may be stored in the hospital safe at the cashier's office on the first floor lobby. If you keep valuables with you, it is at your own risk. The hospital does not replace, or accept responsibility for lost items during your stay.

If you wear dentures, a hearing aid, eyeglasses or contact lenses, please keep them in a storage case labeled with your name.

Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is available throughout Jefferson Hospital’s main campus, allowing access to the Internet at no charge for patients and guests. When accessing the Wi-Fi, choose the network jrmc-public. A disclaimer will then appear which must be accepted.