Before you arrive, we would like to provide you with information that will help you during your stay at Greenwood Leflore Hospital. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Accommodations:
Your Room
Your room assignment at Greenwood Leflore Hospital is based on your admitting diagnosis and the bed availability on the day of your admission. You may be moved several times as your health changes.
Calling Your Nurse
A button to call your nurse is located at your bedside. When you press the button, the nurses’ station is alerted that you need assistance, and a light flashes on above your door. A staff member will respond to your signal as soon as possible.
Your Bed
Hospital beds are electrically operated, and your nurse will show you how to properly work your bed. Your hospital bed is probably higher and narrower than your bed at home. Bedside rails are for your assistance and protection. The top side rails will be raised unless you request for them to be let down.
Telephones and Televisions:
Telephones
Telephones are provided in each room, except in the Critical Care Unit. Local calls may be made at any time from the room by dialing 9 and the number.
Long-distance and toll-free calls can be made at any time by dialing 9-0 and the number. Long-distance calls cannot be charged to your room. You can make a credit card call or charge a long-distance call back to your home number. You may call the hospital operator by dialing 0 at any time for assistance.
Television
Televisions are provided free of charge in each room. Please be considerate of other patients by playing the television softly and by turning off your television at bedtime.
Mobile Phone
Use of cell phone is permitted at Greenwood Leflore Hospital; however, you may be asked to turn off your cell phone if it interferes with patient care. Please cooperate with caregivers.
Photography and Videoing
Photography and videoing is not permitted by patients and visitors in the hospital.
Food and Nutrition:
Food Service
Wholesome, nourishing and well-balanced meals are an important part of your treatment and recovery. Greenwood Leflore Hospital makes every effort to provide nutritious meals that are prepared according to your doctor’s orders.
Patients are served breakfast between 7:15 a.m. and 8:15 a.m.; lunch between 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; and dinner between 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. Occasionally, your meal may be delayed if you are scheduled for a special test or treatment. Whenever possible, you will be served after your examination or test.
If you are on a special diet prescribed by your doctor, you will receive menus tailored to your specific needs.
If a family member or friend wants to eat in your room with you, the person may go to the cafeteria, buy a meal there and take it back to your room.
Café Leflore
Café Leflore is located on the ground floor at Greenwood Leflore Hospital. It is open daily from 6:30 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. for breakfast; 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. for lunch; 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. for grab-and-go items; and from 4:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. for dinner, and 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. for grab-and- go. (Cafeteria hours are subject to change.)
Our Select Menu
The Food and Nutrition Department now has a select menu. This menu is designed to help patients become more satisfied with their food during their stay. Usually two or three different entrees are available for selection.
Host/Hostess Program
Aramark Healthcare offers a host/hostess program which provides the Food and Nutrition Department with the opportunity for direct and frequent patient contact. Hosts and hostesses receive extensive customer service training and are equipped to assist with menu selection, the fine points of tray delivery and pick up, and how to assess the accuracy of a patient’s tray setup. They are also trained on diet restrictions.
Goals of host/hostess program and select menu: improve customer service; increase the awareness of the importance of excellent customer service; and enhance your perception of the Food And Nutrition Department.
Pain Management:
Are You in Pain?
As a patient at this hospital, you can expect:
- Information about pain and pain relief measures,
- Concerned staff committed to pain prevention and management,
- Health professionals who respond quickly to reports of pain,
- Reports of pain will be believed, and
- State-of-the-art pain management.
Patient Responsibilities
As a patient at this hospital, we encourage you to:
- Ask your doctor or nurse what to expect regarding pain and pain management,
- Discuss pain relief options with your doctors and nurses,
- Work with your doctor and nurse to develop a pain management plan,
- Ask for pain relief when pain first begins,
- Help your doctor and nurse assess your pain,
- Tell your doctor or nurse if your pain is not relieved, and
- Tell your doctor or nurse about any worries you have about taking pain medication.
Your Hospital Team:
The Medical Staff/Hospitalist
The physician who admits you is responsible for directing your care while you are in the hospital. Your admitting physician maybe a hospitalist who will be responsible for directing your care during your stay at the hospital.
A hospitalist is a physician who has received specialized training to care for patients in the hospital. Our hospitalists are here 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Please consult with your physician if you have questions about your illness. Nurse practitioners often accompany hospitalists.
The Nursing Staff
A team of professional registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse assistants provides 24-hour nursing care. A nurse director is responsible for directing and coordinating nursing care on each unit. Please feel free to contact your nurse or the nurse director if you have questions or concerns.
Social Workers/Clinical Care Managers
Social workers/clinical care managers are trained to help patients and family members deal with financial, social and emotional problems that relate to illness or hospitalization. Members of the department work with patients and families to help deal with long-term illnesses and rehabilitation, and are involved in discharge planning.
Dietitians
The hospital maintains a full-time registered dietitian to meet your dietary needs during your stay. If you have questions about your meals or diet, call 662-459-2642.
Pastoral Services
We believe that total patient care demands attention to the spiritual, as well as the physical and emotional, needs of each patient. If you have pastoral needs, call 662-459-2617.
Housekeepers
A member of the housekeeping staff cleans your room daily. If there is a housekeeping problem in your room, tell your nurse and it will be taken care of as soon as possible.
Patient Advocates
Patient advocates provide advocacy and assistance to patients, their families and physicians in all care settings and act as a liaison between patients, physicians, hospital staff and departments to recognize and remove any obstacles to providing high quality care. Advocates can be contacted Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.– 5:30 p.m. at 662-459-2617. After hours, contact the house supervisor at 662-459-2658.
Other Personnel
During your stay many other health care professionals my visit you.
Support Services:
Countdown to Discharge
Procedures for your discharge from the hospital involve your doctors and staff working together. Please be patient during this process. We understand your eagerness to return home!
- Your doctor will advise you that you are ready to be discharged from the hospital and will write orders directing the hospital staff to begin the discharge process.
- Your nurse will act on any orders your doctor has ordered prior to discharge. This could involve final test or lab procedures that need to be completed prior to your leaving. This process can take several hours.
Transportation
Once you have been advised that you are ready to be discharged from the hospital, contact a family member or friend to arrange a ride home. If you require transportation services, please let the hospital staff know so they can have this arranged.
Personal Belongings
Collect all of your belongings and double-check closets and drawers. If you have any personal belongings in the hospital safe, your nurse will have a security officer will bring those items to you.
Discharge Planning
At this point, you may not be completely recovered and may need extra attention and care at home. You will have a case manager and/or social worker assigned to you that will assist you with any post-discharge services needed. Please tell your nurse if you would like to speak with your case manager and/or social worker prior to being discharged.
Discharge Instructions
Your doctor and your nurse will give you instructions about post-hospital care.
- Once you have been officially cleared for discharge, your nurse will remove your IV and other medical devices. Your nurse will discuss with you any physician instructions, such as follow-up visits and how to take medications.
- If you have any questions about your diet, activities or other matters, please be sure to ask at this time. You can never have too much information!
Medication
If you are being discharged from the hospital and the doctor has prescribed new medications, a prescription will be sent directly from the hospital to your pharmacy. If you do not have a pharmacy, your prescriptions can be filled in our outpatient pharmacy. Greenwood Leflore Pharmacy is a full-service retail pharmacy located on the first floor that can provide all outpatient pharmacy needs. Tell your nurse if you would like to use the hospital pharmacy and they will have your prescriptions sent to them.
Transport
When you are ready to leave, a member of the hospital staff will escort you to the front entrance and help you into the car.
Additional Care
In the occasion that you need additional treatment or care after you are discharged from the hospital, Greenwood Leflore Hospital offers the Leflore Rehabilitation Unit. This unit has a primary focus of rehabilitative and restorative interventions using a multi-disciplinary approach. Patients must undergo 3 hours of rehabilitation 5 days per week on this unit. Please inform your case manager and/or social worker if you are interested in learning more about this unit.
Your Safety and Security:
Partnering With Our Patients
You may be asked your name, date of birth and if you have allergies many times during your hospital stay. Your armband will be checked frequently. This process is designed for your safety.
Hospitals across the country are working to make health care safety a priority. We encourage our patients to be active participants in their health care through the use of the “Speak Up” program.
S peak up if you have any questions or concerns and if you don’t understand, ask again.
P ay attention to the care you are receiving. Ask questions when you don’t understand.
E ducate yourself about your diagnosis, medical tests, and your plan of care.
A sk a trusted family member or friend to be with you if you are unable to ask questions for yourself.
K now what medications you take. Use a health care organization that has undergone rigorous on-site evaluations. Participate in decisions about your treatment. You are the centerof your health care team.
Infection Control
Prevent the Spread of Infection:
- Frequent hand washing is always the best defense. This includes washing your hands for at least 15 seconds (sing the happy birthday song twice) or using hand sanitizers containing at least 60 percent alcohol – rubbing until hands are dry.
- Knowing when to wash your hands is important – before eating, after using the restroom and after coughing or sneezing into your hand.
- Insist that your health care providers wash their hands each time they enter your room, and use gloves when appropriate.
- Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing. This is known as “Cover Your Cough.” If there are no tissues available, then cough or sneeze into your sleeve.
- Keep up to date on your vaccinations – adults and children alike.
Smoking Policy
Greenwood Leflore Hospital provides a tobacco free environment for the health and safety of the community. The use of all tobacco products including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco is prohibited on hospital property including any parking lots, vehicles and adjacent property.
Physicians will provide a variety of resources and /or programs to assist patients. Visitors are expected to abide by the tobacco free policy.
Wheelchairs
Wheelchairs are available on all nursing units, but getting in and out of them without assistance may be hazardous. Please ask for help from a member of the hospital staff.
Oxygen
Special regulations are in effect in areas where patients are receiving oxygen. Electrically operated equipment and aerosol products are not permitted in these areas.
Fire Drills
For your protection, the hospital conducts fire and disaster drills regularly. If a drill occurs while you are here, please remain in your room and do not become alarmed. The hospital is a fire-resistant building, and the staff is trained in fire protection.
Medications
All medications you take while in the hospital are prescribed by your doctor, dispensed by the hospital pharmacy and administered by a nurse. Patients are not permitted to administer their own drugs or keep personal medications at their bedsides, except in special circumstances. All home medications will be returned to you after the nurse has listed them for your physician and pharmacist.
Valuable or Lost Items
Patients are asked not to bring items of value to the hospital. If you do bring a valuable item, it should be deposited in the safe in the Safety and Security Office. You will be given a written receipt for all items, which must be presented when you withdraw them. The hospital does not accept responsibility for items of value unless they are deposited in the safe. Greenwood Leflore Hospital does not accept responsibility for any lost or damaged dentures or hearing aids. Please enlist the assistance of a family member or friend to keep up with these personal items. A container will be provided at your request to store these at your bedside when not in use.\
Living Wills/Advance Directives
Patients will be encouraged and assisted to be active participants in the decision making process regarding their care through education, inquiry and assistance as requested. If you are 18 or older and mentally competent, you have the right to make decisions about your medical treatment. If you want to control decisions about your health care, even if you are unable to make or express them yourself, you will need an Advance Directive.
An Advance Directive is a set of instructions you give about the health care you want in the event you lose the ability to make decisions for yourself. There are three kinds of Advance Directives: a Living Will, a Health Care Power of Attorney, and Advance Instructions for Mental Health Treatment. Patients will be encouraged to communicate their desires in regard to Advance Directives to their family members. This information will guide the family in following their wishes should they become incapacitated, rendering them unable to make decisions.
An inquiry will be made by the Registered Nurse during the patient’s admissions process or if the patient is incapacitated, to the patient’s family, as to whether or not the patient has completed an Advance Directive. The provision of care will not be conditional or otherwise withheld from any individual based on whether or not the individual has executed an Advance Directive.
A request of the patient or family to provide a copy of the Advance Directive for the medical record will be made by the RN during the admission process. If a copy is not provided, the patient or family needs to discuss their wishes with their physician.
In the event the patient or family indicates the Advance Directive does not accurately reflect the patient’s current wishes, the patient and family has the option to review and revise Advance Directives. The physician needs to be made aware of any changes.
If the patient or family does not have an Advance Directive and should the patient wish to formulate an Advance Directive, please notify your nurse. The nurse will make arrangements to have the Social Services Department assist you with formulating your Advance Directive.
Treatment personnel will make every effort within the limits of the law and the hospital’s capabilities to honor Advance Directives.
The physician or hospital has the right to refuse to comply with an individual instruction or health care decision. In this event, the hospital or physician will cooperate in attempting to transfer the patient to a provider who will follow the directive.
The Ethics Committee can be convened at any time to discuss patient issues as needed following a request from the patient, family, staff or physicians.