Your
Hospital Stay
Your Room
Nursing
staff will help familiarize you with your room when you arrive. If you
need assistance during your stay, please use the call button on your
bed. There is also an emergency call button located in your bathroom.
Our Engineering Department maintains the temperature within the Hospital.
Due to certain medications and conditions, some patients may feel colder
than others. Please ask your nurse to get you a blanket from a warmer
if you are cold.
Valuables
Please do not bring any valuables to the Hospital including jewelry,
money, or credit cards. The Hospital is unable to accept liability for
lost or damaged valuables. During many procedures, especially surgery,
you cannot wear eyeglasses, contact lenses, dentures, or jewelry. We
suggest you bring a case in which to store your eyewear (and contact
solution, if necessary) and remove all jewelry at home.
Telephones
A
telephone is provided in your room. You may receive calls between 6:00
a.m. and 10:00 p.m. (until 9:00 p.m. in Pediatrics). Emergency calls
will be connected at any time.
Family and friends phoning from outside the Hospital may be connected
to your room through our automated attendant system. After they dial
the Hospital at (909) 985-2811 and listen to the instructions for a
touch tone phone, they should dial 22 and your room number if you are
in Bed A (closest to the door), or 25 and your room number if you are
in Bed B (next to the window). For example, for Room 123A, your five-digit
extension is 22123. For Room 123B, your five-digit extension is 25123.
To make a local call, dial "9" and then the telephone number.
To make a long distance or toll call, dial "9", then "0",
then the telephone number (include the area code even if it is 909).
An outside operator will take billing information before placing the
call. You may call collect, charge your home telephone number, or use
a calling card.
Cell
Phone Usage
We ask that you keep your use of cellular phones and other wireless communication devices to a minimum as they may interfere with some types of patient monitoring equipment. This is of particular importance when visiting patients on the 2nd or 3rd floors of the hospital.
Mail
Mail will be delivered to your room each day. Any mail received after
you are discharged will be sent to your home. Outgoing letters with
postage may be given to nursing staff or a hospital volunteer.
Patient Meal Service
Unless your physician has ordered a restricted diet, you may select
meals from menus given to you 
each
day. Prompt completion of the menus will ensure that you receive the
items of your choice. Between-meal snacks are also available mid-afternoon
and before bedtime.
Breakfast: 7:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Lunch: 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dinner: 5:15 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
You may discuss any concerns you have about your diet with our Dietary
staff. A registered dietitian may visit you if ordered by your physician.
Flowers 
Flowers and gifts will be delivered as soon as they arrive. For the
health and safety of all patients, flowers and helium balloons are not
permitted in cardiac and intensive care units (CCU and ICU). Your family
and friends are welcome to send them once you are transferred out of
these units.
Television
An individual color television is provided at your bedside. Nursing
staff will show you how it works. Please consult the hospital television
program guide for a schedule of health-related programs.
In consideration of other patients, please keep TV and radio volumes
low. After 9:00 p.m., please use the pillow speaker or ear piece provided
for you. Closed-captioned programs are available on patient televisions.
Interpretation Services
If you do not speak English, or if you have a hearing or speech impairment,
you may have interpretation services provided for you at no extra charge.
Tell the person helping you that you need an interpreter. A list of
languages for which assistance may be obtained is available in all departments
of the Hospital.
A telecommunications device (TDD) and an amplifier phone are available
for hearing impaired patients. One of the TDD phones is closed-captioned.
Patient
Care and Treatment
Your physician and the Hospital's nurses and other healthcare professionals
will work with you and your family to plan the best course of treatment
for your illness. Please ask questions and share information regarding
your healthcare needs or concerns with your physician or the nurses
caring for you. In addition to nursing care, you may receive some of
the following services while you are hospitalized:
Laboratory
Your physician may order blood tests as part of the diagnostic profile,
and to monitor your progress. Lab assistants who draw your blood may
not know the reason for the test. Questions regarding the purpose of
blood tests and their results are best answered by your physician. Click
here
for additional information about laboratory services.
Blood Transfusions
If you have a blood transfusion, we ask that your family and friends
donate at least the same number of units of blood so that we may continue
to serve patients who receive blood. A volunteer will contact you to
make arrangements for blood replenishment. We have a Community Blood
Donor Center on the Hospital campus for your convenience. Click here
for additional information about blood donation.
X-rays
Your physician may order x-rays or other diagnostic procedures. The
San Antonio Community Hospital Radiology Department provides all current
imaging services. Click here for additional information
about radiology services.
Rehabilitation Services
Your physician may order rehabilitation Services to begin while you are in
the Hospital. Based on an evaluation by a licensed physical therapist,
an individualized program will be designed to maximize your recovery.
Click here
for additional information about Rehabilitation Services.
Respiratory Care
Your physician may order respiratory care while you are in the Hospital.
Both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are provided by licensed
respiratory care practitioners. Click here
for additional information about respiratory services.
Medications
The
Hospital pharmacy provides medications ordered by your physician. All
medications you take while you are a patient are limited to those given
by our staff nurses. Please do not bring any medications, including
over-the-counter remedies, from home. If your physician prescribes medications
for you to take when you go home, you should arrange for a family member
or friend to take the prescription to your local pharmacy to be filled.
Preparing To Go Home
Your physician will determine when you are well enough to leave the
Hospital. Our nursing staff will initiate the necessary discharge procedures
according to the discharge plan established by your physician, case
manager and you and your family. Before you leave, your nurse will review
your physician's discharge orders with you and answer any questions
about your care at home.
Please make arrangements in advance for transportation home. It is
important that your ride is available when you are discharged.
