Your room assignment at St. Mary Medical Center is based on your diagnosis when you are admitted, and the beds that are available.

Your hospital bed is electrically operated. Your nurse will be happy to show you how it works. The bed also is equipped with bedside rails for your safety to prevent falls. The rails may be raised if you’re resting, are recovering from surgery or taking certain medications.

All of the rooms have thermostats that can be adjusted to make the temperature comfortable for you.

A button to call your nurse is located at your bedside. When you press the button, the nursing station is alerted and a light flashes above your door. A member of the St. Mary staff will respond to you as soon as possible.

If anything in your room is not working properly or you have any other concerns, please let us know as soon as possible.

For your convenience, every patient room has a telephone except for those in the Intensive Care Unit. Patients may receive calls in their rooms from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. Your family and friends can call you in your room by dialing the main hospital number, 509-525-3320, and requesting your room number.

You can make a local call from your room by dialing 9, then the number you wish to reach.

Please step outside to make cell phone calls. The signals from some phones can interfere with equipment such as IV pumps. Out of respect for the privacy of other patients, please also do not use your phone or other devices to take photos while in the hospital.

The following is a list of phone numbers you may find helpful. During your stay, simply dial this four digit extension. These numbers only work within St. Mary Medical Center Buildings. To reach the Administrative Coodinator, dial 0 for the operator and ask that he or she be paged.

2290 - Administration
2900 - Hospital Billing
2920 - Physician Billing
2070 - St. Mary Regional Cancer Center
2822 - Diabetes Education
2800 - Dietary
2100 - Turning Point Rehabilitation Center
2500 - Emergency Room
2202 - Gift Shop
3900 - Home Health
2197 - House Keeping
2200 - Information Desk
2165 - Lost and Found
2260 - Notary Public
2207 - Chaplain
2208 - Security

St. Mary Medical Center receives around 80 TV channels for your entertainment during your stay. Here are some of the included channels:

ABC - 4
AMC - 60
Azteca - 9
A&E - 54
CBS - 2,5
CNN - 68
Discovery - 51
DSN - 26
FAM - 32
FOX - 11
FX - 65
LIFE - 29
NBC - 6,12
PBS - 10
TBS - 59
Telemundo - 23
TNT - 57
USA - 58
WB - 14
WGN - 8

St. Mary Medical Center is a smoke-free hospital – absolutely no smoking is allowed in the hospital.

For your protection, the Medical Center 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 structure and the staff is trained in fire protection.

All medications you take while in the hospital are prescribed by your doctor, dispensed by the Medical Center’s pharmacy, and administered by a nurse.  Patients are not permitted to administer their own drugs, including over-the-counter and herbal medications, or keep personal medications at their bedsides unless ordered by the physician. This is for your protection to ensure your medical team knows exactly what medications you are taking, and how you are responding to them.

Special regulations are in effect in areas where patients are receiving oxygen.  Some electrically operated equipment and aerosol products are not permitted in these areas.

Wheelchairs are available on all nursing units.  Please ask for help from a member of the hospital staff to get in and out of the wheelchair. We are concerned about your safety, and want to help prevent you from falling, should the wheelchair move.

Please do not bring valuable items such as jewelry with you during your hospital stay. If you do bring a valuable item, it should be sent home with a family member or friend.  If you are unable to send your valuables home, they can be deposited in the St. Mary Medical Center safe.  However, the Medical Center does not accept responsibility for lost or misplaced items.

If you lose something, please notify your nurse immediately and we will make every effort to help you find it.  Unclaimed articles are turned in to the security office.  To inquire about lost articles, call extension 2165.

Your friends and family members are welcome to visit you while you are in the hospital.

In order to protect your privacy, St. Mary Medical Center will not release information about your condition unless you tell your care providers that it is all right to do so. In general, unless you ask that all information be withheld, personnel at the nurses stations will give your family and friends a very brief description of how you are doing. More detailed information about your condition must come from the physician, and he or she will only give the information to the people you designate to receive it.

The physician who admits you is responsible for directing your care while you are in the hospital.  If an on-call physician admits you, your care may be assigned to your regular physician when he or she becomes available.  Your physician, as the coordinator for your treatment program, should be consulted if you have questions about your illness.

Many players make up the hospital care team, and we are all here to serve you.  From the diverse therapy areas to diagnostic services, education to medical records and patient accounts, there are more than 850 members of the St. Mary family, all of whom put your care and comfort first.

Nursing Staff:  24-hour nursing care is provided by a team of professional registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nurse assistants.  A department director is responsible for directing and coordinating nursing care on each unit.  Please feel free to contact your nurse or the department director if you have questions or concerns.  An administrative coordinator is also available 24 hours a day.

Dieticians:  The Medical Center has registered dietitians on staff to meet your dietary needs during your stay.  If you have questions about your meals or diet, call extension 2801.

Chaplaincy: St. Mary believes that total patient care demands attention to the spiritual, as well as the physical and emotional, needs of each patient.  Members of the Chaplaincy staff are available to assist you, whatever your religious preference or spiritual need.  The department consists of Roman Catholic and Protestant chaplains who have specialized training for hospital ministry.  Please don’t wait for a chaplain to visit.  If you would like to see a chaplain, ask your nurse to call for one.  Your priest, minister or rabbi is always welcome to visit you while you are here as well.

Social Workers: Social workers are assigned to each patient care area and 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 them deal with long-term illnesses and rehabilitation, and are involved in discharge planning.

Therapists: Physical, occupational, recreational and speech therapy services are available to patients as ordered by their physician.  From acute care stay through Turning Point Rehabilitation admittance, to outpatient or home health care, St. Mary Medical Center offers a continuum of caring, dedicated professional to assist you in your recovery.

The Medical Center uses the AT&T Language Line for the interpreting needs of our patients and their families.  The interpreting is done over the phone so there is no delay in securing the needed assistance.  AT&T Language Line provides access to interpreters who speak more than 140 languages.

During the day, volunteers deliver flowers as soon as they are received. The florist delivers those that arrive after 4 p.m. or on a weekend.  All of the local florists deliver to St. Mary Medical Center. Flowers also are available at the Gift Shop. Fresh flowers and plants are not allowed in the Intensive Care Unit.

Local and national newspapers may be purchased in the vending machines outside the Poplar Street entrance.