Your Hospital Team
 The
Medical Staff
The physician who admits you is responsible for directing your care while you are a patient in the hospital. Your physician, as the coordinator for your treatment program, should be consulted if you have questions about your illness.
The Nursing Staff
Twenty-four hour nursing care is provided by a team of professional registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and patient care specialists. A Unit Director is responsible for directing and coordinating patient care on each unit. Please feel free to contact the nursing staff, Charge Nurse on each shift or Unit Director if you have any questions or concerns.
Chaplains
Prayer and pastoral support may be an important part of your healing. Chaplains are available twenty-four hours a day should you desire assistance with faith or spiritual issues, grief support, ethical dilemmas in patient care, and/or family support. To see a Chaplain or arrange to have your minister, priest or rabbi contacted, call 3397 or ask the nursing staff to contact a Chaplain for you.
Religious reading materials are available upon request. An interfaith chapel, open 24 hours a day, is located on the first floor near the North Tower Atrium.
Diabetes Education Services
Diabetes Educators are available at no charge during your hospital stay to help our patients with diabetes learn how to manage their diabetes well. Educators are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and will visit if requested by you, your physician or nurses. They will assist you to have the skills and supplies needed to manage your diabetes after discharge.
Diabetes Education Services also provides a variety of outpatient programs to help you continue to learn more about diabetes self-management. Individual and group instruction, exercise classes, and support groups are available. Many services are covered by insurance or are offered for nominal charges. The diabetes support groups are free of charge. Ask your Doctor for a referral or call Diabetes Education Services at 475-5600.
Dieticians
The hospital has a staff of clinical dietitians available to assist with your nutritional needs during your stay. If you have questions about your meal or diet, please call 3063.
Ethics Committee
There is an Ethics Committee available 24 hours a day, to assist patients and their families address any concerns that may arise relating to medical ethics. These concerns may include end of life treatment plans, family conflict over medical decisions, or a need for further information to clarify issues. The Ethics Committee can be reached by dialing '0' and asking the operator to page the on-call Chaplain.
Housekeeping
Your room is cleaned daily by a member of the Environmental Services staff. If there is a problem with your room, tell the nursing staff, and it will be handled as soon as possible.
Interpreters
The hospital has access to the Language Line 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist communication with non-English speaking patients. This service offers interpretation in 140 different languages. Other options may be available for patients who only speak Spanish. For more information, contact a nurse or dial '0' and ask the operator to page a Spanish Language Interpreter or a Patient Representative.
Patient Representatives
Patient Representatives are available seven days a week to help you with any concerns you may have with hospital services and your non-medical needs. To make your stay as pleasant as possible, Patient Representatives can assist you when you:
- have compliments, questions or concerns about hospital services or have a specific concern
- need an interpreter
- need information on organ donation
- need comfort during a difficult situation
- desire information about The Guest House or the hospital
Dial ‘0’, and ask the operator to contact a Patient Representative
or have the nursing staff call one for you.
Rehabilitation at Athens Regional Medical Center
Rehabilitation treats a wide variety of patients and includes physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech/language pathology. Each of these offers a full spectrum of services for both inpatients and outpatients. Specific programs include pediatrics, neurological rehabilitation, dysphagia (swallowing disorders), orthopedics, wound care, hand rehabilitation, arthritis, industrial medicine, sports medicine, an amputee clinic, and numerous other programs.
The therapist completes a thorough evaluation and works with each patient and family to develop a treatment plan that addresses individual goals and concerns. Each patient and/or family is given information about potential benefits and risks of rehabilitation.
Should you need treatment to help restore you to your maximum level of recovery, either as an inpatient or once you are discharged from the hospital or rehab facility, your therapy can be coordinated by a licensed therapist in conjunction with your physician. Please contact Inpatient Rehabilitation at 4663 for additional information.
Social Work Services
Medical Social Workers are available at no charge to help you and your family with problems that arise due to hospital stays. A Social Worker can assist you with:
- making arrangements for care after you leave the hospital (Examples: home health care, home medical treatment or equipment, nursing home placement, referral to rehabilitation facilities, application for community assistance programs, etc.)
- referrals to resources for assistance with financial problems, counseling, support groups
- community support services
- Advance Directives (Living Will, Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare)
Referrals to the Social Work Department can be made by you, your family, the hospital staff or by your physician. If you need any of these services or have questions about other services, please call the department at 3436 or ask the nursing staff to contact a Social Worker for you.
Surgical Services
We take special precautions to make sure that the information we collect about you and your planned surgery is correct and accurate. We can then plan for your needs, make sure we have the supplies your doctors will need, and be prepared for your visit here.
Your health history can influence your surgery. It is important for us to know details about any allergies or reactions you have had to medications, food or latex, and medications you take at home, even herbal supplements, over-the-counter medications or vitamins.
We have many steps and safeguards in place to verify your identification, the procedure that is planned and the site of your surgery. Several members of our health care team may ask you the same question a number of times. These procedures are designed to keep you safe.
We will ask you to participate in our surgical site confirmation process as we identify where your surgery is planned. It is important that you clearly understand what your surgeon is going to do.
Prevention of infections is extremely important in the hospital, but
particularly in the surgery areas. We follow strict hand washing procedures
and wear gloves for starting IV’s, surgical procedures, and caring
for surgical wounds.
Even though we try our best to be thorough, there will be times when you have questions, or need us to clarify what we have said. Do not be afraid or embarrassed to ask questions. Your concerns are important to us. It is our job and our pleasure to answer your questions and help you understand.
Volunteers
Volunteers are an important part of the healthcare team at Athens Regional Medical Center. You may find them working at the information desks, Pink Posy Gift Shop or surgery waiting rooms, delivering mail, reading to children, transporting patients, and in many other areas. Their greatest reward comes from being of assistance to patients, visitors and staff of the hospital.
Compliments, Concerns and Complaints
If you have a compliment, concern or complaint, you may contact your caregiver, any supervisor or a Patient Representative. The Patient Representative may be contacted by calling 3397 or asking the operator to page a Patient Representative for you.
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