Portsmouth Regional Hospital

Visitor Information

Portsmouth Regional Hospital Visitor Information
Responsibilities Regarding Preventing the Spread of Infection
Isolation Precautions
Waiting Areas
Chapel and Meditation Room
Parking
Gift Shop
Nutrition Services
Special Diets and Assistance
Bon Appetit! Special Requests
Cafeteria and Vending Machines
Behavioral Health Services Visitor Information

Portsmouth Regional Hospital Visitor Information

Your family, significant others, and friends play an important role in your recovery, and we welcome them to participate in your care during your hospital stay. To enable you to enjoy your visitors, without compromising your care, the following are guidelines for your consideration.

• Children under 12 are welcome on patient units with supervision; however, please ensure that they have received all appropriate immunizations. Because infants are at higher risk of acquiring infections, we ask that they not be brought in for visits.
• Visits may be interrupted if you need to leave the room for treatment or testing, or if you are receiving treatment in your room.
• Please ask visitors to check your dietary requirement with your nurse prior to bringing food or drinks.
• Flowers are discouraged in the Intensive Care Unit due to limited space and necessary accessibility to the equipment.
• To avert exposure, we ask that anyone who has a cold, cough, sore throat, or communicable disease avoid visiting until well.
• For safety reasons, only Mylar balloons are allowed on the Pediatric Unit.
• We ask that all visitors wear shirts and shoes.
• Overnight accommodations, when necessary, can be easily arranged by speaking with your nurse.
• Visitors are asked to refrain from bringing in animals unless special permission has been granted from the nursing supervisor.
• We ask visitors to refrain from taking patients out of their rooms unless the nursing staff has given their permission to do so.

Visiting Hours

Our liberal visiting hours, which are left to the discretion of the nursing staff, are designed to offer you flexibility and support as you recover. We do ask that only family and/or significant others visit the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). There are no specific visiting hours at the ICU, but length of visits may vary depending upon the patient's condition. We recommend that only two family members visit at one time.

Responsibilities Regarding Preventing the Spread of Infection

Patients and visitors can be active participants in the prevention of the spread of infection so that all patients and staff can maintain a healthy environment. The most important way to prevent infection and its spread is HANDWASHING. Hands should be washed before and after patient contact, after using the bathroom, after handling contaminated items, before eating and before preparing food for someone else to eat.

Isolation Precautions

We ask that all visitors comply with hospital policy regarding patients in isolation. If there is a notice on a patient's door saying "Contact Precautions," "Droplet Precautions," or "Airborne Precautions," visitors are asked to please speak to the nursing staff before entering the room. They will provide the necessary information allowing for safe visitation.

Waiting Areas

There are comfortable lounge areas on each patient care unit so that you may visit loved ones outside of your hospital room. When patients are in surgery, family members and friends may wait in the surgery waiting room.

Chapel and Meditation Room

An interfaith chapel is available at all times and is located next to the Intensive Care Unit waiting room on the second floor. In addition, families and visitors may use the Rosamond Thaxter Meditation Room located next to the surgical waiting room -- for prayer meditation, and quiet conversations.

Parking

Convenient parking for patients and visitors is available in the lot directly in front of the main hospital tower. Clearly marked handicapped parking is located outside the hospital's main entrance, in the front of the patient/visitor parking lot, and outside the outpatient entrance.

Free valet parking is available to all patients and visitors to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the main hospital tower.

Gift Shop

The Gift Shop is located in the main lobby. A wide assortment of items is available including: cards, flowers, Mylar balloons, candy, stuffed animals, and unique gifts suitable for all ages, all occasions, and in a broad price range. Learn more about the Gift Shop, including how to purchase items online.

Nutrition Services

The chefs at Portsmouth Regional Hospital take great pride in serving appetizing and nutritious meals specific to your dietary needs. You may select your preferences for the next day from the menu provided each day on your breakfast tray or from the daily cafeteria menu. A wide selection of hot and cold entrees is available.

Meals are served to you between the following hours:

	Monday- Friday	Weekends/Holidays
Breakfast	7:00am - 9:30am	7:30am - 9:30am
Lunch	11:00am - 1:30pm	11:00am - 1:30pm
Dinner	4:30pm - 6:30pm	4:15pm - 6:15pm

Certain medical procedures require that you not eat prior to testing or treatment. Delayed meals can be easily arranged by speaking with your nurse. If you are having surgery, meals will resume after the procedure, when your doctor feels you are ready to begin eating.

Special Diets and Assistance

Surgery, diagnostic, or other therapeutic procedures may impact your usual diet. Your physician, dietitian, and nutrition assistant will discuss these changes with you. Special food programs like our seasonal chef's specialties menu, Kosher foods, vegetarian meals, in between snacks, and low calorie foods are available upon request, with your physician's permission. Please direct any dietary questions to your nutrition assistant. A hospital dietitian is also available to discuss your special nutritional needs.

Bon Appetit! Special Requests

Gourmet meals, holiday festivities, special occasion recognition, and guest trays are all available by request and for an additional charge. Your nutrition assistant can provide you with more information about these special meals.

Cafeteria and Vending Machines

Your guests are welcome to enjoy the meals provided at our cafeteria. Cafeteria hours are:

	Monday- Friday	Weekends/Holidays
Breakfast	7:00am - 9:30am	7:30am - 9:30am
Lunch	11:00am - 1:30pm	11:00am - 1:30pm
Dinner	4:30pm - 6:30pm	4:15pm - 6:15pm

Vending machines, located next to the cafeteria and at the entrance of the Emergency Department, offer a variety of food items from snacks to entrees. Change machines are provided in the vending machines area.

Behavioral Health Services Visitor Information

Visiting Hours
Monday through Friday -- 5:45pm - 7:15pm
Saturday and Sunday -- 1:00pm - 2:00pm and 5:45pm - 7:15pm

We understand that being able to visit a patient in our behavioral health unit is important to both you and to the patient. We ask you to understand that we need to place certain restrictions on those visits to protect the health and safety of everyone involved.

Visitors must be 18 years of age or older to visit on the unit.

Please limit your visits to two visitors at a time per patient, and understand that visits must take place in public areas, not in patients' rooms. Because this is a psychiatric facility and some patients' behavior can be unpredictable and frightening, children under 18 are not allowed on the unit to visit.

When you first arrive, please check in at the reception desk in the lobby to make sure it is all right to come to the unit. We ask that you leave handbags, purses, and backpacks in your car as they may contain items that may compromise the unit's security (lighters, matches, sharp objects, etc.) If you forget and bring one of those items on to the unit, we ask that you return them to their cars, or store them behind the nurse's station during the time of the visit.

Also when you arrive, we ask that you sign in at the nurse's station and let staff know if you are bringing in any items for the patient. Please remember that food or beverages are not allowed. If you are concerned that a visit may not go well or may be difficult for you, please let staff know so that we can address your concerns.

Please limit phone calls.

We ask that family members respect patient treatment times by limiting phone calls to the unit. Patients will not be called to the phone during treatment sessions. Treatment is scheduled throughout the day. If you must reach a patient, you may use the unit pay phone numbers provided to you by staff to reach patients 10 minutes before each hour for 10 minutes only.