Patient Guide

We are committed to your care.

Our goal is to provide the best quality care. To do so, we ask for feedback from patients like you. You may be contacted by phone, email or text and asked to complete a confidential survey. Please take the time to complete the survey. Your feedback will help us know what we’re doing well and where we can improve.

Privacy Practices Patient Rights & Responsibilities Concerns About Your Care

Fast facts about your stay.

Support for Caregivers

We encourage patients to pick a key person to support them during their hospital stay. Whether you are that primary support person, or just one of many people caring for and supporting your loved one, you can play an important role in making sure your loved one gets the safest and best care both here and beyond the hospital.

Patient and Family Care
We participate in patient- and family-centered care. We believe that family plays an important role in ensuring the health and well-being of patients of all ages. Our goal is to create partnerships among healthcare practitioners, patients and families that will lead to the best outcomes and enhance the delivery of safe, quality, efficient, effective, and timely care.

What to Know Before You Leave
Caregivers can help ensure the best outcome for their loved one after a hospital stay by getting the answers to these three questions:

What is the next step for medical care (home or facility, follow-up with primary care physician or physical therapy, etc.)? Help your loved one arrange the details to make this happen—financial plan, transportation, scheduling, etc.
What new and former medicines does my loved one need to take? Help your loved one understand the details—timing, dosing instructions, side effects, prescription refills, etc.
What health warning signs do I need to watch for and what do I do if they happen? Help your loved one by writing these symptoms down as well as the name and contact number to call.

If you feel like you need a break or help, reach out to friends and family. And consult the resources listed here: National Alliance for Caregiving | Family Caregiver Alliance | Caregiver Action Network

Facts About Your Stay

ATM

For your convenience, an ATM is located on the first level of the hospital near the emergency entrance.

Bedside Shift Report

We want you to feel comfortable and cared for throughout your stay, so at each nursing shift change—about every 12 hours—your nurse will introduce your new nurse to you. The team will talk about your progress, medicine and tests scheduled for the day. Ask questions. The more you’re involved, the better and safer your care.

Bedside Technology

During your stay, you may see your doctors and nurses using computers or tablets. These tools help them care for you by providing around-the-clock monitoring, a variety of resources and quick communication with the rest of your healthcare team. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or nurse.

Cafeteria

Location: Second Floor

Hours:

Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.

Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

We do not offer continental breakfast, snacks or dinner service. Hours may vary on weekends and holidays. All visitors are welcome to dine in the cafeteria.

Calling Your Nurse

Your room is connected to the nursing station via an intercom system. To call for your nurse, press the NURSE call button located at your bedside. If you have any questions on how to use the call button, ask a staff member to show you.

Cellphones & Video

During your stay, you may see members of your care team using mobile phones. At Wythe County Community Hospital, our staff are permitted to use phones for work-related activities, such as communicating with doctors or other care team members. Employees are not allowed to use phones for non-work-related activities. There are many work-related benefits of cellphones and other communication devices, including access to medical references, clinical tools and patient information.

Channel Listing for TV

3 ABC	22 AMC
4 FOX	23 TCM
5 The CW	24 Hallmark Channel
6 NBC	25 truTV
7 CBS	26 History
8 PBS	27 Discovery Channel
9 ION Television	28 National Geographic
10 The Weather Channel	29 TLC
11 CNN	30 Food Network
12 HLN	31 E!
13 FOX News	32 Lifetime
14 MSNBC	33 GSN
15 TBS	34 Animal Planet
16 TNT	35 Freeform
17 USA	36 Disney Channel
18 FX	37 ESPN
19 Comedy Central	38 ESPN2
20 Paramount Network	39 ESPNews
21 A&E

Concerns About Your Care

Please speak with your nurse or nursing supervisor if you have any questions or concerns about your care. If your issue still is not resolved, then contact the hospital patient advocate. You also have the right to file your complaint with either:

The Virginia Department of Public Health
290 S 6th St., Suite 300
Wytheville, VA 24382

Office of Quality and Patient Safety
The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Blvd.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Website: www.jointcommission.org, then click “Report patient safety event”

Sometimes a healthcare choice can involve an ethical concern—such as a wish to refuse life-saving treatment or a disagreement over advance directives. Our medical ethics committee can help you and those who are here to support you make difficult decisions. For help, contact the Patient Care Manager at 276.228.0298.

Electrical Appliances

For your safety, we reserve the right to inspect any electrical appliances brought into the hospital.

Fire Safety

We conduct fire drills from time to time. If you hear an alarm, stay where you are. In an actual emergency, hospital staff will tell you what to do.

Flowers

Flowers are delivered to patient rooms by security personnel. Please note that flowers are not allowed in Intensive Care Units.

Hearing Impaired

We have services available for people who are deaf or hearing impaired. If you need these services, please contact your nurse.

Hospital Safe for Valuables

Personal care items such as contact lenses, eyeglasses, hearing aids and dentures can be stored in your bedside stand when not in use. Please do not put them on your bed or food tray to help avoid them being lost or damaged. Leave valuables like jewelry or cash at home or give them to a trusted relative or friend to watch over. Wythe County Community Hospital cannot be responsible for replacing personal belongings.

Hourly Rounding

A nurse will visit you every hour during the day and every two hours at night to check on your comfort, help you change positions in bed, assist with trips to the bathroom, and make sure you can reach your phone, call light, and personal items easily.

Housekeeping Services

Your room is cleaned daily by a member of the housekeeping staff. If we overlooked something in your room, please tell your nurse.

Interpreters and Translation Services

Interpreter services are available for patients. Please contact your nurse for assistance.

Java Blend Coffee Shop

Location: First Floor

Hours of Operation:

Mon. to Fri.: 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Mon and Thurs.: 5.00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Cash, check and credit cards accepted.

Lost and Found

If an item is lost, please have your nurse contact the security department.

Mail

Mail and flowers are delivered to patients Monday through Friday by hospital security personnel. Flowers may be delivered by individual florists, staff or volunteers. Fresh flowers are not allowed in critical care areas.

Mail received after discharge will be forwarded to the patient’s home. Outgoing mail may be taken to the nurse's station or given to your attending nurse. Postage stamps are available in the gift shop.

Medicines

Please do not bring any prescription or over-the-counter medicines to the hospital. All medicines you take in the hospital need to be prescribed, filled and given to you by hospital staff. Tell your doctor about any medicines you regularly take. If you still need them, hospital staff will give them to you.

Parking

Visitor parking is located in the front parking lot at the main entrance to the hospital on ground level. Additional parking for emergency services is located outside the ER on the second floor.

Pastoral Care

If you would like a visit from the chaplain for spiritual care and comfort, please ask your nurse to provide a list for you or contact your personal minister or pastor of choice.

Patient Meals

Patient meals are served by the nursing staff.

Personal Belongings and Valuables

Personal care items such as contact lenses, eyeglasses, hearing aids and dentures can be stored in your bedside stand when not in use. Please do not put them on your bed or food tray to help avoid them being lost or damaged. Leave valuables like jewelry or cash at home or give them to a trusted relative or friend to watch over. If this is not an option, valuables may be locked up by Security at your request. WCCH cannot be responsible for replacing personal belongings.

Public Restrooms

For everyone’s health and safety, we ask visitors not to use patient restrooms. Public restrooms are located throughout the hospital. Ask hospital staff to direct you to the nearest one.

Rapid Response Team

You can call a critical-care response team to respond if your condition worsens and you do not get the immediate care you need. Dial 2217 to request this special service.

Smoking

Given the serious health hazards of tobacco use, we have chosen to become a 100 percent tobacco-free campus. No smoking or tobacco products will be used while on WCCH property, parking lots, associated buildings and vehicles. Patients and visitors are asked not to smoke during their hospital visit.

If You Smoke or Use Tobacco
While you are in the hospital, please do not suffer from nicotine withdrawal. You can receive nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or other appropriate support during your hospital visit. Please ask your nurse for more information.

Telephone

All patient rooms have phones. To place a call within the hospital, dial 2+ the last three digits of the number. To dial local, dial 9, 276 + the number you wish to call. To dial long distance, contact your nurse for help

TV

Each patient room has a television. Please be considerate of others by keeping the volume down and turning off your TV at bedtime. TVs are controlled by the bedside pillow speaker or side rail controls. Closed captioning is available for the hearing impaired. Ask a staff member if you have any questions on using your TV.

Your Room

Your room assignment is based on your admitting diagnosis and bed availability on the day of your admission. Most of our hospital rooms are private, and with the exception of our Extended Care Unit, most rooms have a private bath. Each room also has a bedside table and a closet for storage of personal items.

Vending Machines

Here you can find beverages and snacks 24 hours a day. Vending machines for snacks and beverages are located in the waiting areas on the third and fourth floor, Women’s Center and Emergency Department.

Visiting Hours

Visiting hours are subject to change. Please ask your nurse for official hours during your stay.

To promote healing and safety and limit infection, some units may limit the number of visitors you can receive at one time.

General Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Note: Patients have the right to choose to receive visitors from among family, friends or other individuals at any time during their stay.
Pediatrics: 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Note: One parent or other adult support person is permitted to stay 24 hours a day.

Visiting Overnight
Overnight visitation with a patient must be coordinated with the charge nurse and/or nurse manager and is only permitted under certain circumstances. If overnight visitation has been approved, you will be given a visitor card by the nurse, who will provide you with instructions for obtaining a visitor pass from the security guard. Please wear this badge and remain in the waiting room or the patient’s room at all times during your overnight visit. We reserve the right to revoke overnight privileges.

Wifi

Free internet is provided by WCCH. Search for the Wifi that says Guest_Access.