Your room assignment at St. Tammany Parish Hospital is based upon your admitting diagnosis and the bed availability on the day of your admission. Private (single-bed) and semi-private (two-bed) rooms are available. Medical insurance usually does not cover the full cost of a private room.
Hospital beds are electrically operated, and your nurse will show you how to work your bed properly. Your hospital bed is probably higher and narrower than your bed at home. Bedside rails are for your protection. They may be raised at night or during the day if you are resting, recovering from surgery or taking certain medications.
Our housekeeping staff will clean your room daily. Your nursing assistant will check your bed and straighten your sheets each day. To conserve energy and water, bed linens (sheets) are routinely changed every other day of your stay and as needed. If you want your linen changed more frequently, please notify the nursing staff.
All rooms in the hospital are centrally heated and air-conditioned. If your room temperature is not comfortable, please notify the nursing staff.
A button to call your nurse is located at your bedside. When you press the button, the nursing station is alerted that you need assistance, and a light flashes above your door. A staff member will respond to your signal as soon as possible.
Please stay in bed after you have been prepared for the night. Strange surroundings and sleeping medications may create a hazard if you get out of bed. For assistance during the night, use your call button.
Televisions with in-bed remote controls are provided in each room. Please be considerate of other patients by playing television sets softly and by turning off your set at bedtime. In semi-private rooms, all televisions must be turned off at midnight.
Through the generosity of PamLab and the St. Tammany Hospital Foundation, St. Tammany Parish Hospital is proud to provide you educational, informative videos on the PamLab Educational System. View ch. 100 to learn about the hospital, and ask your nurse for a list of videos available regarding your condition or procedure.
Telephones are provided in each room except in the critical care units. Telephones may be provided to patients in critical care units upon request. Patients may receive calls in their rooms from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Local calls may be made at any time from the room by dialing 9 and the number. (Calls within a 50-mile radius are considered local.) Long-distance calls cannot be charged to your room. You can make a credit card call, use personal calling cards or call collect. Your family and friends can call you directly by dialing the designated number posted in your room. Amplifier/TDY phones for the hearing impaired are available upon request. Cell phone use is permitted in the hospital. Cell phones should not be used in close proximity to patient monitoring equipment.
Every effort will be made to provide an interpreter for patients who do not speak English or who communicate through sign language. Language line services are also available. Each nursing unit and the hospital operators (0) can provide additional information.