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 floor 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: First Floor

Breakfast Hours:
Monday through Friday: 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Lunch Hours:
Monday through Friday: 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Dinner Hours:
Monday through Friday: 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

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 Central Carolina 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

Central Carolina Hospital is in the process is moving to a fiber network for its TV service. When it's completed, you will have access to all your familiar and favorite channels that are usually found on cable TV systems.

Chaperone Services

Would you like a Chaperone during your stay at CCH? Please let us know if you’d like a chaperone to be present during your examination. Just notify your nurse.

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:

NC Division of Health Service Regulation

Complaint Intake Unit
2711 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-2711
800.624.3004 (within NC) or 919.855.4500

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: Monica Leitz at 919.774.2297.

Drug Diversion

Drug diversion is a serious issue for hospitals and healthcare facilities. What can you do to prevent or detect drug diversion? If you see something, say something.

If you suspect drug diversion is happening, contact our Compliance Hotline at 877.508.LIFE. It’s on all of us to recognize and report, for the safety of our patients and employees.

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 individual florists. Please note that flowers are not allowed in Intensive Care Units.

Hearing Impaired

Devices for people who are hearing impaired are available. Please notify your nurse if you need these arrangements.

Hospital Safe for Valuables

Patients are advised not to bring valuables to the hospital. We are not responsible for valuables left at the beside. The hospital maintains lockboxes on the Nursing Units. When patients are discharged, the patient or their family member will sign to verify the return of their possessions.

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

Our Housekeeping staff does a thorough room cleaning of each patient room once per day. We also do an evening freshen-up of your room to ensure that your room is always kept clean and tidy. If you have any concerns or issues with the room, please call our Housekeeping Department at extension 2119.

Interpreters and Translation Services

We have in-house, Spanish-speaking translators, and we have access to a Language Line for all other translations. Please notify your nurse if you need this service.

Lost and Found

If items are misplaced or lost during your hospital stay, please contact the Nursing Unit where you stayed or the Security Department for assistance. The hospital retains abandoned or forgotten articles for 30 days to allow the owners time to reclaim their property.

Mail

Mail and email sent to our website are delivered to patients Monday through Friday by hospital volunteers. 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 nurses' station or given to your attending nurse.

Medicines

Please do not bring any prescription or over-the-counter medicines to the hospital unless directed by a doctor of nurse. Most 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

Free parking is provided at the front of the hospital and in the rear for the Emergency Department. Handicapped spaces are to the immediate left of the hospital main entrance and in the rear of the building near the Emergency Department entrance. Due to the slope of the hospital property, we are unable to provide additional handicapped parking at the front entrance without creating a safety hazard for our patients.

Pastoral Care

Patients and their loved ones can call upon our Pastoral Care volunteer at any time. Simply ask your nurse to request these services. You can also find a chapel on the first floor around the corner from the cafeteria.

Patient Meals

Our Chef Special Patient Menu has been planned with variety and moderation in mind and to achieve a well balanced diet. Your Patient Ambassador will visit with you each day to verbally take your menu choice for the next meal. Your daily menu may very slightly due to the special diet ordered by your physician. Our goal is to provide you an excellent food service experience and help nourish you back to good health.

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. Central Carolina Hospital 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.

Medical 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 61 from any hospital phone to request this special service. Say "CCH Alert MRT" and the room number three times. The Medical Response Team will come to your room.

Smoking

We are a tobacco- and smoke-free facility.

Surprise Billing

When you get emergency care or get treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing.

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care—like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider. To learn more, visit Understanding Your Healthcare Costs and click on “Notice of No Surprise Act.”

Telephone

All patient rooms have phones. To place a call within the hospital, dial the last four digits only. For outside calls, dialing "9" first, and then the phone number, is recommended.

Key main numbers are:

Main: 919.774.2100

Billing: 919.708.4616

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

Central Carolina Hospital has all private rooms. We will provide you with additional information on your room assignment as needed throughout your stay.

Vending Machines

Vending machines that include a variety of snacks and beverages are located on the first floor near the Emergency Department, second floor in the OB waiting area and third floor in the ICU waiting area.

Visiting Hours

To promote healing and safety and limit infection, some units may limit the number of visitors you can receive at one time. During emergencies, there may be visitation restrictions in certain care areas.

Central Carolina Hospital provides patient- and family-centered care by recommending visitation schedules that are appropriate to the level of care.

Visitation Policy
Central Carolina Hospital understands that having loved ones by your side can help with your healing and care. You have the right to choose and prioritize visitors from among family, friends, partners, personal care aides or other individuals (regardless of the person's gender or your relationship to the person). You also can choose a support person to be present throughout your stay, unless that person's presence affects your health or the rights or safety of other patients. If you have any questions, about your visitation rights, contact your charge nurse.

Visitor Guidelines
We encourage well-wishers for emotional support and recovery. To provide a restful and safe environment, we ask that visitors follow these guidelines:

Do not visit if you have a cold, sore throat, fever or other illness.
Avoid noisy, disruptive behavior to help respect the healing of all patients.
Ask before bringing food, drinks or other items like balloons, flowers or perfume that might trigger allergies into patient rooms.
Wash or sanitize your hands before entering and when leaving a patient's room.
Make sure all children have a supervising adult with them at all times.

Wifi

Central Carolina provides public Wifi on its Guest Network. There is no password required.