Home / Patients / Your Hospital Stay
General Information
Patient room and general information is available at the information desk, located in the main lobby on the first floor. To call the information desk from within the hospital, dial extension 7081.
Admission And Discharge
A member of Russell Medical’s Medical Staff requested your admission. Our admission personnel will obtain information from you that is required by law and will help us to serve you better.
If you need skilled nursing care or physical therapy at home, our case management team will help you arrange this service if medically necessary. We also will arrange ongoing hospitalization at a skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation hospital if needed. If you have any questions, please call our case managers or patient representative.
If you are not physically able to return home when you are ready to leave the hospital, you may require acute rehabilitation or skilled nursing care in another facility. If your doctor thinks you will need this kind of care, you may wish to visit several facilities before your admission to Russell Medical.
Payment arrangements for your hospital bill should be made prior to admission. Should you anticipate any difficulty in financing your stay or have any questions regarding your bill or insurance coverage, please contact our Business Office at extension 7347. Business Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Our Visiting Policy
Russell Medical recognizes the importance of Essential Caregivers and visitors in the healing process for our patients. In compliance with Ala. Act 2023-24 and Joint Commission standards, Russell Medical supports the rights of patients to have visitors and Essential Caregivers. Russell Medical is also committed to reducing risk and exposure to illness as recommended and required by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
A patient may receive visitors of their choosing during the visiting hours outlined below. In general, visitors should limit their visit to the visiting hours listed below. Overnight visitor stays should be limited to one person.
General visiting hours are Sunday – Monday from 6:00 am – 9:00 pm.
Designated entrances will only be open between 6:00 am and 9:00 pm. No visitation is allowed after 9:00 pm. Any emergency needs should be escalated to the Nursing Supervisor who is available 24 hours, y days. Approved, emergent, after-hours facility access may be granted through the ED entrance.
In general, up to 4 visitors at a time are allowed in a patient room where space permits. Certain exceptions depending upon patient needs will be determined by the care team and Nurse Supervisor.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR VISITORS
Food Services
Russell Medical’s Food and Nutrition team is dedicated to providing you with nutritious, attractive and delicious meals.
Your physician will determine the diet best suited to your needs and your physical condition. From time to time, he may change your diet.
A selective menu will be provided to you daily and will be picked up by a member of the Nutritional Services staff, or you may leave it on your meal tray. If visitors bring you food, please check with your nurse to see if it is within your prescribed diet.
If you miss a meal because you were receiving a medical test, or you were not admitted to your room until after a mealtime, we offer food service between meals, so that you can always receive a warm or cold food tray. To do so, notify the nurse in charge of your care.
Guest Meals
One guest tray per meal will be provided to parents/sitters of patients aged 12 years and under, as well as to sitters for patients requiring physician-ordered 24-hour care.
Purchased guest meals are limited to one per patient and are delivered with the patient’s meal. Meals must be purchased ahead of time in the Business Office.
Cafeteria
The cafeteria is open to the public between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
• Breakfast is served from 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM
• Lunch is served from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM
• Vending machines are located adjacent to the cafeteria and are available 24 hours a day.
Chapel
The chapel at Russell Medical is located on the first floor across from the surgery waiting room and is open 24 hours a day. Families and friends of patients, as well as clergy, are encouraged to use the chapel at their convenience.
Lost and Found
The Patient Representative keeps track of all items lost and found in the Medical Center. Dial ext. 7614 to report an item found or to inquire about an item lost.
Smoking
For the health and well-being of our patients, visitors and staff, smoking is strictly prohibited on the entire Russell Medical campus.
For Your Safety And Security
Russell Medical provides security around the clock. A security representative can be reached at 329-7611. Security representatives are available to escort families to their vehicles at night.
What To Bring/What Not To Bring
During your stay, you will need only minimal personal items. If you have brought items other than your pajamas or a nightgown, a robe, slippers and toiletries, we would suggest that you send them home with one of your visitors, if possible.
You will not need any cash during your stay at Russell Medical. Please send home any watches, rings, and other jewelry you may have brought.
We will gladly place any valuables you are unable to send home in our Business Office safe.
Please keep items such as eyeglasses, dentures and contact lenses in a safe place, such as the drawer of your bedside cabinet. Russell Medical will provide you with a container for dentures and a bag for personal items.
The Medical Center cannot be responsible for the breakage or loss of any of your personal items.
Television/Mail/Phone
• Your Television:
You can control volume and change channels on your TV without leaving your bed. For the consideration of other patients, we ask that you keep the volume low between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
• Your Telephone:
Your room may be dialed directly from outside the hospital at 329-7-room#. Callers who do not know your room number may reach you through the Medical Center’s main number (329-7100).
• To access an outside line from your room.
Dial 9, wait for a dial tone, then dial the number you’re calling. There is no charge for local calls.
If you have any other problems with the hospital’s phones in your patient room, please do not hesitate to call or ask your nurse to get in touch with your Patient Representative.
If you need the hospital’s operator at any time, dial 7100. If you cannot press the digits 7100, do not become alarmed. Just pick up the phone, say nothing, and your call will automatically default to the Medical Center switchboard.
Your Mail/Flowers:
A volunteer delivers letters and packages to patient rooms once a day. Any patient who has a stamped, addressed letter to be mailed can either have someone drop it off at the front desk or can give it to the Patient Representative. Letters that arrive after you have been discharged will be forwarded to your home.
The florist delivers flowers to your room. No flowers will be accepted for patients in the Intensive Care Unit. For safety reasons, latex balloons are prohibited in the hospital.