Patient Information > Inpatient Guidelines

Welcome to Culbertson Memorial Hospital. Please be assured that our staff of health care professionals will make every effort to make your hospital stay as comfortable as possible. These pages are designed to familiarize you with hospital policies and procedures.

Admission Information

Whether you are coming to the hospital as an inpatient or an outpatient, you will need to report to the Registration Department, located just inside our main entrance. During the registration process, our staff will request information about your insurance coverage, so please bring your insurance cards with you. You will also be asked to sign various privacy, confidentiality, and consent forms. All information is confidential.

Advance Directives

When you are admitted to our hospital, you will be asked if you have prepared "Advance Directives." These documents express your wishes regarding health care decisions. An Advance Directive may be found in the form of a living will, a power of attorney for health care, or 'do not resuscitate' orders. Illinois law states that any person 18 years of age or older who is legally competent may make decisions concerning medical treatment. This law requires that health care providers make patients aware of their right to make these decisions.

Although the terms "living will" and "power of attorney for health care" may sound complicated, they are not. These documents simply allow you to make your wishes known while you are of sound mind and able to do so. The directives speak for you if there should come a time when you cannot speak for yourself.

The Illinois Hospital Association has prepared educational materials about advance directives. You can learn more by visiting the Consumer Information pages at the IHA web site at http://www.ihatoday.org/.

Personal Needs

If you are admitted as an inpatient, the hospital will provide you with certain toiletries, a gown or pajamas and slippers. If you prefer to bring your own personal items from home, please feel free to do so. You may keep personal aides, such as dentures, glasses, or hearing aids in your room, but please do not leave them where they may be discarded accidentally. Do not wrap your dentures in tissue or place them on your meal tray. They can easily be lost. We provide a bedside table for these types of items.

Personal Belongings

We urge you to leave expensive articles of clothing and valuable jewelry at home. We cannot be responsible for cash, or other items left in patient rooms. If you must bring such items to the hospital, request that they be placed in our safe.

Bedside Tables

Bedside tables are provided for your convenience. They are designed to allow you easy access to your meal tray, water pitcher, tissues, etc. Avoid using the bedside table for support. It may roll and could cause you to fall.

Settling Into Your Room

The hospital’s schedules and procedures have been planned to give you the most efficient medical care. Normally, medical treatment is started soon after your admission. After you have settled into your room, a nurse will interview you and answer your questions. A lab technician may collect blood samples or an x-ray technologist may take you for x-rays.

Home Medication

Please do not bring medicine from home to take while you are hospitalized. If you bring medicines with you, give them to the nurse. She will store the medicine in our pharmacy and return them to you when you are discharged.

Call Lights

When you need to speak to a nurse, simply press the call button on the cord at the head of your bed. A member of the nursing staff will respond in person as soon as possible. For your safety, you will also find a cord in your bathroom that activates a signal light at the nurses’ station.

Telephones

All rooms have permanent telephone installations at no extra charge. To get an outside line, dial 7, then dial direct for local calls. To make long distance calls, you will need to use a calling card. If you have a personal cell phone, you may use it at your convenience.

Hospital Beds

Your bed at Culbertson Memorial Hospital is higher and narrower than the one you have at home. It may be necessary for the side rails to be raised for your protection. If you need help to get into or out of bed, please ask your nurse for assistance. Your bed is equipped with a control unit that lets you raise or lower the upper and lower parts of the bed to help you find a comfortable position.

Televisions

CMH offers complimentary television service to all patients. A remote control device is furnished for each room. Please be sure to turn in your remote control device when you are discharged.

Meals

Ensuring Your Privacy

Healthcare personnel know how important privacy is to a patient. When the door to your room is closed, all personnel will knock before entering. During your stay, hospital personnel may need to perform various tests or procedures in your room. Please be assured that nurses, technicians, and other medical staff will make every effort to perform these tests in a dignified and professional manner. The door to your room and/or the curtain around your bed will be pulled to insure your sense of privacy as much as possible.

Visitors

CMH no longer adheres to strict visiting hours. Visitors are welcome, but our first responsibility is to our patients. To ensure patient comfort and safety, visitors should follow these guidelines:

1. Keep your visit brief so you will not overtax the patient.
2. Do not sit on the patient’s bed or on an unoccupied bed in the same room.
3. Remember that a patient in the next bed or room may be quite ill, so speak softly whenever possible.
4. Patients need their privacy. Always knock on a closed door before entering.

Chapel

The Shirley Ward Memorial Chapel is located on the south wing of the hospital and is open 24-hours-a-day for patients or visitors. You may ask a nurse for assistance in locating the chapel. If you need special assistance in getting to the chapel, tell your nurse. She will be glad to help you.

Discharge Instructions

CMH provides patients with the services of a Discharge Planner. This person is specially trained to provide help to patients and families dealing with the emotional and financial problems that often accompany illness. The Discharge planner can help make your discharge and your return home more comfortable. Working closely with the patient and family, the Discharge Planner will put you in touch with the community resources you may need. She will also help coordinate in-home services, nursing home placement, or other living arrangements.

Complaints

Complaints about your care, your treatment, or any other aspect of your stay may be directed to our Patient Complaint Coordinator by dialing extension 270, or by sending a letter to: Patient Complaint Coordinator, 238 South Congress St., Rushville, IL 62681.

Culbertson Memorial Hospital
238 S. Congress
Rushville, IL 62681
Telephone: (217) 322-4321
Fax: (217) 322-2608

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