Tips for Inpatients

Below are helpful guidelines for patients who will be receiving care at Manatee Memorial Hospital.

Smoking

Manatee Memorial Hospital is a smoke-free campus.

Fire Safety

We periodically conduct fire drills. If you hear an alarm, stay where you are. In the event of an actual emergency, hospital staff will notify you.

Electrical Appliances

Hospital policy discourages patients from bringing electrical appliances, including hair dryers, curling irons, razors, radios, heating pads, portable heaters, and other devices into the hospital. A physician’s order is necessary, and the appliance must pass an electrical safety check prior to use. Ask your nurse for an electrical safety check.

Patient Meals

The Food and Nutrition Service works closely with physicians and the nursing staff to provide meals for our patients that are “just what the doctor ordered.” Meals are the result of your physician’s diet prescription, ordered for your medical condition. The meals are prepared under the direction of our executive chef, a culinary school graduate, to ensure quality and good taste. Each day, a food service associate will deliver a menu from which a patient can choose three meals for the next day. A variety of items are available, including vegetarian plates. If there is anything that our Food and Nutrition Service can do for you during your stay, please let your food service associate or nurse know.

Patients With Special Needs

Manatee Memorial Hospital provides the following special services at no charge to our hospitalized patients. To arrange for these services ask at the time of admission or ask your nurse.

  • TDD phone for the deaf: This telephone allows a deaf person to type a message to another person who has a TDD phone. Your nurse will request the 24-hour TDD phone from the switchboard/operators.
  • Sign language interpretation: A sign language interpreter service can be arranged through the nursing supervisor.
  • Hard-of-hearing telephone: All telephones in patient rooms have adjustable volume.
  • Closed-caption TV: This special television displays captions of spoken dialogue. The set is brought into the patients’ room and must be requested 24 hours in advance.
  • Telephone for sight impaired: All telephones in patient rooms have large numbers and letters to make dialing easier.
  • Language line: This service is available 24 hours a day to provide interpretation when in-house translators are not on duty.
  • Special nurse call button: The device is available for patients with limited use of their hands.
  • Mobility aids: Crutches, walkers, and canes are property of the hospital’s Physical Medicine department. Mobility aids can be kept in your room during your hospitalization, once it has been determined that you are safe to use them independently or if you are receiving physical therapy for functional mobile deficits. If you require a mobility aid after your discharge from the hospital, a case manager will help you obtain the appropriate equipment through a medical equipment supply company.

Pastoral Care

Contacting the Hospital Chaplain - The hospital chaplain can be reached within the hospital by dialing 0 and asking to speak to the chaplain on call; or you can ask your nurse to contact the chaplain for you.

Contacting a Minister of Your Choice - If you wish, the chaplain on call or your nurse can contact your own minister, priest, rabbi, or a representative of your religious group.

Receiving a Bible - Bible distribution is made available through the Pastoral Care Services Office. There should be a New Testament in the bed stand in each patient’s room, provided by the Gideon International.

Telephone

Telephones are provided in all patient rooms. To make an outside local call from the hospital room, dial 9 + the number. You may call long distance from within the hospital by dialing 9 + 1 + the area code + the telephone number.

TV

Televisions are provided in each patient room. Please be considerate of others by keeping the TV volume down and turning off your TV at bedtime.

Web Accessibility

Manatee Memorial Hospital is committed to making our website's content accessible and user friendly to everyone.
Learn more about our commitment to accessibility →

Wireless Internet Service

Complimentary wireless Internet access is available for our patients and guests.

Service Requirements:

  • Laptop PC or PDA with an 802.11b or 802.11g compatible wireless network card
  • Software to support the wireless network card
  • Web browser software

Getting Started:

  • Ensure your wireless network card is enabled and set for DHCP
  • Using your software, view the available wireless networks
  • Select the MMH-GUESTS (some software may require you to enter MMH-GUESTS as the SSID)
  • Open your Web Browser software
  • Browser will display the Manatee Memorial Hospitality Wireless network Welcome Page. Click the “I agree” button on the left side of the page to accept the terms.

Mail and Flowers

Mail, flowers and packages will be delivered to you by a hospital volunteer. Flowers are permitted in most patient areas with the exception of the Intensive and Cardiac Care Units and are available for sale in the Auxiliary Gift Shop - Shoppe on the River. For safety reasons, only Mylar balloons are permitted in patient care areas.