Your Accommodations
Hospital Room - We make every effort to assign you the type of room you request. Private room accommodations may be available. Daily room charges include general nursing care, meals and housekeeping services. All rooms have free access to a high-speed Internet connection. If your room temperature is not comfortable, or if there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask your nurse.

Mail Service - You may drop outgoing mail in the mail slot in D lobby or give it to your nurse for delivery. Stamps are available in the Gift Gallery. Volunteers deliver mail to patients’ rooms daily. We will forward mail received after discharge to your home.

Comments - We want your visit to be as pleasant as possible. If you have complaints, comments or suggestions please call our Quality Resources department at (320) 251-2700, ext. 55651.

Other Accommodations - The hospital recognizes the need for families to rest. Here are some options for area lodging:

• St. Cloud Hospital Gorecki Guest House , located across the street from the hospital, provides affordable, temporary housing in a homelike setting for patients and their families receiving medical care. Guests enjoy the convenient location; a private room and bathroom with a localized thermostat; kitchen and dining rooms; and a large living room, library and TV room. Room fees help defray operating costs. To make arrangements to stay at the house, talk to your nurse or social worker, or call ext. 51774.
• Several area hotels offer reduced rates for family members of patients receiving care at St. Cloud Hospital. Ask your nurse for more information.
  View the St. Cloud Area Lodging Map (PDF)

Radio and Television - We provide radio and television in patient rooms at no additional charge. Closed-captioning is available for hearing-impaired persons.

Your Health Care Team
Your health care team works with you and your family to plan and coordinate care.

• Doctors - The doctors who care for you may include your admitting or attending doctor, any specialist your doctor recommends or medical residents.
• Case Managers - These registered nurses may be requested to coordinate your care and facilitate your transition home or to extended care.
• Nurses - Registered nurses (R.N.s) assess your physical and emotional response to your health and treatment and work with you to develop a plan to meet your goals. They are assisted by licensed practical nurses (L.P.N.s) and patient care assistants (P.C.A.s).
• Spiritual Care Services - Hospital chaplains are available to serve the spiritual care needs of patients and visitors of all religious traditions. If you would like a chaplain to visit or if you would like to receive any of the sacraments or rites of your particular faith tradition, please contact your nurse.
• Social Services - Social workers provide assistance for immediate and ongoing concerns of patients and their families, including locating and arranging community resources, providing supportive counseling, helping with financial concerns or planning for discharge. If you need to contact a social worker, please ask your nurse for a referral.
• Volunteers - Volunteers serve patients at St. Cloud Hospital in many ways. They are available to help with reading, writing letters, shopping at Gift Gallery and many other tasks. A volunteer may visit you to make sure your stay is comfortable. To contact Volunteer Services, please call ext. 55638.
• Other Team Members - Physical and occupational therapists, respiratory care practitioners, dietitians, housekeepers, and radiology and laboratory staff members are a few examples of others who you may see during your hospital stay.

Your Comfort and Safety
Family Violence - The American Medical Association has identified violence as a significant health concern. Family violence is violence and/or neglect between couples, against a child or a vulnerable adult. People use physical violence, isolation, emotional intimidation, coercion, threats and economic control to gain and maintain power and control over the other. At St. Cloud Hospital, we assess all patients for their safety.

The hospital staff will support and assist you in getting any help you may need. You can inquire about resource phone numbers, safety planning, information on the effects of violence and restraining orders during your stay in the hospital.

Our public restrooms have a safety card with resource numbers listed. Feel free to take one or ask your nurse for one. If you have concerns for your safety, you can speak with your doctor, nurse or care center social worker, or you can call the Hospital Advocacy Program at (320) 251-2700, ext. 53224, for free and confidential services.

Lost and Found - Misplaced items may be recovered by calling Security and Safety at (320) 251-2700, ext. 55786, between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. After normal business hours, please call the Security Dispatch Center at ext. 1234.

No Smoking Policy - In the interest of our patients’ and visitors’ health, a no-smoking policy has been implemented throughout the hospital building and grounds.

CentraCare Pharmacy at St. Cloud Hospital
Open to the public, pharmacy hours are:

• Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Saturday 9 a.m. to noon
• Sunday closed

For your convenience, the pharmacy accepts walk-ins and drive-through window business. It also accepts most insurance. The pharmacy is located outside the hospital across from lobby B. Call (320) 255-5670 for more information.

Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Services/Non-English Speaking Interpreter Services
If you need an interpreter, please ask your nurse about our professional interpreter services. If you choose to have a family member or friend interpret for you, we are not responsible for his or her payment or accuracy.

If a deaf, hard-of-hearing or non-English speaking person is selected as the family spokesperson, we will provide interpreter services to help him or her communicate. For patients in labor, we will provide the labor coach with an interpreter. We also can provide parents of children who are minors with an interpreter.

We will make every effort to contact professional interpreter services to translate admission information, discharge instructions, surgical consents and other important communication. If no professional interpreters are available, we will try to communicate with you in the most comfortable manner. Please tell us if you have information or requests that are important for us to know in order to respect your culture and values.

Equipment for the Visually Impaired
Please ask your nurse about magnifying glasses, large print materials and staff available to read.

Financial Arrangements

• If you have health insurance, we will need a copy of your identification card. When you enter the hospital, we will ask you to sign a form that assigns benefits from the insurance company to St. Cloud Hospital. If your insurance requires that you seek pre-certification or authorization for services, please make sure you have met those requirements. If you do not follow your plan's requirements, you may be financially responsible for all or part of the services rendered in the hospital.
• If you have Medicare, we will need to see your Medicare card to verify eligibility and to process your Medicare claim. Deductibles and co-payments are the responsibility of the patient.
• If you are covered by Medicaid, we will need a copy of your card.
• If you do not have insurance, you are eligible for a discount for uninsured patients. Please contact the Business Office to obtain this discount and make payment arrangements. These arrangements can be made either before your discharge or after. If you would like someone to visit with you prior to your discharge to discuss arrangements, please call ext. 57025 or ext. 55616. If you feel that you may qualify for free charity care, you can request an application from the Business Office by calling either ext. 57025 or ext. 55616.
• The hospital is responsible for submitting bills to your insurance company and we will do everything possible to expedite your claim. Please remember that your policy is a contract between you and your insurance company, and you have final responsibility for payment of your hospital bill. We will send a statement to you once your insurance has paid its share. Balances must be paid within 30 days. For your convenience, payment of your balance can be made by cash, personal check, VISA, MasterCard or Discover.
• If you are covered by more than one insurance policy, each carrier will determine how to divide payment(s). If we receive an overpayment on your account, the hospital will make a refund to the appropriate party.
• St. Cloud Hospital will not become involved in financial liability disputes. Financial responsibility for services always rests with the patient. We will release records only when there is proper authorization to do so.
• If you have certain tests or treatments in the hospital, you may receive bills from doctors you do not see in person, including radiologists, pathologists, anesthesiologists and other specialists. These bills are for professional services rendered by these doctors in diagnosing and interpreting test results while you were a patient. If you have questions about these bills, please call the number printed on the statement you receive from them.

Going Home
Discharge - Your doctor will write your discharge order and your nurse will coordinate your discharge. A case coordinator or social worker also may assist with discharge plans. We will provide you with discharge instructions on caring for yourself at home. If your doctor has prescribed medication for you, we also will provide you with information on the medication.

For Family and Friends
Chapel - If you need a place for contemplation or solitary prayer, the hospital chapel on the first floor is available 24 hours a day. You will find a schedule of services posted outside the door, or call ext. 51136.

E-mail Greetings - Learn more about sending e-greetings and get-well wishes to a hospital patient.

Patient-and Family-Centered Care - St. Cloud Hospital embraces patient- and family-centered care, which draws upon the substantial strengths and resources of families in order to improve and maintain a loved one’s health. The patient and family are included in the development of the plan of care and all care decisions. Patients and families are treated as partners in care and collaborators at every level. We encourage and support family participation in the delivery of health care.

Gift Gallery - In need of flowers, balloons or other gifts to uplift and inspire? Check out the Gift Gallery, located near E lobby. It is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Gift Gallery provides free delivery anywhere within the hospital. You may also order selected Gift Gallery items securely online. The St. Cloud Hospital Auxiliary uses Gift Gallery proceeds to provide for charitable and educational hospital projects.

Transportation - Regularly scheduled bus and taxi services are available to and from the hospital. Ask an information desk attendant for details.

Parking
St. Cloud Hospital has free onsite parking for patients and visitors. Enter the North Lot at the intersection of Sixth Ave. N. and 15th Street S. Access the South Parking Ramp behind the south wing of St. Cloud Hospital at the intersection of Sixth Ave. N. and 12th Street N. Handicapped parking is available near all hospital entrances. Limited street parking also is available.

Progress Reports - We will update patients on their condition. If the patient consents to sharing information, we will update family members. For a patient unable to share or understand information, please select a family spokesperson to be responsible for informing other family members/significant others of the patient’s progress. Let your nurse know how to reach the spokesperson at all times. Disclosure of patient condition information may be restricted due to confidentiality concerns.

Waiting Areas - St. Cloud Hospital has several waiting areas designed for guest relaxation, healing and comfort. You might want to try lobbies A, B, D or E or the lounge areas located on every floor.

Visiting Hours
We believe families are an integral part of the care of patients. Our goal is to meet the needs of the patient and family by providing flexible, open visiting hours. Hospital visiting hours are 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The departments with exceptions are listed below.

• Cardiac Care Unit, (320) 251-2700, ext. 55604
• Intensive Care Unit, (320) 251-2700ext. 55605
• Family Birthing Center, (320) 251-2700 ext. 55745
• Inpatient Rehabilitation, (320) 251-2700 ext. 55740
• Mental Health
  Adolescent, (320) 251-2700, ext. 55704
  Adult, (320) 251-2700, ext. 55601
• Neonatal Intensive Care, (320) 251-2700, ext. 55746
• Telemetry, (320) 251-2700, ext. 55692

If you have questions about visiting hours, please contact the above departments or your nurse. Healthy children are welcome to visit under adult supervision.

Additional departments and phone numbers are listed in the St. Cloud Hospital Phone Directory.

Cellular Telephone Restrictions - Because cellular phones can affect the operation of patient care equipment, St. Cloud Hospital has restricted their use within the hospital. Please use cellular phones only in family lounges, dining areas and lobbies A, B, C, D and E.

Dining Facilities for Guests
Riverfront Dining Room – Between 6:30 a.m. and 2 a.m., our full-service cafeteria, the Riverfront Dining Room, offers soups, sandwiches, salads, snacks, desserts and beverages. During main meal service times, the dining room heats up with Spice of Life themed-menu items. You can find specialty sandwiches at the Wild Sage Grill, homemade pizzas and calzones at Basils, or made-to-order items at the Spice Event. Main meal service times are:

• Breakfast, 6:30 a.m.-10 a.m.
• Lunch, 10:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
• Dinner, 4:30 p.m. - 2 a.m.

6th Avenue Bistro - Our 6th Avenue Bistro provides an Italian-coffee shop atmosphere. Hot entrees are available for breakfast and lunch with exciting specials every day. Easy to grab-and-go items are available including box lunches, salads and soups. We also offer Starbucks coffee, espresso drinks, smoothies and desserts.

• Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Hot Food Served: breakfast 7-10 a.m. and lunch 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Closed weekends and holidays

Vending machines also are available throughout the hospital 24 hours a day.