The importance of health: What Newport Hospital is doing to increase safety
Patient and employee experience is always a top priority for me. Newport Hospital is a place that my team and our close-knit community loves; we foster an environment where employees are happy and engaged, and because of this Newport Hospital is a friendly, welcoming, safe and secure place for patients and visitors.
We have made some changes that you may notice when visiting the hospital. This includes extending our visitation hours, because the support of loved ones plays a vital role in the recovery of our patients. We have also increased the number of visitors from one to two visitors allowed per patient, enabling a more inclusive and supportive environment.
In many areas of the hospital (medical, surgical, ICU and the birthing center) visiting hours have increased from 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily, with a couple of exceptions:
• Vanderbilt Inpatient Unit welcomes visitors from noon to 7:30 p.m. daily.
• The Behavioral Health Unit has specific visiting hours to provide a supportive environment. Visitors are allowed from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Please note that only one visitor is permitted during each of these designated times in the behavioral health unit.
We are happy to share that we have also reinstated the Valet Parking program at the main entrance of the hospital. This convenient service saves time and adds a layer of enhanced safety for patients and visitors. Our easy and affordable (as low as $3) valet parking is available daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This cashless system accepts Pay Pal, credit card or debit card only. Making a payment with a smartphone is a breeze. Free parking remains in our Powel Avenue lot.
Additionally, we have introduced Easy Lobby, our new visitor management system at our guest entrances that makes check-in quick and secure. Hospital visitors will be asked for a photo ID, and Easy Lobby will then print a time-stamped badge with the name, photo and destination on it. This ensures that only authorized individuals gain access to our facility and helps us monitor and control visitor traffic.
Along with our 24/7 security team, we have added protective agents at the hospital. These protective agents are highly skilled and trained to perform 24-hour armed security services in R.I. and more importantly, in a hospital setting. Careful thought and consideration went into the decision to incorporate added security at our facility; we did so with the knowledge that harmful incidents have happened in other hospitals across the country. As part of our culture of safety, we felt this was a necessary addition for our staff, patients, and visitors.
As always, we remain dedicated to the safety and security of our community – everyone who comes through our doors, whether for work or for care – becomes a part of the Newport Hospital family.
Crista Durand is the president of Newport Hospital. Health Matters appears monthly in The Newport Daily News and at newportri.com.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Newport Hospital implements new safety measures, visitation hours
