Ronnie Green Heart Center Visitor and Waiting Room Guidelines

The Ronnie Green Heart Center embraces a patient and family centered philosophy regarding visiting. We believe the family is a key element in recovery, and your involvement is encouraged and supported.

The following guidelines have been developed to assist you during your loved one’s stay. Because the Ronnie Green Heart Center is a critical care area, visiting hours are limited to ensure your loved one receives focused nursing care. Please assist us in providing quality care, privacy and a pleasant, safe environment by respecting the following guidelines.

Ronnie Green Heart Center Waiting Area Direct Line:
678-343-6576

The phone number to call for patient conditions is
770-535-3395.

Ronnie Green Heart Center Visiting Hours
5:30 – 6 a.m.
10 – 11 a.m.
1 – 2 p.m.
5 – 6 p.m.
8 – 9 p.m.

VISITING GUIDELINES

• As soon as possible after your family member arrives in the Ronnie Green Heart Center, volunteer or hospital employee will take you to his or her room for the first visit.

• Visiting hours may vary at times to meet individual needs of the patient and/or family.

• Please allow no more than two visitors at a time. There may be times when the staff may ask visitors to delay their visit if the condition of the patient requires it. Please be understanding of such requests, as patient care always comes first.

• A staff member will inform visitors when visiting hours begin and remind visitors to clean their hands upon entering and leaving the unit.

• During non-visiting hours, visitors may use the red phone located on the wall outside the Ronnie Green Heart Center to communicate with staff if needed.

• When a visitor requires access to the unit outside of visiting hours, a staff member will escort the visitor into the unit.

• Generally, children under the age of 12 are not permitted in the Ronnie Green Heart Center however, to meet specific
patient needs, children may be scheduled for a visit.

• We respect your privacy and value confidentiality therefore, a consultation room is provided for families to meet with medical staff as needed.

• Only condition reports may be given by telephone out of respect for the patient’s privacy. The phone number to call for patient conditions is 770-535-3553, then ask for extension 1095 – Patient Information.

• To ensure safekeeping of a patient’s valuables, we ask that they be kept by family members.

• In keeping with hospital safety guidelines, we ask that no electrical appliances (for example, space heaters, blow dryers, curling irons, etc.) be used in the patient’s room.

• Flowers and plants are not allowed in the Ronnie Green Heart Center patient rooms because they are an infection control concern.

• Due to infection control reasons, we ask you to use the public restrooms located in the Ronnie Green Heart Center waiting area and not the restrooms in the patient rooms.

• Also for infection control reasons, visitors are not allowed to use the kitchen inside the unit. This unit may only be accessed by staff.

• Please assist us in keeping the Ronnie Green Heart Center a tranquil environment by being mindful of noise levels while in the unit.

In addition to these guidelines, we ask that visitors respect patient privacy (both your loved one’s privacy and other patients’) while in the unit.

WAITING AREA GUIDELINES

• Hospital volunteers are often available in the Ronnie Green Heart Center waiting area to answer questions and provide general assistance to families. If a volunteer is not available and you have a question or need assistance, please use the red phone located outside the entrance to the unit to contact a staff member.

• In keeping with hospital safety guidelines, we ask that no electrical appliances be used in the waiting area.

• Cafeteria service is located on the ground floor of the hospital and a vending area is located across from the 3-East nursing station (down the hall to the left from the Ronnie Green Heart Center). Please ask one of our volunteers or staff to direct you to these areas.

• We would appreciate your assistance in keeping our waiting room clean and neat. Please help us by disposing of trash properly, keeping cushions in the chairs and straightening up. Also, please eat food in the vending area or cafeteria only.

• Please refer to the guides provided in the waiting area to obtain information on cafeteria hours, lodging information, restaurants and chaplain services. If you need assistance with obtaining this information, a volunteer will be happy to assist you.

• We discourage families from bringing children under 12 to the waiting area.

• When the waiting room is full, you may be requested to limit visitors in the waiting area to only two (2) visitors per patient.

• The Ronnie Green Heart Center asks that visitors please secure their personal items and do not leave them unattended in the waiting area. Northeast Georgia Medical Center is not responsible for the loss of personal items.

• Please note that due to cardiac monitoring equipment located in Ronnie Green Heart Center, cell phone usage is limited to the waiting area only.

• Courtesy telephones are provided for your convenience in the waiting areas. Please be considerate of others when using the telephones and limit your calls when others are waiting.

• The direct phone line for the Ronnie Green Heart Center waiting area is 678-343-6576. If this line is busy, the call will roll over to one of the other two phones in the waiting area.