For Patients

You may pre-admit once admission has been scheduled. Admissions are processed via the registration clerks in the emergency room. Once you arrive on the nursing unit, the staff will help you get acquainted with your room and your surroundings. Please bring your driver's license, insurance cards and any co-pay or deductible amounts designated by your plan.

Patients undergoing outpatient surgery should report to the registration desk in the front lobby. Outpatient registration hours are from 7:30am until 4:30pm.

You will need to bring a small number of personal items to the hospital, such as pajamas, robe, slippers and personal toilet articles including cases for glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids and dentures. If you have any of these items during your stay, please make sure your nurse is aware that you have them in your possession.

Do not bring watches, jewelry, cash or other valuables to the hospital. HCA Florida Putnam Hospital will only be responsible for these items if they are deposited into our safe. Ask your nurse about safe deposits upon admission. Please do not bring medications to the hospital. Your physician and the hospital pharmacy will provide all of your medication while you are in the hospital. However, it is important to provide your healthcare professional with a list of all medications that you are currently taking.

The Breeze's Café at HCA Florida Putnam Hospital is open to visitors for breakfast and lunch ONLY at the times listed below. The café is located left of the medical wing, just a short walk from the main hospital lobby. The hours are:

• Breakfast: Monday through Friday from 6:45am to 9:30am
  • Note: Breakfast is not served on weekends.
• Lunch: Daily from 11:30am to 1:30pm
• Dinner: Currently closed for dinner every night
  • Note: Patients are served every meal, every day.

The Breeze's Café holiday schedule(s) will vary. A weekly menu is provided listing the updated dates/times for operation.

Snacks and soft drinks may be purchased 24-hours-a-day from the vending machines located adjacent to the dining room/Breeze's Café and the waiting room located in the emergency department.

CaringBridge acts as an online space where you can connect, share and receive support — bringing family and friends together during any type of health event.

As a nonprofit, CaringBridge exists for anyone facing any health condition: big or small, acute or long-term. We're committed to your privacy and your ease of use, so whether you start a Site, set up a SupportPlanner or join a community, CaringBridge makes it simple. Just visit CaringBridge, select a way to begin connecting and share with family and friends.

When you are medically ready to leave the hospital, your physician will write a discharge order on your medical chart. Your nurses and your physician will discuss discharge information with you, including special diets, medications and limitations on your activities. The case manager will assist you in making arrangements for home care or other community services, if needed. Your physician will let you know if an office visit is necessary after discharge.

Be sure to check your room for all personal belongings and reclaim any valuables from the hospital safe. When your transportation arrives, please allow your nurse to escort you from the hospital.

Once you are discharged from the hospital, you may receive a separate bill from the physician, anesthesiologist, pathologist, radiologist or emergency department physician. These physicians are not employees of the hospital.

If you have questions about your coverage of your bill, please call the Business Office at (386) 326-8200 and we will be happy to help you.

Because nutrition is an important part of your recovery, our dietitian prepares a variety of menus according to your doctor's instructions. If your doctor wishes you to adhere to a special diet once you have left the hospital, our dietitian can explain your new eating plan and how you can adapt it to your lifestyle.

If lab tests or X-rays delay your meal time, the nursing staff will be happy to order a tray after you return to your room. One guest tray will be provided free of charge for families of patients 12 years old and younger. Nourishment rooms are available on each nursing unit. A variety of snacks and beverages are provided for our patients.

The gift shop is located in the front lobby of the HCA Florida Putnam Hospital and offers flowers, cards, baby items, toiletries, candy and more.

The gift shop is open:

HCA Florida Putnam Hospital believes in the perseverance of our natural resources; therefore, bed linen is changed every other day or as needed depending on patient needs. If you need additional linens or housekeeping services, please contact your nurse.

Due to the nature of the ICU, visitation is determined on an individual basis. HCA Florida Putnam Hospital traditionally practices an open policy; however, depending on the needs of the patient, visitation may be restricted.

In an effort to prevent or reduce exposure to known allergens, thereby reducing the risk of reaction, patients found to be allergic to latex will be treated with medical products which are free of latex or will be shielded from contact with latex.

Cards and flowers sent by your family and friends to make your stay more pleasant are delivered daily. Flowers are NOT allowed in the ICU. Mail received after you are discharged will be forwarded to your home. Mail for patients should be addressed as follows:

Patient Name
HCA Florida Putnam Hospital
611 Zeagler Drive
Palatka, FL 32177

We will need a complete list of medicines you are currently taking, including those not prescribed or ordered by your doctor. While in the hospital, please take only medicines administered by your nurse. If the medicines are not given at the same time as you normally take them, please let us know and we will try to do things as you do at home. Sometimes meals or tests may hinder your normal routine.

We use generic medicines when possible to keep costs low. Because of this, some medicines may look different from your usual pills. If you have questions about the pills or other medicines you are taking, do not hesitate to ask your nurse or physician.

Local newspapers may be purchased from boxes outside the front doors of HCA Florida Putnam Hospital. The nurses' stations will have a limited supply daily of newspapers available upon patient request.

For the safety of our pediatric patients in the emergency department, we require an adult to stay with patients under the age of 12 at all times. If your child is under 2 years of age, we require the use of a baby bed for the safety of your child.

To protect your health and the health of others, HCA Florida Putnam Hospital is a smoke-free environment. Smoking is not permitted in patient rooms, corridors, lobbies, waiting rooms or any other area of the hospital.

The telephone at your bedside is for your use and convenience. To make local calls, dial "9" and wait for the dial tone, then dial your desired number. Long distance, credit card or collect calls may be placed by dialing "9" + area code and desired number. The hospital utilizes AT&T as its long distance company. If you wish to use a different company for credit card calls, dial your company's access code after dialing "9" + "0" or use the 800 number listed on your credit cards after dialing "9" + "1".

We encourage you to entrust your valuables to a friend or relative while you are in the hospital. If you have valuables at the hospital please ask the nurse for a special valuable envelope. Your valuables can be placed in the hospital safe, by the house supervisor, once you have sealed them in the special valuables envelope. The envelope must be filled out and signed by you or a responsible relative and your nurse. The content list will remain with your hospital chart and a copy of the list will be sealed inside the valuables envelope. Ask your nurse about this hospital policy if you would like to use it. The hospital cannot be responsible for lost items unless they are placed in a valuables envelope. Glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids and dentures must be documented in your chart.

HCA Florida Putnam Hospital has open visiting hours depending upon the condition of the patient.

Children 12 years and younger must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times when visiting the hospital.

Through our Plus Care Network, we have developed a network of agencies who meet our standards and can provide the help you need.

It is your right to choose your post-hospital facility/agency, but as part of our commitment to patient care, it is our responsibility to help you choose the one that will best meet your needs.