Pen Bay Medical Center
Three Women Smiling In Front Of A Mural

Your Hospital Stay

Pen Bay Medical Center is a 99-bed, full-service community hospital overlooking beautiful Penobscot Bay in Rockport, Maine. With a medical staff of more than 100 physicians, Pen Bay Medical Center offers a wide range of acute and non-acute care services in the Midcoast.

From the time of your admission, a registered nurse case manager will be assigned to work with you, your doctor and the other members of the PBMC healthcare team. As required by insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid and The Joint Commission, the case manager will review your care to assure that the standards for care and use of services are being met.

Pen Bay Medical Center is proud to be accredited by The Joint Commission.

The Patient Care Team will provide care to you under the direction of your physician. Members of the Patient Care Team are:

  • Registered Nurse, RN: In addition to delivering a portion of your care, the registered nurse coordinates the activities of other Patient Team members providing care during your hospital stay.
  • Certified Nursing Assistant, CNA: The certified nursing assistants will provide your basic daily living needs such as food delivery, bathing, help with walking, etc.
  • Unit Secretary: This person maintains the medical and financial records related to your stay.
  • Rehabilitation Services: inpatient physical, occupational, respiratory, speech, and other therapists provide rehabilitation services through consultation, evaluation and individualized treatment. These therapists provide each patient with education and training to reach his or her highest functional level: mobility and safety, self-care, swallowing and cognitive skills.
  • Dietician: PBMC’s Nutritional Services Department may be involved in the evaluation of your dietary needs in conjunction with your care.

In the course of your treatment, you may be visited by a caregiver from the following services:

The quality & safety department monitors the quality of care delivered throughout the organization.

Social services offer skilled professional help to any patient who has personal problems related to his or her illness. This help may include talking with family members and patients about services available in the community or assistance in filling out applications for disability and Medicaid programs and Advanced Directives.

Our staff is responsible for accurate patient identification. You will be asked regularly during your stay to verify your name and date of birth. This verification is critical to ensuring patient safety.

Partnering with Our Patients: Your safety is our priority while you are a patient at Pen Bay Medical Center. We encourage you and your family to be partners and active participants in your healthcare through the use of the “Speak Up” program.

  • Speak up if you have any questions or concerns and if you don’t understand, ask again.
  • Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Ask questions when you don’t understand.
  • Educate yourself about your diagnosis, medical tests, and your plan of care.
  • Ask a trusted family member or friend to be with you if you are unable to ask questions for yourself.
  • Know what medications you take. (We do have wallet-sized cards available to list your medications.)
  • Use a healthcare organization that has undergone rigorous on-site evaluations.
  • Participate in decisions about your treatment. You are the center of your healthcare team.

During your stay, many people may enter your room, from doctors and nurses to aides.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

  • Ask for ID of everyone who comes into your room. All hospital employees wear identification badges.
  • Speak up if hospital staff doesn’t ask for your identification.
  • Ask if the person washed his or her hands before they touch you.
  • If you are told you need certain tests or procedures, ask why you need them, when they will happen and how long it will be before you get the results.

Medications

All medications you take while in the hospital are prescribed by your doctor, dispensed by the hospital pharmacy and administered by a nurse. Patients are not permitted to administer their own drugs or keep personal medications at their bedsides, unless authorized by their physician.

Preventing Medication Errors

By taking part in your own care, you can help the members of your healthcare team avoid medication errors. Here’s how:

  • Be sure that all of your doctors know what medications you have been taking, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, herbal and vitamin supplements, natural remedies and recreational drugs.
  • Be sure that all of your doctors know of any allergies you may have to any medications, anesthesia, foods, latex products, etc.
  • When you are brought medications or IV fluids, ask the person to check to be sure you are the patient who is supposed to receive the medications. Show that person your ID bracelet to double-check.

Our spiritual care program offers comfort & support for patients and families. We support people of all religious backgrounds or with no religious affiliation.

Our chaplain and spiritual volunteers are here to:

  • Listen carefully
  • Offer comfort
  • Give blessings
  • Help you tell your story
  • Accompany you at a stressful time
  • Offer prayer and help you to pray
  • Calm you with breathing and relaxation exercises
  • Guide you in meditation
  • Share inspirational poetry, stories and scripture
  • Help you grieve

Please call 207-301-8546 or ask your provider.

 

Advance Directives

Do you have an Advance Directive or Living Will? Keep your family informed.

 

Contact us

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