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Patient Education and ResourcesPatient Education ProgramOur Patient Education Program provides patients and their families with classes, television programs, and written materials to help you better understand your hospitalization and illness. The programs teach you about diseases and their treatments, show you ways to prevent disease and injury, help you get acquainted with the hospital, or prepare you for going home. The Patient Education Program includes videotapes shown on Channels 2 and 3 of your hospital television. These channels are free, and topics range from infant care and smoking to heart surgery and alcohol abuse. Tapes can be viewed from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Sunday through Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. To view a tape, please ask your nurse for assistance. Tutoring for Younger Patients The State Department of Education, the Richmond Public Schools, and the Department of Pediatrics sponsor a hospital school program for patients ages 2 to 2l years of age who are in need of instruction during their hospital stay. Parents must simply sign a permission form for tutoring to begin. Certified hospital teachers tutor on the various pediatric and oncology units, as well as on the psychiatric unit. These teachers serve as a link between the hospital setting and the child's school, where credit may be given for work completed here. For more information about this service, please see your nurse or Patient Representative. VCU Health System HealthLine HealthLine is a prerecorded phone library of over 1,000 health related topics. Information is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by dialing (804) VCU-MCVH (or 828-6284) and following the instructions. Topics include medical information, directions to MCV, billing and insurance information, patient services, and descriptions of a variety of services available only at MCV. A brief list of topics that may be of interest during your hospital stay are shown below. General Information:
While you are in the hospital, the care you receive may be monitored by the hospital's Utilization Review Committee using Medicare guidelines. Medicare rules make it necessary for patients to return home or to another alternative setting when they are medically able to do so. When you were admitted to the medical center, you were given a form entitled An Important Message from Medicare. You were asked to sign this form agreeing that you received a copy of it. Keep your copy of this form, since it provides information about your rights as a Medicare patient. If you misplace your copy and need another, please call your Patient Representative. Advance Directives The Health Care Decisions Act permits Virginians to record their wishes about extraordinary care in the event of a terminal illness. In accordance with Federal law, MCV policy, and the Virginia State Statutes, we are required to ask all patients upon admission whether or not they have a living will or a medical durable power of attorney. We also provide educational information on advance directives to patients and families. If you require additional information regarding living wills, medical durable powers of attorney, or organ, tissue and eye donation, please call any of the following departments:
Members of the MCV Ethics Committee are available to discuss ethical problems and issues, such as end-of-life issues, pain management, withdrawing or withholding treatment, and informed consent issues. The committee is a resource for those troubled by the ethical results of health care decision-making, and can provide a sounding board for a variety of ethical perspectives. The role of the committee is to advise and assist caregivers to consider a full range of ethical options in reaching their decisions, rather than to dictate a particular decision. You, a family member, designated representative, or any member of the health care team may request to speak with an ethics committee member by calling (804) 828-0938.
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Date Last Modified: April 26, 2001 Questions or Comments? Contact Us |
401 North 12th Street Richmond, VA 23298 VCU Health System Information: (804) 828-9000 |
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