Information and Assistance
Volunteers are available at the patient entrance and visitor entrance information desks during most business hours to assist patients and visitors who need information or wheelchair assistance. A telephone with a direct line to the Safety/Security Department is located outside each entrance for those who need to request assistance. Wheelchairs, public restrooms, pay telephones, and courtesy phones for in-house or local calls are available inside the entrances. A portable telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) is available by dialing "0" to contact the hospital operator.

Cafeteria
The WillowView Café serving area is open to hospital visitors from 6:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Hot meals are served from 7:30 a.m to 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday; 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily, and 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. The dining area is open around the clock. Vending machines are available 24 hours a day near the cafeteria and Emergency Department waiting area. Snack items are also available in Weatherby's Gift Shop located near the main lobby. A visitor may arrange to have a guest meal tray served to him or her in a patient room by requesting and paying for the tray in advance in the cafeteria.

Gifts for Patients
Visitors should check with the patient's nurse before bringing gifts of food or drink. Please check with the patient's nurse to make sure a gift is appropriate. Flowers and balloons cannot be accepted for patients in the Intensive Care/Coronary Care Unit.

Gifts, magazines, cards, stamps, flower arrangements and snack items may be purchased in Weatherby's Gift Shop adjacent to the lobby. The Gift Shop, staffed by volunteers, is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays and during some evening and weekend hours.

Waiting Areas
A waiting room is available on each floor and in the Emergency Department for the use of visitors and patients. Visitors waiting for patients who are in surgery or in the Outpatient Center are encouraged to register in the Betty G. Anastas Visitor Waiting Area on the first floor in the main lobby. Volunteers keep these visitors informed of patients' progress.

Wireless Internet Access (Wi-Fi)
Wireless internet access, or Wi-Fi, is available to guests and families in most hospital waiting areas.

Patient and Visitor Concerns
Patients and visitors are encouraged to bring their concerns to the attention of our Patient Relations Department located on the Lower Level. O'Bleness views your concerns as an opportunity for improvement. Concerns may also be expressed by filling out a comment card located at boxes posted throughout the hospital. Our Patient Relations Department may be contacted by email or phone at extension 9383 or (740) 592-9206.

Smoking Areas
To protect the health of our patients, visitors and staff, smoking is prohibited inside the hospital and at entrances. Patients are not permitted to smoke in any area of the hospital. Smoking cessation aides are available upon request. Visitors may smoke only in designated areas a short distance from the Visitor and Emergency Department entrances and in a shelter adjacent to the patio at the cafeteria.

Visiting Hours
Patients are asked to limit visitors to two at one time and observe established visiting hours. While contact with loved ones is important therapy, patients need rest and privacy. Patients may receive phone calls in their rooms between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. The phone in each inpatient room can be called directly from outside the hospital.

Telephone Calls
Patients may receive phone calls in their rooms between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. The phone in each inpatient room can be called directly from outside the hospital. Pay phones are located in the main lobby, second- and third-floor hallways, and near the Emergency Department waiting area. Anyone who is paged may answer the page on the wall telephones located in the cafeteria, Birth Center waiting area or Emergency Department waiting area, or on the desk phones located in the main lobby and third-floor waiting areas. To answer a page, dial the phone extension announced during the page, or dial 0 for assistance from the hospital operator. Our switchboard is equipped with a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) to assist hearing-impaired people who call the hospital. The number to call for O'Bleness' TDD is (740) 592-9495. We also have a portable TDD available that our nurses can arrange to have brought to a patient's room.

Pastoral Care Chaplains
O'Bleness Memorial Hospital offers access to pastoral care through volunteer chaplains who can provide emotional and spiritual support to patients and those who are close to them. Ask a nurse if you would like to request a visit from a volunteer chaplain or your personal clergy.

Meditation Room
Our meditation room adjacent to the main lobby is open at all times to patients and visitors for private reflection. Literature of major faiths is available in the room. The Medication Room is also available for private conversations with physicians, patients and/or family members.

Parking
Free parking is available for visitors and patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the parking lot directly across from the hospital's Visitor Entrance. Patients and visitors are cautioned not to park in reserved areas and advised to lock their cars. Those who need an escort to their car should call the Safety/Security Department at extension 6179.

Vehicle Assistance
Officers from the Safety/Security Department are available to assist patients and visitors with changing a tire, starting an engine, retrieving keys locked in a car, or escorting patients and visitors to their cars. For assistance, call extension 6179 or to ask a nurse to contact the Safety/Security Department.

Transportation
Transportation for patients and visitors leaving the hospital is available through the Athens Transit System and local cab companies. Buses stop at the Visitor Entrance of the hospital when called in advance. A route schedule is available at the Visitor Entrance Information Desk. Volunteers at the desk will assist patients and visitors with calling a cab.

Transport to Another Facility
Patients may need to be transported to another medical facility for their care. If a patient must be transferred to another facility, maps are available for visitors and family members. Ask a nurse for directions.