Hospital Resources

CaringBridge

Washington Health System offers CaringBridge.org, a free, personal and private website that helps connect friends and family during important health-related life events. You can use CaringBridge to share information about your loved one through your individually created website. Family members can easily provide updated information by writing journal entries and displaying photos for their CaringBridge community. Available 24 hours a day, visitors to the website can send messages of support and encouragement in the guestbook.

Case Management

The Washington Health System has developed a case management program. A professional team is here to assist you and your family throughout your hospital stay. They can guide you through the health care system—from admission to discharge and beyond—by ensuring that you receive:

• coordinated post-discharge care
• home care referrals, when necessary
• coordination with post-acute facilities, skilled nursing facilities, acute rehab or long-term care facilities
• counseling and support
• assistance with medical-related financial concerns
• access to community resources to continue your recovery
• assistance in meeting the medical insurance requirements for outpatient services
• coordination of durable medical equipment such as oxygen, wheelchairs or beds for home use
• information about advance directives

Home Health Service

Should you require additional care after discharge from the hospital, home health services are available. Washington Health System recognizes your right to select the home care provider of your choice, and will work with you and your chosen provider. Concordia Visiting Nurses is the preferred provider for Washington Health System.

Home health service is available to homebound patients and includes skilled nursing, home health aides, social work services and physical, occupational and speech therapies.

The case management team will make arrangements with any provider for services ordered by your doctor.

Hospice Care

Hospice care provides physical, psychological, social, spiritual and bereavement support to terminally ill patients and their families. Care can be provided wherever the patient would like—at home, in the hospital or at the Donnell House.

Washington Health System recognizes your right to select the hospice provider of your choice and will work with you and your selected provider. Insurance coverage for hospice care varies.

Concordia Hospice of Washington is the preferred hospice care provider for Washington Health System. Hospice care provides quality patient care and receives excellent patient satisfaction ratings from patients and their families.

Meds to Beds Discharge Prescription Program

During your stay at Washington, you will be asked if you would like to have any new prescriptions filled by our pharmacy and delivered to you in your room prior to discharge. We are able to bill many prescription plans so your cost would be the same as what you would expect to pay at your regular pharmacy.

Palliative Medicine

Palliative medicine is a patient- and family-centered medical specialty focusing on relief of pain, symptoms and stresses of serious illness. Palliative medicine is not hospice. Active and aggressive treatments can be continued while receiving palliative medicine.

The palliative medicine team includes doctors, physician assistants/certified nurse practitioners, pastoral care, pharmacists, social workers, case managers, nutritionists and our specialized nurses serving patients in the hospital. The goal of palliative medicine is to ensure the highest quality of life possible for patients and families.

Examples of ways this is accomplished include:

• treatment of pain and other distressing symptoms
• psychological and spiritual support
• identification of personal preferences and goals of care
• a support system to help patients live as actively and independently as possible
• family and caregiver support, information and guidance
• nutritional counseling and support

Pastoral Care

We encourage you and your family to use your own spiritual advisor or our Department of Pastoral Care if you need help making health care choices. We at Washington Health System will assist in any way possible.

Pastoral care is available for visitation, spiritual support and emergencies. The director of pastoral care works in conjunction with The Greater Washington Ministerium, Catholic priest and Eucharistic ministers. A chaplain can be reached through a request to staff for a visit by calling the operator at Washington Hospital at 724-225-7000 or 0 in the hospital or at WHS Greene at 724-627-3101.