As a patient in our hospitals, you are our primary concern. You are our guest, and we are here to care for you and to serve your healthcare needs. We will do all we can to make your stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible. If, at any time, you feel that we could improve our service to you, please do not hesitate to ask any staff member for assistance.

Visitation Policy

Our Visitation Policy outlines the procedure for general visiting hours and informs patients and visitors of visitation rights.  To access the Visitation Policy, please click here.

Welcome Card

WMC has prepared a Welcome Card to answer questions about our services and the care you will receive at our hospitals and physicians offices. The card includes information about our primary care services, as well as general information about the hospital. A print version of this guide will be presented to you at your first appointment or upon request.

Parking

Visitors and patients are asked to park in the main lots behind the hospital building. These are close to the main entrance. We ask that you not park in the Middle Street parking lot (no access to this parking lot entrance). Please lock your car and do not leave children or pets unattended.

Chapel

Being in the hospital can be a difficult experience for both patients and their families. It’s normal for people to have concerns about what is happening to them and to have feelings of loneliness, doubt, sadness, or even anger.

You may visit the Busi Memorial Chapel at any time for prayer, meditation, reflection, or just to be at peace. The seasonal splendor of life and nature is shown in the chapel’s stained glass window. Please feel free to take and read any literature placed there. Busi Chapel is located on the second floor, in the Administrative Area, near the elevators.

Phones, TV, Mail, Laptops and Email

Telephones are in every patient room. Please ask the nurse if you need directions. No charge for local calls; please charge long distant calls to a credit call or place a collect call. Cell phones are restricted to limited use in private areas. A public telephone for use by visitors is located near the lobby on the first floor, next to the elevators.
Televisions are in every room at no added charge. You may view the major network channels. If you have a roommate who is trying to rest, please keep the volume low.
Mail is delivered daily, except on weekends. If you want to send a letter, your nurse will assist you. If mail arrives after you have been discharged, it will be forwarded to your home address unless you have made other arrangements.
Laptops and Email. A wi-fi connection is available in the hospital. Please contact either the nurses station of front desk in the lobby for the access password.

Safety and Security

In-Room Assistance. Your nurse will show you how to operate your bed, over-bed table, television, and call button. When you need help, push the call button and your nurse will response as soon as possible. All patient bathrooms and showers have an emergency pull cord. A light will flash at the nursing station to alert your nurse of your need for help.
Smoke-Free Policy. Weeks Medical Center and its physicians offices in Whitefield, Groveton, North Stratford, and Lancaster are “tobacco free,” meaning that no tobacco use of any kind may be used on hospital property including a 25-foot property line buffer. Weeks offers smoking cessation classes several times during the year. Please contact (603) 788-5023 for more information.
Emergency Vehicle Assistance. Our Maintenance Department will provide limited motor vehicle assistance (e.g. jump starts, car unlocks, flat tires). Please call extension 5012. There is no charge for this service.
Securing Your Valuables. Your nurse will help you put away personal items. To prevent possible loss or damage, we urge you to send home any items you will not need. The hospital has a safe for money or small items.
Security. For security concerns during regular hours (7:00 am–3:30 pm), call extension 5012. At other items, dial “0” for the operator or notify your nurse.
Weapons. No weapons are allowed in Weeks Medical Center facilities. Weapons include, but not limited to, firearms, knives, and mace.
Lost and Found. We have a lost and found office at extension 5026.

Notice of Accessibility:

Weeks Medical Center and all of its programs and activities are accessible to and usable by disabled persons, including persons with impaired hearing and vision.

Access features include:

• Convenient off-street parking designated specifically for disabled persons.
• Curb cuts and ramps between parking areas and buildings.
• Level access into first level with elevator access to all other floors.
• Fully accessible offices, meeting rooms, bathrooms, public waiting areas, cafeteria, patient treatment areas, including examining rooms and patient wards.
• A full range of assistive and communication aids provided to persons with impaired hearing, vision, speech, or manual skills, without additional charge for such aids.

Some of these aids include:

• Qualified sign language interpreters for the deaf.
• A twenty-four hour (24) telecommunication device for deaf (TTY/TDD) that can connect the caller to all extensions within the facility and/or portable (TTY/TDD) units for use by hearing or speech impaired patients/clients.
• Readers and taped material for the blind and large-print materials for the visually impaired.
• Flash cards, alphabet boards, and other communication boards.
• Assistive devices for persons with impaired manual skills.

Fragrance Free Clinic

Your being fragrance free when visiting our facility/clinic is greatly appreciated. Many patients are affected by strong scents.

Interpretive Language Services

Weeks Medical Center offers language translation services 24 hours a day through remote video interpretation. Language assistance is available to all patients free of charge for dozens of languages, including American Sign Language, Spanish, French, Chinese, Nepali, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Greek, Arabic, Serbo-Croatian, Indonesian, Korean, Russian, French Creole, Bantu, and Polish. It’s part of our commitment to make sure that patients receive the best possible care—no matter what language they speak. We employ the Stratus video interpretation system for our translation services.

We also provide interpretative services for the hearing and visually impaired. We strive to provide the best possible communication access and patient care while meeting all federal and state of New Hampshire mandates. For more information or to request interpreting services, please call us between the hours of 8:00 am – 4:30 pm Monday through Friday at 603-788-5265, or for emergency evening and weekend needs, call 603-788-4911 and speak to the Communications Department

For more information about the Stratus Video Interpretative system, see the video below.

Introduction to Stratus Video

Service Animal Policy

What Is a Service Animal?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines service animals as “dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” It also specifies that “organizations that serve the public [such as Weeks] must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is normally allowed to go.” That’s why it’s important to differentiate service dogs from companion animals (pets): Service dogs and their owners are granted special access rights that don’t apply to other types of animals. It is illegal in New Hampshire to falsify a pet as a service animal.

Untrained domestic animals can cause distractions for legitimate service animals, endanger their handlers, and leave a bad public impression about service animals.

How Can You Identify a Service Animal?

Service animals should:

• be under their handler’s control at all times
• be even-tempered
• ignore other dogs and distractions
• be well-groomed
• sit or stay quietly to remain unnoticed

Service animals should not:

• urinate or defecate inappropriately
• jump, scratch, bark, or exhibit other disruptive behavior
• engage with other dogs, people, children, or distractions
• smell or appear unkempt in any way
• be anxious, agitated, or aggressive
• sneak or steal food

Passing Your Pet Off as Service Animal Is a Misdemeanor in New Hampshire (RSA 167-D:8)

• It is unlawful to fit a domestic animal with a color, leash, vest, sign, harness, or tag that designates it as a service animal if that animal is not a service animal.
• It is unlawful to impersonate a disability by word or action for the purpose of receiving service animal accommodations or accessories.
• It is unlawful for any person to willfully interfere or attempt to interfere with a service animals.

What WMC Can Do

WMC can ask if the service animal is required because of a disability and whether the dog has been trained to do specific tasks.

WMC can ask to have an animal removed if the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action, or if the dog is not housebroken.

WMC cannot ask for any documentation and should not accept any false proof of service animal.

For more information on service animals and the law, please visit nh.gov/disability.

Download a copy of “The Law and Service Animals.”