Patients + Visitors

For your convenience, an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is available near the Patient Service Center on the ground floor of the Dahod Building and on the first floor near the Conference Center Entrance at the Lowell General main campus. An ATM is located near the First Floor Conference Room at the Lowell General Saints campus.

Latex balloons are prohibited in the hospital due to patient and employee allergies.

Flowers are delivered to a patient’s room by a hospital volunteer as soon as they are received. Because most patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are often too ill to appreciate them fully, flowers are sent to ICU patients are returned to the florist and re-sent when patients leave the ICU. If a patient requests not to include their name in the hospital directory, mail and flowers will not be delivered to the patient’s room.

The Lowell General Hospital Gift Shop, located inside the Circle Health Pharmacy on the ground floor of the Dahod Building at our Main Campus, now offers a full selection of gift cards. We have gift cards available for restaurants, businesses, Amazon, as well as Visa and Mastercard. The gift shop also carries a wide selection of gifts, clothing, accessories and convenience items.

We take all precautions necessary to protect patients, employees and visitors from the spread of infection and communicable diseases. Our employees may wear gloves, gowns and masks when treating you or other patients. This is for your protection as well as their own. Special care is taken to dispose of linens, waste materials and needles.

Fortunately, many infections can be avoided simply by following proper hand washing techniques. Both care providers and visitors should wash their hands or use waterless hand sanitizer before and after visiting you. You can protect yourself by asking everyone who enters your room to wash their hands.

To help prevent the spread of infection:

• Ensure that everyone who visits you has washed their hands or used waterless hand sanitizer immediately before entering the room. Easy access to sinks and waterless hand sanitizer are available throughout the facility.
• If children visit, please do not allow them to sit or crawl on the floor. Be sure that they follow hand hygiene and wash their hands thoroughly or use waterless hand sanitizer before and after visiting.
• If your condition requires additional protection, protective gloves and gowns are available for visitors and staff to help maintain a safe environment.
• Restrict visitors who are not feeling well. A visitor with a simple cold, cough or rash can easily spread infections to you and other patients.
• Individuals with recent exposure to infectious diseases such as chicken pox or other communicable diseases may not be allowed to visit. When appropriate, hospital staff may ask visitors about potential exposures prior to entering your room.
• Should your condition require isolation, a sign may be placed near your door reminding others to use extra precautions. This is done to protect you from potential infection. Your nurse will explain the necessary procedures to you and your family if it is required.
   

Public restrooms are located in the following areas at the main campus:

• Near the Dahod Building main lobby (handicap accessible)
• Near the Conference Center lobby (handicap accessible)
• Near the Mansfield Building elevators (handicap accessible)
• On all Dahod Building patient floors and also by visitor lounge elevators on each floor
• Emergency Department (handicap accessible)
• In the cafeteria seating area
• Near the Chapel / Meditation Room

Public restrooms are located in the following areas at the Saints campus:

• Near the front lobby
• Patient floors visitor lounge near the elevators
• Across from Cardiac Diagnostic (handicap accessible)
• Near Cafeteria seating area (handicap accessible)
   

Lowell General Hospital is proud to be tobacco-free. The use of tobacco and tobacco products is strictly prohibited on all Lowell General properties, including vehicles parked on our properties. No smoking or use of tobacco products is allowed anywhere on our campuses. This policy applies to patients and their visitors as well as to employees, physicians, volunteers and vendors. Thank you for adhering to this policy, which creates a healthier environment for our patients, visitors and staff. For more information and to learn more or for other resources call 877.LGH.WELL.

Tobacco-Free & Smoking Policy

1. The use of tobacco and smoking products such as (cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, pipes, electronic cigarettes, etc.) is prohibited in or on all Lowell General Hospital owned or leased buildings, grounds, parking lots, parking garages, or vehicles on its properties. No exceptions to this policy will be granted.
2. Signs will be posted at strategic locations around Lowell General Hospital’s facilities to notify staff, visitors and patients of this policy.
3. Patients and visitors will be informed of the tobacco and smoking policy upon arrival or admission as appropriate through distribution and/or explanation of the policy.
4. No physicians with privileges at Lowell General Hospital may write orders for a patients to use tobacco or smoking products on any Lowell General Hospital properties.
5. All employees are authorized to reinforce this policy with courtesy and diplomacy to all persons observed using tobacco and smoking products on any Lowell General Hospital property.

Resources for when you are ready to quit

Speak with your inpatient provider or primary care physician

• Massachusetts Smokers Resource
• American Lung Association
• American Heart Association, Quit Smoking for Good brochure, 1.800.AHA.USA1
• National Cancer Institute, 1.877.44U.QUIT
• American Cancer Society, How to Quit Smoking, 1.800.ACS.2345
• QuitWorks NH, 1.800.QUIT.NOW (1.800.784.8669)
   

At the Lowell General main campus, TTY/TDD machines are available in the Telecommunications Office on the first floor of the Mansfield Building.

At the Lowell General Saints campus, TTY/TDD machines are located in the Emergency Department.

The Lowell General Hospital cafeterias offer a wide selection of hot and cold entrees, a full salad bar, sandwiches, snacks and beverages. If a family member or friend would like to eat in your room with you, the person may purchase a meal in the cafeteria and bring it back to your room.

Vending machines
The Lowell General main campus vending machines for snacks and beverages are located near the cafeteria on the ground floor, outside the ICU/ICC patient areas on the first floor and in the Emergency Department lobby. The Lowell General Saints campus vending machines are located in the Reilly Building on the fourth floor next to the service elevators. If assistance is required, please contact the (800) number noted on the vending machine.

Dunkin’ Donuts®
The Lowell General main campus Dunkin’ Donuts is open every day with a location in the main lobby. The Lowell General Saints campus Dunkin’ Donuts is open every day, and is located on the first floor in the main lobby.

Visitor policy update June 2023

• Visiting hours are 10 am–8 pm, 7 days a week for adult patients.
• Intensive Care Unit visiting hours are 9 am–8 pm.
• Special Care Nursery (NICU): No hour limitations for parents/guardians. One visitor is allowed between 10 am–8 pm if accompanied by a parent (must be 16 or older).
• Labor and Delivery: No hour limitations for designated support person. Support person plus one other person allowed (can switch in and out to enable one person in the room at a time).
• Post-Partum Unit: No hour limitations for birth partner/support person. Normal visiting hours are from 10 am–8 pm. One adult is allowed to stay overnight. Siblings under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult who is not the patient.
• Pediatrics Unit: No hour limitations for parents/guardians. One parent may sleep overnight in room. Visiting hours are 10 am–8 pm. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult who is not the patient, and number of visitors in the room at a time may be limited.,
• Emergency Department: No hour limitations for visitor/support person

Screening and visitation restrictions

• Visitors may be screened upon entry into the facility and/or a patient’s room.
• Visitors with respiratory disease, recent exposure to infectious diseases or any sign of communicable infection (such as a simple cold, cough or rash) are not permitted to visit hospital patients as a visitor can easily spread infections to you and other patients.
• Visitors should check in with the unit’s team center to inform staff of their presence prior to entering a patient’s room.
• Visitors should wash their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before entering any patient rooms.
• All children must be accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult (not the patient).
• There may be limits placed on the number of visitors, including overnight visitors, at any time by a member of the healthcare team.
• Patients have the right to refuse visitors at any time by informing a member of their healthcare team.
• If a patient is undergoing a medical consultation or procedure, visitation may be temporarily restricted.
• In cases of special care precautions, appropriate signs are posted on patient room doors indicating isolation precautions. Visitors must check in with the patient’s nurse prior to entering these patient rooms. Visitors may be instructed to wear specified personal protective equipment.
• In the event of a crisis or special situation, patient visitation may be restricted as deemed necessary and appropriate by the administrative coordinator and/or public safety.

We know that the process of verifying your demographic and insurance information can sometimes seem overwhelming, but it serves many important purposes. The most important purposes are being able to identify you properly in our electronic medical record, collect information on how to reach you and your loved ones during and after your stay and collect the correct insurance information.

Some insurance companies require the hospital to notify them of your admission, but please do not worry; we will take care of that for you.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Manager of Admitting at the phone number below:

• Lowell General Main Campus - 978.937.6000, ext. 76006
• Lowell General Saints Campus - 978.458.1411, ext. 64414

Please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you.

A room will be assigned to you based on your diagnosis and room availability. Your bed has an electronic control that enables you to raise or lower your head or feet. Your bedside rails can be raised for your safety. Please use these side rails and call for assistance when getting out of bed. If you have any concerns related to your bed or the temperature in your room, please call the Service Response Center by dialing 2255 on your hospital room telephone or by speaking with your nurse, so we can make any adjustments necessary to ensure your comfort during your stay with us.

Your room includes a call button that will ring at the team center if you need assistance. When you press the call button at your bedside, the staff is alerted that you need assistance and will respond as soon as possible. A pull cord is also located in the bathroom.

Telephone

As a service to our patients, local calls plus calls within Massachusetts and to New Hampshire are free of charge. Your telephone number is listed on the white board in your room. To provide uninterrupted rest time, incoming phone service is turned off at 10:00pm and resumes at 7:00am. For your convenience, long distance calls may be charged to a calling card or be made collect. You will be responsible for the cost of long distance calls.

Dialing instructions:

• Dial 0 to reach the hospital operator
• Local Calls: Dial 9 + area code + telephone number
• MA and NH: Dial 9 + 1 + area code + telephone number
• Long Distance Calls (collect, calling card, third party):
• Dial 800 to reach an outside operator (main campus)
• Dial 9 + 1 + area code + telephone number (Saints campus)
• TTY/TDD equipment is available upon request.

Television

Most patient rooms are equipped with GetWell Network, a user-friendly interactive television entertainment and communication system. With GetWell Network, you are able to watch movies, check personal email and access the Internet, contact our Service Response Center to make housekeeping requests and call your nurse. This system also features a library of informative videos about health conditions and special diets. Please call the Service Response Center by dialing 2255 from your hospital room telephone or ask your nurse if you would like a keyboard or a headset to enhance your entertainment experience.

Your valuables

Please do not keep any valuable items in your room as we cannot be responsible for the loss of money or personal property kept at your bedside. If you wear dentures, please pay special attention to where you place them after removal. Jewelry and other valuable items should be placed in the hospital vault for safe-keeping or sent home. Please talk with your nurse about storing your valuables securely. When you leave, please remember to take all of your belongings with you.

To inquire about lost or found articles, please call the Lost and Found Hotline at the Lowell General main campus at 978.937.6000, ext. 75300 or the Lowell General Saints campus at 978.458.1411, ext. 64444.  

If for some reason you are not satisfied with the hotline, please contact Patient Relations at 978.937.6458.

Your physician may order either a regular diet or a special diet suited to your needs or medical condition. Special food preferences (religious, cultural and vegetarian meals) can be accommodated to the extent that they comply with your physician’s prescribed diet for you. Patients are asked not to eat foods brought by visitors or from the cafeteria without checking with your physician or nurse.

If you have any questions or concerns with your menu selection, food delivery or quality, please contact Food and Nutrition Services at the Lowell General main campus at 978.937.6000, ext. 76325 or at the Lowell General Saints campus at 978.458.1411, ext. 64148.

A registered dietitian is also available for nutritional counseling during your stay as well as for follow-up appointments regarding nutritional needs after discharge.

If you need a Notary Public while you are in the hospital, call the Lowell General main campus at 978.937.6000, ext. 76141 or 978.788.7262.

As a patient at Lowell General Hospital, you have the right to have physical privacy during medical treatment and personal hygiene functions, unless you need assistance.

Lowell General also ensures confidential treatment of information about you. Information in your records will not be released to anyone outside the hospital without your approval, unless required by law. Please notify your nurse upon admission if you would like to include any family member or other individual in discussions about your diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

Notice of Privacy Practices

Lowell General Hospital has a special team of caregivers who supports clinicians, patients and families when assistance with care is required. Though we encourage you to communicate your concerns with the nurse, our Rapid Response Team can be accessed in a complicated medical situation or when an urgent medical situation exists. Once activated, a team of medical professionals is alerted and will arrive in the room to assess the situation. In offering our families the Rapid Response Team option, we want you to know that you are our partners in care. If you have questions, please discuss them with one of our healthcare providers.

If a noticeable medical change in the patient occurs and you need help, dial “0” from any hospital telephone and ask for the Rapid Response Team.

The Web Nursery is a special service for parents of babies born in The Birthplace at Lowell General Hospital. 

Mail is delivered daily to your room. When you are discharged, all mail will be forwarded to the mailing address you have given the hospital. If you requested not to include your name in the hospital directory, mail and flowers will not be delivered to your room.

Please have all mail addressed as follows:

Main campus

Patient first and last name
Patient room #
Lowell General Hospital
Main campus
295 Varnum Avenue
Lowell, MA 01854-2193

Saints campus

Patient first and last name
Patient room #
Lowell General Hospital
Saints campus
1 Hospital Drive
Lowell, MA 01852-1389

• Speak up for your care!
• Wash your hands and ask others to as well.
• Sneeze or cough into your elbow.
• If your room looks dirty, ask to have it cleaned.
• Every day, ask if you still need your catheter.
• Ask about safe injection practices. One Needle, One Syringe, One Time.
• Take medications as directed.
• Ask if you should shower with a germ-killing soap before surgery.

If you have further questions, please ask your nurse or ask that one of the Infection Control nurses be contacted.