patient in wheelchair with visitor

Patients and Visitors

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Great care begins with our outstanding staff. Everyone involved in your care is here to serve your needs. Your involvement -- asking questions, keeping track of your medications, and learning about patient and visitor safety - is a partnership we value highly.

Visitation Guidelines – Updated July 28, 2021

In alignment with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Emergency Temporary Standards (OSHA ETS), SLH has taken precautions to protect and maintain the health and safety of patients and staff during the COVID-19 outbreak to prevent the introduction of this infection into the hospitals. Visitation within hospitals has been modified, given the risk of COVID-19 in the healthcare setting.

Regular hospital visitation hours shall resume at all SLH hospitals. Certain exceptions still apply to specific units within the hospitals.  

All Visitors and Support Persons, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status, will be required to complete a health screening (questions and temperature check), wear a face mask at all times, clean their hands with soap/water/hand sanitizer before entering and after leaving a patient room, and practice social distancing throughout the visitation. 

Visitor and Support Persons Guidance

SLH hospitals will resume pre-pandemic visiting hours for most patients.

Restrictions on visitation remain in effect for the below patient categories.  Exceptions may be made for Support Persons for pediatric patients, Labor and Delivery, patients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD), cognitive impairments including dementia and end-of-life situations, and other patients who have the right to be accompanied by a Support Person.

  • Emergency Room patients
  • COVID-19 positive patients
  • Patients awaiting COVID-19 test results
  • Cancer infusion center patients  
  • Inpatient behavioral health (chemical dependency and mental health) patients

Hospital staff must record the name and contact information for Support Persons and Visitors of hospitalized patients, the date(s) of their visits, and the name of the patient(s) visited.

Hospital visitation duration and number of Visitors will be limited at the hospital’s discretion based on circumstances. A hospital may suspend visitation at any time when warranted. Recommended hours of visitation will ultimately be determined by the hospital.

Hospitals may have further restrictions on age requirements for specific units/departments (example: OB Unit Visitors must be at least 12 years of age).

 

 

Browse our most common services listed below or use one of the links to the right.

Cafeteria/Food Service

If your loved one is hospitalized, he/she will be provided with meals or snacks appropriate to his/her healing plan; always ask your loved one's nurse about bringing food items from home or a restaurant.

Canton-Potsdam Hospital
The Hospital Café is located on street-level

Gouverneur Hospital
The Hospital Café is located on the lower-level

Massena Hospital
The Hospital Cafeteria is located on the 2nd floor
 

Medical Records

If you have an established Patient Portal, you can review your records for Canton-Potsdam, Gouverneur, and Massena hospitals at any time.

If you do not have a Patient Portal and need your medical records, please call the appropriate hospital's Medical Records office:
Canton-Potsdam Hospital: (315) 261-5274
Gouverneur Hospital: (315) 261-5709
Massena Hospital: (315) 769-4386

Needle/Sharps Disposal

We offer a service for safe disposal of used needles and sharps. Use a specially-designed sharps container available from most pharmacies, or place your used sharps in an empty detergent or bleach bottle, seal the bottle, and label it clearly as "used sharps."

Please do not leave sharps bottles unattended at any time.

Canton-Potsdam Hospital
Bring containers to 50 Leroy Street and notify the switchboard staff that you have used sharps for disposal. 

Gouverneur Hospital
Bring containers to 77 West Barney Street and notify the laboratory staff that you have used sharps for disposal. 

Massena Hospital
Bring containers to 1 Hospital Drive and notify the laboratory staff that you have used sharps for disposal. 

Parking

Our employees make every effort to leave the closest parking spaces open for patients and visitors, and spaces for people with disabilities are clearly marked. Designated space for emergency visits and for clergy is available adjacent to the emergency room of the main campus.

Patient Consent Forms

The Official OCA 960 (Office of Court Administration) Authorization for Release form is an authorization for release of Health Information pursuant to the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
OCA 960 Form

Patient Relations

Compliments and words of thanks are welcome and are relayed to staff members and supervisors. We love to hear the good, and we need to hear the not-so-good.

If something about your care is of concern to you, allow our Director of Patient Experience to address your concern first. We are committed to continuous improvement and your feedback assists us in serving you better. If you have a concern about your care or your visit to us, please contact:

CPH's Director of Patient Experience at (315) 261-5050
GH's Director of Patient Experience at (315) 535-9362
MH's Department of Patient Concerns at (315) 842-3025

Tobacco Use

ALL OUR CAMPUSES ARE PROUDLY SMOKE-FREE.

New York State law prohibits smoking on or within 15 feet of the property line of a medical facility, or on or within 100 feet of a school or educational facility.

If you use tobacco products and are admitted as an inpatient, please speak to your nurse. Help with quitting smoking is available from all of our primary care providers and Pulmonology specialists.

Because some of our Potsdam facilities are adjacent to property designated as educational, smoking is not permitted on the sidewalks, parking lots, or across the street from our Potsdam campus.