Patient Services
Television
Each patient room is equipped with a television. The program guide can be found on Channel 7 in English, and on Channel 42 in Spanish. All channels can be accessed at no charge. If your television is not working properly, please ask a member of your health care team for help.
Services for Patients With Communication Impairments
Resources are available for patients who have communication impairments. These resources include: sign language interpreters, Text Telephones for the Deaf (TTDs), and telephone receiver amplifiers. To obtain any of these resources, please ask a member of your health care team.
Foreign Language Interpreters
Foreign language interpreters are available for patients who prefer to discuss health care information in a language other than English. If you need an interpreter, please ask a member of your health care team.
Ethics Consultation
Modern health care can sometimes raise ethical questions that cause confusion, anxiety or uncertainty about what course of action to take in a particular case. Any patient, family member or health care professional needing to discuss such questions in order to make a health care decision can call our Ethics Consultation Office at (409) 747-1230. Ethics consultations are advisory and free of charge.
Personal Belongings
UTMB Health strongly recommends that you leave valuables at home or send them home with a friend or family member. For items that require special care, such as eyeglasses, dentures and hearing aids, ask your nurse to assist you in caring for these items, if needed. Please take care not to leave any of these items on your meal tray or lying on your bed, as they may be accidentally lost when your room is cleaned. The hospital is not responsible for the replacement of lost or damaged personal items in patient rooms or waiting areas.
Gifts
Floral Deliveries
Flowers will be delivered to patient rooms, except for patients in our intensive care units (ICUs). Please keep in mind that large plants and flowers are difficult to deliver and must be removed upon discharge.
Gifts for Patients
Visitors should check with the nurse before bringing gifts of food or drink to patients. On the intensive care unit, please check with the unit regarding any gifts for patients.
Gift Shop
The Gift Shop is located in the main hospital lobby. It is open weekdays from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and weekends from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The shop has gift items, jewelry, magazines, greeting cards, candy, toiletries, flowers and plants. The Gift Shop phone number is (409) 772-9800.
Smoking
To provide a healthy and comfortable environment for our patients, visitors and employees, the use of all tobacco products is pro-hibited everywhere on the UTMB Health campus. This includes all buildings, patient rooms, stairwells, and outdoor grounds. This “no smoking” policy is strictly enforced.
Mail addressed to patients is delivered to the nursing station each weekday. Mailboxes for outgoing items are located on each floor. In the event you have been discharged, mail will be returned to the sender unless other arrangements are made by the pa-tient or patient’s family prior to discharge. The Mail Services Department may be contacted at (409) 747-3260.
Parking
Parking garages for patients and visitors are located on Market Street between University Boulevard and 8th Street (Garage 1) and at 10th Street and Harborside Drive (Garage 2). The Market Street garage provides easy access to John Sealy Hospital, and the Harborside facility is connected to the University Hospital Clinics Building. The parking fee in these garages is $1.75 per hour, with a maximum charge of $14 per day.
Garages are open 24 hours a day with attendants on duty in Garage 1 from 8:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., everyday. Garage 2 attendants are on duty from 8:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., Monday–Friday. Both garages accept cash or check while an attendant is on duty. When an at-tendant is not on duty, machines accept change, bills, and credit cards. The cost is $5.00 to exit when no attendant is present.
Questions concerning parking should be directed to the Parking Facilities Office at (409) 266-PARK (7275), 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Mon-day–Friday. After hours and on weekends, contact the UTMB Health Police dispatcher at (409) 772-2691.
Transportation
UTMB Health’s Transportation Department is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to transport patients between our care units and service department areas. We also provide outpatient shuttle services to and from our Specialty Care Center at Victory Lakes and several other off-campus clinics. Shuttle service is provided Monday through Friday, except on UTMB holidays. For more in-formation, please call (409) 772-2019.
ATM
An ATM is located on the first floor of John Sealy Hospital next to the coffee shop.
Pastoral Care
UTMB believes in providing care to the spiritual, as well as the physical and emotional, needs of each patient. Members of the Pastoral Care staff are available to assist you, whatever your faith tradition. You may contact our office at (409) 772-3909, or visit our office or the inter-faith chapel on the first floor of John Sealy Tower. The inter-faith chapel is open around the clock for prayer and meditation. Also please know, your own faith leader/spiritual guide is always welcome to visit you while you are in our hospital.