Going Home You and your physician, after consultation with the rest of your health care team, will determine when you are well enough to leave the hospital. You may want to make arrangements with a family member or friend to help you when it’s time to go home. Some important things to remember concerning: Personal Belongings Collect all of your belongings and double-check closets and drawers. If you have anything stored in the hospital safe, ask your nurse to make arrangements for you to pick up your personal possessions/valuables before your departure.

Discharge Instructions
Your doctor and your nurse will give you instructions about post-hospital care. If you have questions about your diet, activities or other matters, please be sure to ask.

Medications
If your doctor gives you a prescription, it will need to be filled at a local pharmacy. You may need to make arrangements for a family member or friend to take care of this for you.

Transportation Service
When you are ready to leave, a member of the hospital staff will escort you to the front entrance and help you into the car.

Medical Records and Confidentiality
Complete records of the treatment and care for every customer are filed in the health information department. This information is confidential and is not divulged to outside agencies without the written consent of the patient or by court order.
If you should need a copy of your medical record for further treatment after your discharge, call the hospital (454-7521) and ask for the health information department. You will need to sign a form authorizing the release of your medical records.
If you need a copy of your medical record for personal use, make your request in writing and submit it to the health information department. There is a charge for this service.

There are occasions when patients need additional treatment or care after they are discharged from the hospital. To meet the special needs of these patients’ Calais Regional Hospital offers some specific options:

Additional Care

Swing Beds
These beds are designed for patients at the Skilled level of care who no longer require acute care in a hospital but who need additional short-term care before discharge. Rehabilitation and specialized nursing care are emphasized.

Home Health Care
We offer a full service Medicare/Mainecare certified Home Care Department, which provides nurses, home health aides, a social worker and physical, occupational and speech therapists to visit you at home. We also provide an emergency response system called Lifeline. Private duty nurses, nurse aides and adult sitter services for discharged patients are also available through Calais Regional Hospital Home Health.