During Your Stay

Your comfort and peace of mind is of the utmost importance to us here at Swedish. From top-notch, experienced inpatient physicians to compassionate chaplains, we're here to make sure your stay is as healing and as restful as possible. Here you'll find a list of patient services available to you during your stay with us.

Interpreters

We have interpreters for our patients who speak little or no English or have sensory or speech impairments. If you need assistance, please let our staff know and we can arrange this service for you at no additional cost.

Comfort and pain management

Each patient's pain threshold is unique. The type of pain you feel may not be the same as someone else's. To help us find a solution to make you more comfortable, we may ask you to rate your pain on a scale of zero to 10, where zero equals no pain and 10 equals the worst. Also be sure to tell the staff about any pain that won’t go away.

Inpatient physicians available 24/7

Your primary or specialty care physician may ask our hospitalist team to help care for you during your hospital stay. This experienced team assures that you receive care when your own physician is not available. Swedish hospitalists are available onsite 24/7 at each Swedish Medical Center location. The team includes adult hospitalists, who are board-certified in internal medicine; and pediatric hospitalists, who are board-certified in the care of children.

Because they devote 100 percent of their time to managing hospitalized patients, these specialized physicians are experts at caring for even the most complicated medical cases. Our hospitalist team makes sure your care is coordinated with your primary care physician or other specialists to meet your unique needs during and after your stay.

Help with difficult decisions

Sometimes patients or their families are faced with making difficult treatment decisions. Our ethics committee is available for consultation if you or your family would like help. Please ask your nurse for more information.

Chaplains

Chaplains are available 24/7 to all Swedish patients. Chaplains of specific denominations or religions are always on call and available by special request.

To request a chaplain before 5 p.m. on weekdays, call:

  • Swedish First Hill and Swedish Ballard 206-386-2082
  • Swedish Cherry Hill (formerly Providence) 206-320-2288

After 5 p.m. and on weekends, call:

  • Swedish First Hill and Swedish Ballard 206-386-6000
  • Swedish Cherry Hill (formerly Providence) 206-320-2000

Discharge information

Before you leave, your physician will write your discharge order and your nurse will give you written instructions for your care at home and for taking any prescribed medications. A one-week medication supply can be filled at the hospital pharmacy. Checkout time is at 11 a.m. Please be aware that from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., you'll be charged partial-day occupancy and after 6 p.m., you'll be charged for an extra day’s stay. When you're ready to go home, a staff member or volunteer will escort you to the front entrance and help you into your car.

Á la carte dining

Á la Carte dining service offers you a wide variety of menu selections delivered to your bedside on demand much like a hotel's room service. At First Hill, service is available from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. At Cherry Hill, Ballard and Issaquah, hours of service are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.  

Visiting hours

Visiting hours are flexible to accommodate family members and friends. Your visitors are invited to talk with a nurse about the best time to visit. If there's a specific time when you don’t want visitors, your nurse can convey that message for you.

Smoke-free environment

All Swedish locations are smoke-free. This means smoking is not allowed on Swedish property, owned or leased, including parking garages and lots. While you're a patient at Swedish, you won't be allowed to smoke during your stay. Our policy is intended to protect your health and ensure your safety while you are in our care.

Nicotine-replacement therapies such as gum or patches are available, as allowed by your physician, and can be billed to your insurance. Learn more about Smoking Cessation Resources for Patients & Visitors.

Swedish Health Channel

The Swedish Health Channel includes more than 100 different health-education videos ranging in topics from heart disease to breastfeeding to smoking cessation. Patients can access the channel 24 hours a day from the TV in their room. 

To see what's available and select a program, follow these steps:

  • Turn on your television
  • At the Ballard campus, pick up your phone and dial 16311;
  • for the First Hill or Cherry Hill campus, pick up your phone and dial 66500
  • Follow the voice prompts that correspond with the television menus
  • When prompted, enter the last five digits of your patient room phone number:  If  you don't know your patient room phone number; dial one of the following generic numbers
    • Cherry Hill:  44444, 55555, 66666
    • First Hill and Ballard:  77777, 88888, 99999
  • Select your video from the television screen list
  • When your video begins, hang up the phone