Dear SMMC Patient:
We know that being in the hospital, whether for an ambulatory procedure or an overnight stay, can be a difficult time for you and your loved ones. The entire team at Southern Maine Medical Center (SMMC) is committed to making sure that your stay with us is as comfortable as possible. We have prepared these Patient Resource Pages to answer as many of your questions as possible.

The Patient Resource pages contain valuable information regarding SMMC's services that may make your stay more comfortable. If you have any questions regarding your care or something not covered on our website, please do not hesitate to speak with your caregiver. Thank you for choosing SMMC to meet your healthcare needs.

-Edward J. McGeachey
 President and CEO

The single most important step you can take to ensure excellent health care is to take an active role in your care. You can do this by speaking openly with your care givers and by sharing your questions and concerns with them. You have the right to know what is going on in terms of your care, so never hesitate to ask a question or discuss any concern you may have. At SMMC, we are serious about providing you with quality care.

Our Mission:
Southern Maine Medical Center's mission is to improve the health status of the community through patient care and education.

Our Goal:
To offer you excellent care throughout your stay. Our physicians, nurses and other care givers are highly skilled, qualified, and compassionate. And they can provide you with the best care possible when they have an important partner – you.

At SMMC, we are committed to responding to the needs of the communities we serve by delivering high quality health care services. Caring for our community — it is what we do. We encourage you to take an active role in your health care so we have provided you with the following tips:

• Ask any questions you may have. Sometimes it helps to write down your questions if your physician or other care giver is not immediately available.
• Share your health history and existing health issues with all the health professionals involved in your care.
• Ask a family member or friend to be with you and to be your health advocate if you do not feel up to asking questions yourself.
• If you do not clearly understand why a test or treatment is required, ask your physician or care giver.
• Ask your physician about the results of your tests. Physicians often prefer to talk to you personally about your test results.
• If you are diagnosed with a condition or disease, ask for information about your condition and treatment.
• If you are not sure what role a particular care giver is fulfilling, do not hesitate to ask him or her for identification.
• Care givers should check your wristband to verify your identification before providing any treatment or medications. If they do not ask, show them your wristband, anyway.
• Ask your care giver about any medications prescribed for you: name, purpose, and potential side effects.
• Discuss and understand any treatment plan. Be sure you understand what you should and should not do when you go home.

If you or your loved ones have any questions or comments about your care, please speak to your nurse, physician, or other care givers at SMMC.

Our goal is to give you and your loved ones the same care we would expect for ourselves and our loved ones. At SMMC, we have hospital-wide systems in place to promote and recognize quality care, as well as to respond appropriately to any situation that does not meet our standard of excellence.