Fast Facts for Your Stay

Cafeteria 

Location: Main floor

Hours:

Daily: 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Menus are available for daily selection. Our cafeteria offers fresh brewed coffee and beverages, grill specials, soups, salads, sandwiches, hot and cold dishes, grab & go items, gluten free and kosher options, and self-serve market offerings 24/7. The cafeteria features Northwell’s Healthy Choice, offering minimally processed, fresh, whole foods, and items low in sodium, sugar and fats and high in fiber. The Northwell Healthy Choice is our pledge to serving food that tastes good, is good for you and supports the environment.  

Electrical Appliances

Electrical appliances, including electric razors, hair dryers, fans, clocks, radios or TVs, are not permitted in patient rooms. You may only use battery-operated devices.

Fire Safety

Fire drills are held regularly. Please stay in your room until the drill is complete.

Language and Communication Access Services (LCAS)

Language and Communication Access Services are available for people with limited English proficiency (LEP) or for people who prefer to have their health information provided in a language other than English. In order to meet patients’ medical needs and service expectations, we provide 24/7 access to more than 200 languages using telephonic interpreters, in-person Spanish interpreters and live video interpreting. Services for the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing are also available. Please ask a staff member for more information.

Lost and Found

The Lost and Found is located on the first floor. It is maintained by the Safety and Security Department. You may call the Lost and Found at (631) 968-3300.

Meal Service

We offer a selective menu with variety of options to meet patients' religious, cultural and ethnic preferences and dietary needs. If you have any food allergies or intolerances, please tell your nurse. Your doctor/provider may have prescribed a modified diet while you are in the hospital to best meet your medical needs, and your meal selections will reflect the prescribed diet. We offer In-Room Dining Services, and meal selections can be made through a menu ambassador or by calling the call center at ext. 4192 between 7:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. 

If you have any questions, call nutrition staff at (631) 968-3594, ext. 3595, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. A registered dietitian is available to help with meal planning and provide education on your therapeutic diet. Call (631) 968-3593. 

Parking

Valet parking is offered at the main entrance for free to all patients and visitors Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. 

When valet is closed, patient and visitor parking is available in the parking lot in front of the hospital.

Patient Rounding

Providing patient-centered care is at the heart of everything we do. Patient rounding allows us to get to know our patients and their loved ones, so that we are better able to anticipate personal needs and ensure they are met in a timely and efficient manner. Our goal is to provide safe and effective care every step along your journey. Please know our team members are available to assist you at any time.

Personal Items

If you have valuables, such as jewelry and cash, please give them to a relative or friend to take care of during your stay. There are no secure storage facilities for your valuables while you are in the hospital. South Shore University Hospital cannot be responsible for any valuables that are kept in your room.

Quiet Time

Quiet Time is from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Maintaining a quiet environment is important for our patients to rest and heal. When visiting after 9:00 p.m., please support Quiet Time by keeping noise to a minimum.

Security

All visitors will be required to show a driver’s license upon entrance to the facility. A visitor pass will be printed, and the visitor will scan the pass at the turnstile. All visitors without a driver’s license will be asked to show another form of identification, a picture will be taken of them and a visitor pass will be issued. All visitor passes should be returned to the Patient Information Desk when the visitor is no longer visiting their loved one. The main entrance is open 24/7, 365 days a year to all visitors.

Smoke-Free Campus

Smoking is not allowed in the hospital or in any area outside the hospital, including the parking lots. For those patients and family members who are smokers, “Quit-For-Keeps” is an outstanding program run by South Shore University Hospital. For more information about this program, call (516) 466-1980.

The Center for Tobacco Control also offers free programs to stop smoking. Please ask a staff member for a brochure or call (516) 466-1980 for information.

Spiritual Care Services

The Spiritual Care Services Department is designed to help meet the spiritual needs of patients, their families and friends. The Eucharist is available for Christian patients on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. and for Catholic patients on Friday and Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Additionally, Islamic Jummah prayers are held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. All services occur in the Meditation Room.

Religious items such as Islamic prayer rugs, rosary beads, Bibles, the Quran, Shabbat boxes and more are available upon request. Provisions are made to call an Imam, Rabbi or a person’s clergy or religious leader if requested.

We offer religious rituals, including Anointing of the Sick, Holy Communion, Ash Wednesday, Passover, New baby blessings and certificate, High Holy prayers and observances, Recovery blessings and more, upon request.

The Meditation Room is open 24 hours a day and is located on the first floor of the hospital across from Security. Contact chaplains and a priest by calling the operator at (631) 968-3000 and requesting the chaplain on call.

Television

To rent television service, ask questions or report service problems, call TVR Communications 24 hours a day at (631) 968-3874. TV service includes a range of basic and premium channels, movies, music, relaxation videos and a variety of patient education topics. Access these channels with your bed’s remote control.

Your Room

South Shore University Hospital offers both private and semi-private nonsmoking rooms. Patients are assigned rooms as they become available. If you request and receive a private room, additional charges may apply. These are not reimbursed by your insurance company.

The cleanliness of your room is important to us. If we have not met your expectations, contact Housekeeping at (631) 968-3447.

Please do not get out of bed by yourself or leave your room, unless you have your doctor’s permission. Your bed’s hand rail has the nurse call button and the buttons to change the position of your bed. If you do get out of bed, make sure the bed is in the lowest position. If you leave your room, please let the nursing staff know where you are. Please do not leave the unit unless you are with a staff member.