UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central

Care management at Memorial Hospital Central is here for you. We work with you, the patient, and your family as an advocate during your hospital stay. Our team consists of Care Managers, Social Workers, and Care Coordinators. Our goal is to work with you, your support person and your health care team in developing a discharge plan so your ongoing care needs can be met when you leave the hospital. We strive to maintain community partnerships for the health and well-being of our patients.

We work closely with all of the Memorial Hospital Central team to determine a discharge plan best for you.

Please call 719.365.5745 to speak to a member of the care management team.

Memorial Hospital strives to meet patients’ expectations for care and service in a consistent manner. Patients, or their personal representatives, have the right to submit a verbal or written complaint 24 hours a day. Memorial Hospital and its Board of Trustees have approved the following process to assist you with the complaint or grievances process.

If you voice a complaint to a Memorial Hospital staff member, and you are satisfied with the actions taken on your behalf, the complaint is considered resolved.

Filing a Grievance

If your verbal complaint is not promptly resolved to your satisfaction, or if you verbalize your request to file a grievance, or submit a written complaint, the complaint will be forwarded to the Memorial Hospital Patient Representative Office. Complaints are received 24 hours a day at 719.365.5621. The patient representative will contact the patient within three (3) calendar days to acknowledge that it was received.

Patient representatives:

• Serve as liaisons between patients, families, hospital and medical staff.
• Advocate for patients’ rights.
• Promote patient satisfaction.
• Serve as points of contact for organization-wide complaints and grievances.
• Provide feedback from the patient to the organization to continually improve the patient experience.

Medicare beneficiaries: If the grievance concerns the quality of care, or premature discharge from the facility, the Patient Representative will immediately refer the grievance to Case Management. At the patient’s request, the grievance will be referred to the Hospital Quality and Patient Safety Committee of the Board of Trustees. Patients also have the right to appeal an impending hospital discharge.

For more information on Memorial’s grievance process, please contact the Patient Representative Office at 719.365.5621 or 1400 E. Boulder Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80909 or [email protected].

UCHealth EMS combines the latest technology and innovation to provide:

• 911 emergency ambulance services.
• interfacility transportation.
• critical care ground transport services.
• air medical operations.
• event medicine services.
• community paramedics.

Learn more

Room Service

Patients can order room service anytime during business hours. Guests may enjoy room service by purchasing a voucher from our café during regular business hours.

The room service associate will collect the voucher upon delivery of your meal.

Family members may order meals for a patient from outside the hospital. Some menu items may be restricted to adhere to a special diet ordered by the physician. The room service associate will help with menu selections.

Nutrition Services at Memorial Hospital Central

Outpatient Nutrition Counseling:

To schedule an outpatient appointment with a dietitian, call 719.365.6881.

Visit the UCHealth Memorial Hospital Gift Shop page for information regarding hours of operation, products sold, contact information and more.

Learn more about accepted insurance at UCHealth

Please notify us if you have an insurance plan change, coverage change or insurance loss, so we can properly bill your claims in a timely manner.

Please call 719.365.8581 for information about interpretation and other language assistance services.

Request for pick-up of medical record copies

Visit My Health Connection to view your latest medical records online.

You may so request a printed copy of your medical records. UCHealth is required by law to obtain your written permission before releasing any copies. If you desire to receive a copy of your medical records.

Complete the Request for Medical Records form to make your pick-up request.

There are several ways for you to park on our campus. All options are free for patients and their visitors.

Free valet parking

Our valet parking is the most convenient and easiest option. You can use the valet stations at the Boulder Street entrance, North entrance (located on Bob Peters Grove Street across from the parking garage), and Emergency Department entrance.

Self Parking

If you wish to park yourself, you may park in the parking garage across from the North Entrance. The parking garage can be accessed via Children’s View street. All patient/visitor parking lots are free.

Need a handicapped spot?

Handicapped-parking is available on each floor of the parking garage. Additionally, there are numerous surface-level handicapped-parking spaces available adjacent to the parking garage.

Privacy (HIPAA) and your information

At your request we keep information about your hospital stay private and confidential, as required by federal law (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA).

One way we maintain your privacy is to set up a special password at your request. You tell us this password, which you may share with friends and family so they can find out how you’re doing. When callers give us your password, we can update them on your progress. If callers don’t know the password, we cannot tell them anything about your condition.

We’ll write your password on a note card for you to keep.

Advance directives and living wills

We can help you complete a Living Will or other advance directive at your pre-admission appointment. These legal documents spell out the care you want — or don’t want — in case you cannot make your own decisions and communicate them to us.

Learn more about advance directives and living wills

We welcome the presence of family pets of inpatients as appropriate and under certain guidelines to ensure safety for all patients and visitors. If you are interested in learning more about pet visitation, please talk with a nurse.

What to expect when you arrive

At Memorial Hospital Central, patients and families are our partners in health.

While you are at the hospital, “speak up” and let us know:

• What you think.
• If you are worried about anything.
• What you may need.

Our hospital is designed with you and your family in mind. While your hospital stay may not be easy for you, we intend to offer the very best care, emotional support and education throughout your time with us.

What to bring

• A list of your current medications.
• A few personal belongings.
• Clothes to wear when you go home from the hospital.

What not to bring

• Items of great value to you.

Going home

We want you to be fully prepared for going home. We will let you know an approximate date for discharge when you are admitted. If we don’t share that with you, please ask us.

UCHealth takes great measures to make sure our facilities are safe.

• A security patrol monitors the facilities and parking lots 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Parking lots are well lit.
• Escorts are available to walk you to your car.
• Our Birth Center has a special security system.

Security in parking areas

• Each parking lot has ample lighting to ensure optimum visibility when walking to and from your car.
• Emergency “Blue” phones are located throughout parking lots and garages, as well as along all pedestrian walkways (pictured).
• Security also provides a variety of support activities for staff, patients and visitors including:
  • Escorts to and from personal vehicles.
  • Recharging dead vehicle batteries.
  • Security staff patrols all parking lots, garages and pedestrian walkways on a scheduled routine basis.
• All parking lots are monitored 24/7 by security camera systems.

Security staff

• On-site security is present 24/7.
• Security personnel staff the Emergency Department at all times.
• Security personnel stay in constant contact with the call center and have a direct connection to area law enforcement.
• The 24-hour call center keeps a constant watch on exterior and interior activities.
• Security officers also staff the visitor entrances throughout the day.

Smoking and Tobacco products of any kind are not permitted anywhere inside or on the grounds of Memorial Hospital Central.

Smoking products include any cigar, cigarette, pipes, or any smoking device or substance which is lighted and inhaled. This includes E-cigarettes.

Tobacco products include cigars, cigarettes, pipes, chewing tobacco, or snuff.

Through spiritual care at Memorial Hospital Central, our chaplains provide support and comfort to everyone — patients, family members, friends and staff.

Being in the hospital, or having a loved one hospitalized, can be stressful and emotional.  Chaplains are available to help you work through the anxiety that often accompanies a hospital stay and talk with you about how hospitalization affects your spiritual journey. We are available to share a prayer or listen with an open mind and heart. If you prefer, we can also contact your own faith community.

Our chaplains can assist in or perform a variety of religious rites

You can contact spiritual care at Memorial Hospital Central to request the following:

• Communion (Catholic or Protestant).
• Anointing (Catholic or Protestant).
• Baptism or child dedication.
• Weddings.
• Funerals or memorial services.

You can reach an on-call chaplain outside normal office hours by calling the hospital operator, at 719.365.5000. Catholic priests and Lay Eucharistic Ministers are in the hospital at various times.

10 reasons to call a chaplain

1. When you need to speak with someone about spiritual or emotional concerns.
2. When you feel the need for prayer or would like to receive a blessing or the sacraments.
3. When you need help finding or contacting spiritual resources in the community. Our chaplains will contact your faith community.
4. When there is a new diagnosis or a recurrence, especially of a serious or life-limiting disease.
5. Before surgery or another procedure that might create anxiety or fear.
6. When a difficult ethical decision needs to be discussed or advanced directives need to be made (DNRs, living wills, etc.)
7. To be with family and friends during difficult times or if there is family conflict.
8. To struggle together with unanswerable questions like “Why is this happening to me?” or “Where is God?”
9. When a patient is facing death or to help with funeral arrangements.
10. When a staff member needs support.

Lodging

Memorial Hospital Central has many lodging options nearby to choose from. Some hotels offer a reduced patient/visitor rate, please check with the property before you book your reservation.

For the safety of our patients, visitors and staff:

Visitors to patients staying overnight (inpatients) or to the emergency department, are required to check in to receive a visitor badge. Visitor badges must be worn at all times.

Please click here to see updated visitor information.

Whether you’re a patient or visiting a patient at Memorial Hospital Central, there are a few things you need to know. For more details, please see the Patients’ Handbook available at our hospital locations.

Visitor Hours: Visitors are welcome at Memorial Hospital Central because we know they can be helpful in recovery. For recent guidelines, see our visitation policy.

UCHealth Memorial Hospital – Central offers free internet access, our network is UCH-Visitor.

Emergency Virtual Health visits enable specialists to consult with local emergency room physicians via video conferencing to help with specific patient emergencies such as stroke or trauma.

UCHealth has a robust Telestroke program to help hospital ED physicians across the state of Colorado and southern Wyoming treat stroke patients in record time, saving every precious brain cell possible. Virtual Health allows neurology specialists to provide expert guidance to community hospital providers. These providers can now keep, and treat, many stroke patients they may not have been able to before.

If a patient needs more advanced care, we transport that patient to one of the country’s best comprehensive stroke centers.

Memorial Hospital is much more than your provider of choice for health care while you’re sick or injured. We are your partner in your health and wellness. Your choice for health information and resources.

Call HealthLink nurse advice line at Memorial Hospital Central at 719.444.2273

• Free to all community members
• Call Center is open 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and closed on major holidays.
• Outpatient laboratory and classes are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and closed on major holidays.

HealthLink at Memorial Hospital Central will:

• Answer your health-related questions.
• Provide advice on treating earaches, fever and other minor injuries/illnesses.
• Help you find a physician.
• Schedule the class or screening of your choice.
• Provide information about Memorial programs and services.

In addition to a nurse advice line, HealthLink at Memorial Hospital provides classes, health risk analyses, screenings and other wellness programs.

Physician Referral

New to the area? Need to find a physician who accepts your insurance? Need a specialist? We will help you find a doctor who can meet your health needs.

Health, Wellness, and Parenting Classes

Informative, affordable classes on nutrition, health-related topics, childbirth preparation, preparing for a baby, babysitting, weight loss and stress reduction are offered monthly.

50+ Club

Through this program, we provide those over age 50 with resources and reduced-price classes.

Home Companion Monitor Program

The home companion monitor is designed to signal a friend, relative or emergency services in case help is needed. This program serves El Paso and Teller Counties. Call 719.365.2260 for information or to schedule an installation.

Visit with a physician by video using your computer, tablet or smartphone in the convenience of your home, office or location that is convenient for you. No drive time, no waiting room, no need to get out of your pajamas (if you don’t want to).

You’ll be seen and treated by a UCHealth medical professional just as if you were to visit seen face-to-face in one of our many health care facilities.

Virtual Urgent Care visits are scheduled in My Health Connection, UCHealth’s patient portal. Log in or Sign up now to schedule a Virtual Urgent Care visit.

For the best experience, download the UCHealth app today.

Types of illnesses treated in a Virtual Urgent Care visit:

• Allergic reaction
• Cold/flu
• Cough
• Diarrhea
• Cuts and scrapes
• Pink eye
• Rash
• Sinus infection
• Sore throat
• Urinary tract infection
• Vomiting

Insurance

Your Virtual Urgent Care visit may be covered by insurance. However, if your health plan denies this charge you will receive a bill for this service.

Many health plans are adding virtual visits (telehealth) as a covered benefit. However, there are some healthcare plans that do not cover virtual visits, such as Medicare.

For most insurance plans, we will attempt to bill your insurance- you may be responsible for your co-payment amount prior to seeing the doctor. However, if your health plan denies this charge you will receive a bill for this service. Also, please note that to bill medical insurance, a successful video connection must occur between the patient and the doctor.

Your support helps us enhance and save lives

Extraordinary generosity is what helps us provide extraordinary care.

Memorial Hospital Central ask you to consider a donation to this life-saving and life-changing organization. Your donation goes directly to programs and facilities that impact the health and well-being of your family, friends and neighbors in southern Colorado.

> Visit our website

Whether you are a retiree, a working adult, or a student hoping to fulfill a service requirement, we would love to have you lend your energy and talents to help others in our healthcare facility.  There are a wide variety of opportunities at Memorial Hospital Central and Memorial Hospital North in Colorado Springs.

See current volunteer opportunities

• Memorial Hospital Central: 719-365-5298
• Memorial Hospital North: 719-364-5298