Grace Medical Center, a Sinai Hospital Facility, provides emergency care, general surgery, imaging and outpatient behavioral health services as a freestanding medical facility.
Advance Directives
Advance directives are instruments that allow you to
provide guidance about the type of care you would like
to receive if you are unable to communicate your
choices. The terms living will and durable power of
attorney for healthcare refer to types of directives.
Through an advance directive, you may provide specific
instructions about your care or designate another person
to make healthcare decisions for you.
For more information visit: Maryland Advance Directive:
Planning for
Future Healthcare Decisions
Access to Medical Records
Copies of your medical records can be requested
electronically through our online request
tool.
Spiritual Services
Meeting your spiritual needs is an important part of the
healing process. Grace Medical Center accommodates the
spiritual needs of individuals of all faiths. Patients
may request a visit from a chaplain by speaking with
their nurse or a member of their care team.
Patient Rights and Responsibilities
For detailed information regarding patient rights, patient responsibilities, and how to have an issue or concern addressed, please see this page.
Patient Safety and Quality Care
At Grace Medical Center, nothing is more important
to us than providing quality care for our patients
in a safe and nurturing environment. It is our
reason for being. In every encounter with every
patient at Grace Medical Center, our focus is on
achieving the highest level of clinical quality and
safety.
We are proud of our staff for the compassionate and
personalized care they provide. Ultimately, however,
we know that it is the quality of care and a safe
environment that best serves our patients and our
community. That is why everything we do is driven by
our commitment to quality and safety.
Our standards for clinical quality flow from the
evidence-based best practices of medical facilities
nationwide. These best-practice guidelines are
designed to minimize variation in our clinical
processes and improve outcomes for our patients.
Working in conjunction with our administration and
board, we set yearly patient safety goals and create
plans at both the LifeBridge Health corporate and
local levels to meet or exceed these goals. But
reaching our performance goals is not an end in
itself; we do this because of our unwavering
commitment to providing the highest-quality service
and safest possible environment for our patients and
visitors.
Certified Quality
Grace Medical Center is accredited by The Joint
Commission, an independent, not-for-profit
organization that is among the most prominent
accrediting bodies in the health care industry.
Our most recent on-site survey by The Joint
Commission occurred in 2019. During the two- and
half-day visit, a team consisting of a nurse, an
admin, an engineer and a physician surveyor
conducted a thorough examination of our facility,
our records and our practices, and interviewed
several medical center staff members. As a result of
that visit, we received the organization’s maximum
three-year accreditation.
Safety Tips and Tools for Patients and Families
As our patient, you are the most important member of
the healthcare system, we all work together to make
your care safe. Here is how you can participate:
-
Ask questions.
-
Ask a trusted family
member or friend to be your advocate.
-
If you don't
understand something, ask again. Also, speak
up if something doesn't seem right.
-
Review instructions
with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. You
can say, "I want to make sure I know how to
care for myself at home."
-
Repeat the
instructions given to you as you understood
them.
For your safety, you will be asked your name, your
date of birth, what brought you here, what procedure
you are having, and what site is being operated on
multiple times during your stay and before your
surgery or procedure.
What you can do to help
Pre-Procedure Checklist
-
Bring an up-to-date
list of all medication you take with you to
the hospital. The list should include all
over the counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins
and dietary supplements you take.
-
Do NOT shave near your
surgical site. Shaving can cause irritation,
which may contribute to infection.
-
Make sure your care
providers are asking your name, date of
birth. Please speak up if someone forgets to
ask you.
Preventing Infection: Handwashing
To protect yourself and your family, especially
during cold and flu season, use soap and water or
hand sanitizer. Below are the steps you should take
when washing your hands with:
Soap:
-
Turn on water to a
lukewarm temperature.
-
Hot water is not
recommended as it dries the skin and
increases the risk for contact dermatitis.
-
Rings, watches and
other hand jewelry should be removed.
-
Wet hands with running
water and apply soap and spread over all
surfaces of the hands.
-
Hold hands and
forearms lower than the elbows during the
procedure.
-
Wash hands and wrists
vigorously for at least 15 or more seconds,
paying particular attention to areas between
fingers, thumbs and around and under
fingernails.
-
Rinse hands thoroughly
under running water to remove soap.
-
Pat dry hands
thoroughly with paper towel.
-
Use paper towel to
turn off faucet to avoid re-contaminating
the hands.
-
Discard towel in a
regular trash can.
Waterless Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer:
-
Apply to intact, dry
hands that are free of visible debris and/or
organic matter.
-
Apply sufficient
amount into palms to cover all surfaces of
hands, fingers and thumb thoroughly.
-
Rub hands together,
covering the entire surface of the hands and
fingers, including nails until dry.
-
Allow the alcohol to
totally evaporate from the skin to maximize
effectiveness and decrease irritation.
-
Do not wipe off with a
paper towel or rinse off with water or fan
the hands to speed drying.
-
If there is no running
water, remove visible soil with a wipe, then
use the alcohol-based hand rub.
Personal Items and Valuables
We strongly recommend that a patient’s personal
belongings be sent home with family members when
possible. The hospital is not responsible for any
belongings that you decide to keep in your room
including, but not limited to, dentures, eyeglasses,
hearing aids or any prosthetic devices. If possible,
please send items such as jewelry, cash and credit
cards home with loved ones. Should you need a place
to put your valuables, please contact your nurse.
Valuables such as wallets, purses, checkbooks,
credit cards, cash, identification, jewelry and
small electronic devices, may be placed in the
Security safe during your stay and will be retrieved
at the time of discharge. When not in use, dentures,
glasses and hearing aids should be placed in plastic
containers that may be obtained on the unit. Please
do not wrap these items in tissue paper and do not
place them on meal trays or in the bed. The hospital
will not assume financial responsibility for your
belongings.
Accreditation
Grace Medical Center is accredited is accredited by The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that is among the most prominent accrediting bodies in the health care industry. New Hope treatment Center and the Community Behavioral Services at Seton Park are CARF accredited.