Your Support Person(s)

Family and friends play an important role for many of our patients during their stay at Strong Memorial Hospital. Within this group, there are often one or two individuals with whom a patient feels especially connected. We call these individuals support person(s). When you arrive at the hospital, we will ask if you would like to identify one or two support person(s)–family/friends who you want to have actively involved in your care, and determine how much you would like them to be part of your care.

Typically, your primary support person has 24-hour access to be with you and will be the main contact for your providers, other than yourself. Your providers will update your primary support person who will communicate your wishes to others. Your other support person(s) also have 24-hour access to you but are not a contact for your health care providers.

We recognize that every patient is an individual with different needs and relationships. For that reason, it is up to you to decide the extent of your primary support person’s involvement in your care during your stay. Patient advocacy, your medications as well as your current condition and health care history are some of the topics that may be discussed. You can choose to have your medical team share all or a small selection of these topics with your primary support person(s). Remember, both support person(s) are welcome to keep you company at any time of day or night based on your preferences. For safety reasons, we ask that all support person(s) obtain a photo identification badge upon entry into the hospital after 8 p.m. For more information, please read Visiting Information or download this visiting pass flyer.