Your Child's Room in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Telephones and making calls

You can make local calls free of charge using the bedside telephone.
To make a long distance call, you can use a cell phone or a calling card.
Cell phone reception is variable. You may find that standing close to a window may help. There are pay phones near the elevators.

The bedside remote turns on the television and VCR. There is a wide selection of movies for you to watch (DVD players are available).
Movies are located near the PICU public bathroom.

If you have your own laptop, you can apply for wireless access at no charge.
The PICU has laptops for patients, and when available, for family use. Please ask your nurse.

Many of the rooms have a white board that you can use to write down questions you want to remember to ask the Unit team.
Please write your child's name on the board, especially if they have a nickname they prefer.
If it is helpful for you to remember, we can write the names of your doctors, nurses, and nursing assistants on the board. Please just let us know.

Rooms have a hand held call button on the television remote control.

Use the call button in the room to alert the nursing staff about an immediate patient.

Mail is delivered twice a day during the week.
To mail a letter, give the letter to your nurse, who will put it in our "out" box.
If mail arrives after you have gone home, it will be forwarded to your home.

In the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, patient meals arrive around 7:45 am, 11:30 am, and 4:45 pm.
If the meal tray doesn't arrive in your room, please check outside your room or ask your nurse. If you are a breastfeeding mother of a patient less than six months of age, please check with your nurse about food for you.
The Patient & Family Kitchen has a supply of drinks and snacks available at all times. If you bring your own food, please label it with your name and date.
The unit has a breast pump with supplies available when needed.but it's a good idea to bring your own, including equipment and cleaning supplies for our equipment.
For more information about other dining options, see Cafeterias and Other Dining Options on the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics website.