St. Paul's Hospital patient & visitor guide

• Hand washing is the best way to stop the spread of germs. Wash your hands before:
  • Eating and drinking
  • Touching any cuts, sores, or bandages
  • Touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
  • Leaving your room
     
• Wash your hands after:
  • Using the toilet
  • Blowing your nose
  • Touching any cuts, sores or bandages
  • Touching garbage
     
• Ask your nurse, doctor, or other health care staff if they have just cleaned their hands. We should wash our hands with soap and water or hand rub every time we touch you or give you medication. Please ask us – “Did you just clean your hands?”
• Do not share food, personal care items (such as combs, brushes, and razors), or cigarettes with other patients.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue. The germs from a cough or sneeze can travel a meter (three feet or more). If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow. Do not cough or sneeze into your hand.
• Do not go into other patients' rooms.
• Keep your bedside area tidy. Do what you can to keep yourself clean. Wash often, shower or bathe when you can. Ask for a clean hospital gown or pajamas if yours are dirty or soiled.
• We might offer you the flu shot or pneumonia shot if you are more likely to catch any germs in hospital. We encourage your family and visitors to get immunized to help us prevent illness.

Make sure the information on your identification (ID) bracelet is correct. We will ask to see your identification bracelet before we do any procedures or tests. We may also ask you to identify yourself verbally.

It is important to take the medication your doctor prescribes (gives you) regularly. Please follow these instructions:

• The medications we give you in hospital could look different from what you take at home. If you have any questions about your medications, ask us.
• Make sure you tell us about all the medicines you are taking. These include samples from your doctor, vitamins, herbal medicines, diet supplements, natural remedies, and other medicines you buy without a prescription or over the Internet (such as laxatives, antacids, Aspirin).
• Know the side effects of your medications and what to do if you have any problems. If you’re not sure, please ask us!
• Tell us if you have any allergies or reactions to your medications.
• Tell your care team if you think you have missed or forgotten to take a medication.
• Ask your doctor or nurse practitioner before taking any medicines you brought from home.

A hospital is a public building with many people coming and going. Items can easily go missing. Please send your jewelry and important belongings home. If you do not have anybody to give your belongings to, we can lock up small items in the hospital safe. We suggest you get insurance for valuables you need to keep with you. Keep your glasses, hearing aids, and dentures in a case. Label the case with your name. Place these items in their cases when you are not using them. 

• Wear slippers with rubber soles or non-skid socks so you don't slip on the floor. Most falls happen when patients try to get out of bed to go to the bathroom on their own. Ask for help when getting out of bed, especially at night.
• If we say you can get out of bed and walk on your own, make sure you have enough light to see where you are going. If we tell you to only get up with help, use your call bell and wait until someone comes to help you. 
• Ask your nurse to check that your bed is at the lowest position. Let your nurse know if it is hard to walk with equipment such as an intravenous (IV) pole.
• When you are in bed, make sure you can easily reach your call bell, telephone, eyeglasses, or anything else you might need.
• If you cannot reach something, ask someone to move it closer. If you need a walking aid such as a wheelchair, walker, cane or crutches, one of our physiotherapists can help arrange this.

Sometimes, patients can get a blood clot in the veins in their legs from lying in bed. If the clot breaks off, it can ‘travel’ into the lungs, making it hard to breathe. While this is very rare, if it happens, you could die from a clot in the lungs. Tell us right away if you notice any of the following:

• Swelling, throbbing, cramping or redness in your leg or calf.
• Pain in your leg when you stand or walk.
• Sudden shortness of breath for no reason.
• Sudden chest pain that feels sharp or gets worse when you take a deep breath.
• Coughing up blood.
• Heart racing, especially if you feel dizzy or faint.
   

If you notice any of these signs once you return home, call your family doctor. If you cannot get in contact with your family doctor, go to the nearest Emergency Department.

To prevent blood clots:

• Drink as much water as you are allowed to drink.
• Move around as much as you are allowed or as you are able to move around.
   

We might give you a medication to help prevent blood clots while you're in the hospital. We might also tell you to take the medication when you get home. The chances of getting a blood clot can last for at least a month after you go home from hospital. It is important that you recognize the signs and get help right away.

Smoking of any substance, alcohol use, and street drug use are not allowed anywhere at St. Paul’s Hospital. There are designated safe consumption spaces for substance use (see OPS link below).

Talk to a member of your care team if you need help with substance use issues while in the hospital. Please don’t hesitate to speak up! We have ways to support you during your stay with us.

Our compassionate health professionals will not judge you for substance use. Our only goal is to make sure you are healthy and safe during your stay in the hospital.

St. Paul's Hospital Overdose Prevention Site

If you or your family have any safety concerns about your stay at St. Paul’s Hospital, please contact the Providence Health Care Patient Safety Office. 

Phone: 606-682-2344 Local 66018

Email: patientsafety@providencehealth.bc.ca

If you wish, download and print our online Patient Safety Brochures:

• English
• Chinese
• Punjabi

Private and semi-private rooms are available at an extra cost. A deposit is required for these rooms. BC Medicare does not cover the cost of private or semi-private rooms. However, some extended health care plans will cover this cost. If you want a private or semi-private room and none are available when you arrive, we will move you to one as soon as possible.

Patients and family members will need to use their own devices to connect to Wi-Fi. Devices could include a smartphone like an iPhone or an Android, a tablet like an iPad, or a laptop computer that can connect to Wi-Fi. Look for the “Public-WiFi” network. Wi-Fi is provided by an external service provider, Datavalet.

For assistance with Public Wi-Fi

Call Datavalet Customer Service toll-free at 1-844-940-5123, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Providence and St. Paul's Hospital staff do not support this service. Call Datavalet instead.

Patient entertainment options are available. Please ask your care team member for additional information.

The cafeteria is on the 4th floor of the Providence Building. It serves hot entrees, soup, sandwiches, deli-bar, salad bar, beverages, and desserts and other treats. We recommend that patients only visit the cafeteria during non-peak hours for health and safety reasons. Ask your nurse for permission to visit the cafeteria. Remember that the food in the cafeteria may not be suited to your particular dietary restrictions.

Hours

Monday to Friday
6:30 a.m. — 7:00 p.m.
Weekends
7:00 a.m. — 3:00 p.m.

The coffee bar is at the main entrance of the Burrard Building (1081 Burrard). It specializes in gourmet coffees, sandwiches and baked goods.

Hours

Monday to Friday 
6:45 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.
Closed on weekends

St. Paul's Hospital Gift Shop is a small boutique with one-of-a-kind, unique gift items. These include purses, jewelry, care products, stuffed animals, baby wear, specialty chocolates, cards and candy. The gift shop is staffed by volunteers and all proceeds go to support St. Paul's Hospital. Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to keep up to date with all our latest gifts!

Hours

Monday to Friday 
10:30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m.
Closed on weekends
Note: We are closed on Statutory Holidays, as well, if a volunteer is unable to make their shift.

Phone: 604-682-2344 Ext. 62452

The Cashier’s Office/Information Desk is in the lobby of the Burrard Building. The Cashier’s Office is where you settle accounts and store small valuables. We recommend you leave your jewelry, credit cards and large amounts of cash at home. You should keep only a small amount of cash at your bedside. You can deposit larger amounts of cash with the Cashier’s Office if required. At the end of your stay, the office can pay out amounts up to $300. The rest will be refunded by cheque. The Cashier's Office only accepts personal cheques to pay for hospital fees. The office will not cash cheques for personal use.

Hours

Monday to Friday 
8:30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m.
Closed on weekends

There are public washrooms on the main floor of St. Paul’s Hospital and on the 4th floor of the Providence building, just outside of the cafeteria.

There is an ATM (cash machine) near our main entrance off Burrard Street in the hospital’s main foyer. Please ask a volunteer if you have trouble finding it.

The Interfaith Chapel is located on the 3rd floor of the Burrard Building. It is accessible to patients and loved ones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Angel’s Cradle at St. Paul’s Hospital provides a safe place for a mother to leave her newborn baby if she feels that she cannot properly care for it. Sometimes a newborn is unsafely abandoned because the mother feels that she has no other option. The Angel’s Cradle offers a safe alternative.

Angel's Cradle

In addition to the ATM (cash machine), there are several banks close to St. Paul's Hospital. These include RBC and TD Canada Trust.

Google map of nearby banks

There are many restaurants and other food services available near St. Paul’s Hospital that are open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Google map of nearby 24/7 restaurants

Along with the Interfaith Chapel available at St. Paul’s Hospital, there are several of worship nearby.

Google map of nearby places of worship

Points of interest for friends and family and any down time you may have.

Google map of nearby tourist spots

• Translink (Buses, Skytrain, Seabus)
• Yellow Cabs
• Black Top & Checker Cabs
• MacClure’s Cabs
• BC Ferries
• Vancouver International Airport