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For Hospital Staff «« Return to FAQ group list provide an in-service presentation for our departmental staff? hospital-related housing? families to the program? to potential guests? placed in one of our volunteer-host homes? HOSTS for HOSPITALS? phone number, or, should hospital staff call HOSTS for HOSPITALS and ask for you to call the guests? at their hospital? May we have a representative from HOSTS for HOSPITALS provide an in-service presentation for our departmental staff? To schedule an in-service for your staff or to request materials, please contact us at HfHospitals@aol.com or 610-660-6667. ↑↑ top How does the HOSTS for HOSPITALS program differ from other hospital-related housing? HOSTS for HOSPITALS provides lodging through volunteer-hosts who have a spare bedroom in their home. This service is available to all potential guests regardless of a patient's age or illness. ↑↑ top What role do hospital staff have in referring patients and their families to the program? In the majority of cases, patients and their families first learn about the HOSTS for HOSPITALS program through hospital staff. It is therefore crucial that hospital staff be well-informed about how our program works so as to able to provide a concise and accurate description of what the program offers to these potential guests. Hospital staff infomed about our program will then be able to help ease the initial concerns patients and their families unfamiliar with the program may have about staying in a private home. These potential guests then in turn can decide if our service seems appropriate to their needs. ↑↑ top What support do hospital staff receive for presenting the program to potential guests? We have simple materials available for hospital staff so that they may easily inform patients and their families about the program. These materials include guest application forms, guest brochures explaining how the program works and pictures of host homes and past host and guests. In addition, we welcome the opportunity to attend hospital departmental staff meetings so as to listen to your particular concerns and otherwise answer questions about the program. ↑↑ top Who may be a guest? HOSTS for HOSPITALS is open to guests of all races, faiths and nationalities provided that the guest:
↑↑ top May patients be guests? When a patient is to be a guest we STRONGLY RECOMMEND that a support person be with the patient. If the patient will be alone as a guest the patient must be able to independently take care of him or herself. Depending on the patient's physical condition we may require that a Philadelphia area medical worker or some other person whom we accept confirm in writing that if during the patient's stay the ability to be self- sufficient is lost, that person will then be responsible for finding the patient lodging elsewhere. ↑↑ top Who are the hosts? Hosts are the cornerstone of the Hosts for Hospitals program. Our hosts are ordinary people in all walks of life. At the same time they are extraordinary in that they are willing to share their home with people in need. The host homes range from apartments to brownstones to single-family homes. Before being accepted into the program, HOSTS for HOSPITALS screens each host and conducts an on-sight inspection of the host's home. Hosts are also trained to be sensitive to guests' feelings of stress and concern for their loved ones. Hosts know to respect the privacy of their guests and thus do not expect to socialize with guests unless guests wish to do so. ↑↑ top What services do the hosts provide? Hosts provide a clean and comfortable place to sleep, a bathroom and a feeling of home. Hosts also will give guests directions to the host home, to the hospital in question, to grocery stores and to the nearest publc transportation. Hosts are not asked to provide meals or transportation--these items ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GUESTS. Many hosts, however, are happy to help out in these and other areas, such as by making their kitchen available at least for light meals. Hosts explain whatever additional services they wish to provide when they first speak by phone with their guests. ↑↑ top Do guests pay for this service? As HOSTS for HOSPITALS is a nonprofit organization, we do not charge for our services and most of our hosts offer lodging for free as well. 99.9% of the time hosts do not ask for any type of payment from their guests. Hosts do, however, have the right to ask for expense reimbursement of up to $15/night for the first guest and $5/night for each additional guests--this payment is made by the guests directly to the hosts. Please note that HOSTS RARELY ASK FOR SUCH REIMBURSEMENTS, and guests will only be placed in a home where reimbursement is required if they agree so in advance. Such reimbursement is separate from any donation which guests may make to HOSTS for HOSPITALS--the program does rely on donations from guests and others. ↑↑ top What are the steps in the guest application process? There are two steps in the guest application process: the Application Form, and, the Personal Reference Check. Each of these steps are quite simple and take only a short time to complete. ↑↑ top What is involved in filling out the Application Form? The Application Form most often is filled out in just a minutes by a family member contacting us over the phone. The information we receive (such as length of stay, number of guests, if parking is needed, allergies, etc.) allows us to match the guests with a suitable host. Hospital staff who have these forms may also complete them with the family, and then, contact us with the information. This may also be done through this website by clicking here. ↑↑ top What is involved in the Personal Reference Check? So that our hosts may feel comfortable taking guests into their homes, we require a personal character reference for each adult guest. We ask for the name and phone number of a medical professional who knows the guest well enough to give a character reference --usually a hometown doctor, dentist or nurse. If the referral source is unfamiliar with the guest, we will ask for additional references. We need to know that the guest is considerate, responsible, reliable and able to independently manage within the host home. The rule of thumb is: would I invite this person to stay in my home? In addition, it is important that potential guests be free of alcohol or other substance dependency, and, be without threatening mental health problems. ↑↑ top What happens once the application process is completed? Once the referrel process is complete, we will immediately review our network of hosts for the host who best meets the guest's specific needs. Once we confirm that that host is available, we then call the guest and provide the host's name and phone number. We ask that the guest then call the host within 48 hours to coordinate arrangements for the stay. At this time the guest and host will discuss house-guidelines regarding hours, meals, habits, use of phone, etc. We also ask that the guest confirm the stay with the host 48 hours before the guest is expected to arrive at the host's home. As the host will be expecting the guest at the agreed upon day and time, we ask that if there is a change in the guest's plans that the guest alert both the host and our office. Courtesy in this regard is greatly appreciated. Please note that any additional guests who have not gone through the screening process will not be able to stay at the host home until a reference is completed for them. ↑↑ top What can potential guest do to improve their chances of being placed in one of our volunteer-host homes? We have the best chance of placing guests who are flexible in their housing needs, and, who give us as much notice as possible. The more willing they are to stay a little farther away from the hospital, to use commuter trains and other public transportation, to use a shared bathroom with hosts, to refrain from smoking, etc., the more likely it is that we will be able to find housing for them. ↑↑ top How long does it take to place a guest once a guest is referred to HOSTS for HOSPITALS? Though we ask that we normally be given a number of days to place a guest at a host home, often the entire process can be completed upon the same day upon which we first receive the referral, assuming that we are able to reach the person providing the personal character reference for the guest. ↑↑ top Is it better for hospital staff to give potential guests the HOSTS for HOSPITALS phone number, or, should hospital staff call HOSTS for HOSPITALS and ask for you to call the guests? If potential guests authorize you to call us on their behalf, we recommend that you do so as we may then call them to:
↑↑ top How else may hospital staff support the HOSTS for HOSPITALS progam at their hospital? Ideally, the HOSTS for HOSPITALS program would be known throughout your medical community. However, as hospitals are such large communities, the fact that hospital staff in one department know about our program does not necessarily mean that staff in other departments know of the program as well. You can thus help ensure that all hospital patients and their families know of the lodging option which we provide by:
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