NORWAY – The Patient Channel is now available at Stephens Memorial Hospital. The 24-hour education TV channel provides topical programming delivered to hospital patient rooms.

The goal is to educate patients and their families to increase their awareness of medical issues, encourage informed communication with healthcare providers, improve their ability to make informed decisions and promote a sense of empowerment during the times when accurate information is most needed.

Programming on the Patient Channel covers a spectrum of topics, including cancer, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, smoking cessation, parenting, health/wellness and other healthcare topics. New programs are added throughout the year.

The programming is available on the Patient Channel’s Web site for access pre-admission and post-discharge.

The educational content is controlled by independent advisory boards consisting of experts in medicine, patient care, education and ethics. While the channel is distributed by GE Healthcare, the boards review all content prior to airing and identify new opportunities for topics that are contemporary and of high-interest to the public.

Stephens Memorial Hospital is part of Western Maine Health, a member of the Maine Health family. For more information, visit www.wmhcc.org.