Making a phone call, sending a get-well card, or paying a visit can brighten a patient' day and help the family feel supported.

Find a patient at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Call the CareLine at 800-243-1455 (toll-free), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If the family has allowed us, we’ll confirm that the patient is with us and provide you with room number and direct phone number to the room.

If the patient is in an intensive care unit (ICU), we’ll give you the phone number of the nurses’ station.

We do not provide information on a patient’s status, nor do we connect calls to rooms. We also do not provide information on patients whose caregivers ask for them not to be listed.

Read about patient privacy

Track a patient in surgery

During a patient’s surgery, a television monitor in the Surgical Waiting Area provides information about a patient’s status. Instead of using a patient's name, it uses the case number given to the family when the patient was admitted to the hospital.

Each case number will show one of three statuses:

  • Pre-op: The patient is being prepped for surgery.
  • In OR: The patient is in the operating room.
  • Recovery: The patient is in the recovery area, and the family will soon be able to join the patient.

Due to privacy concerns, we do not provide this information over the phone. You must be in the hospital to track a patient’s progress during surgery.

Mail a card or gift

To mail a gift or card, please address your item to:

Patient’s name and room number
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
500 University Drive
Hershey, PA 17033

Arrange delivery from the gift shop

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Gift Shop sells balloons, toys, books, flowers, jewelry, and other items. To buy a gift and arrange delivery to a patient’s room by a volunteer, call the gift shop at 717-531-8021.