A healthcare communication system can include a patient terminal having a keyboard unit with message keys for transmitting different ones of one or more programmed messages, and alphanumeric keys for composing messages. The patient terminal can be communicatively linked to a patient terminal display for presenting the programmed messages and composed messages. Each of the message keys can include identifying indicia associated with a programmed message transmitted upon selection of the message key. The patient terminal keyboard also can include one or more destination keys for specifying one of multiple destination addresses within the healthcare communication system for delivering individual ones of the messages.