Last updated 12/18/20
General Visiting Procedures
Please follow these procedures when planning your visit. Additional guidelines
are found below for specific hospital units.
We have restricted visitation to our hospital. All patients and visitors will be screened at designated entry points,
including the Emergency Department.
A "No Visitor" policy will be in effect with a few exceptions
as follows:
- All visitors and patients entering the hospital are required to wear a
hospital-issued mask. It must be worn at all times.
- Patients admitted through the ED who are unable to provide their own medical
history and consent may have one visitor, but only for as long as it takes
to complete the admission.
- Visitors must be a healthy adult, 18 years of age or older.
-
Visitors should not visit patients at our hospital if you have one or more
symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath, have traveled in a
COVID-19 area, or have encountered a person who tested positive for COVID-19 in the
last 14 days.
- Patients under COVID-19 investigation are not allowed to have any visitors,
except for parents or guardians in PICU and NICU (see details below in
the PICU and NICU sections). Other exceptions may be made on a case-by-case
basis for certain compassionate care reasons.
- One visitor will be allowed for our patients in the NICU (parent/guardian
only) and labor unit, as well as for end of life patients. Two parents
or guardians will be allowed for patients in our PICU unit with restrictions
(see details in the PICU section below).
The following unit policies are in addition to the general procedures listed above:
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
The following guidelines have been created to enhance family participation,
while preserving safety measures designed to limit the spread of COVID-19:
- All visitors and patients entering the NICU are required to wear a mask
for the duration of their visit.
- Mothers who are currently in-patient are permitted to visit the NICU without
restrictions.
-
Due to physical space limitations in the NICU, only one parent or guardian
visitor is permitted to visit at a time:
- There are no time restrictions on the length of visit
- Visitation is permitted 24/7
- Parents or guardians may alternate time at the bedside
Pediatrics (PEDS) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
The following guidelines have been created to enhance family participation,
while preserving safety measures designed to limit the spread of COVID-19:
Parents or a guardian are pemitted to visit:
- Both parents will be permitted to visit at the same time
- There are no time restrictions on the length of the visit
- Visitation is permitted 24/7
- Overnight accommodations will be available for one parent or guardian
Patients that are COVID Positive and/or under investigation for COVID:
- One parent or guardian will be permitted to remain the room with the patient
- Parent or guardian will not be permitted to trade off
- Parent or guardian will be required to wear full Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE); provided by hospital
- Parent or guardian to remain in room; meals and toiletries provided by hospital
Maternity / Women's Services
General Guidelines
- The father of the baby or the significant other, designated by the baby's
mother, has 24 hour visiting privileges.
- Overnight accommodations are available for one (1) support person to spend
the night. Our family birthing suites offer the comforts of home, including
a sleeper chair.
- All visitors need to be free from contagious illness and colds.
- When not in the patient's room, all visitors should return to the designated
waiting areas of the hospital, not wait in unit hallways or block unit doorways.
- All visitors must wash their hands before holding or touching a newborn.
- In order to maintain a clean and hygienic environment, we ask that you
eat and drink only in designated waiting areas, and place all trash and
debris in the appropriate trash can.
- For the safety of our patients, latex balloons are not allowed.
Additional Guidelines
Non-Stress Tests (NST)
- All visitors will be asked to remain in the designated waiting area during
the NST procedure; one support person may be allowed in the ultrasound
room (dependent on patient condition).
Labor & Delivery (L&D)
- Only a visitor designated by the mother may witness the birth or visit
during labor.
- A maximum of one (1) adult support person during a cesarean delivery and
the recovery period.
The Golden Hour (Women's)
- During the "Golden Hour," the first hour of a new baby's
life, visitors will be restricted in the birthing suites. This will be
a time for establishing bonding time between parents and the newborn,
regulating the newborn's body temperature, and assuring neonatal stability.
Daily Quiet (Women's)
- In order to help our mothers and babies get the proper rest they need prior
to being discharged, there is a Daily Quiet Time in all of Women's
Services. Daily Quiet Time is between the hours of 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM each day.
- A system for visitors to leave notes for a new mother is available should
a visitor arrive during Daily Quiet Time hours.
Visits to Patients with Isolation Precautions
- Visitors to a patient on isolation precautions must check with a nurse
for specific instructions, prior to entering the patient's room.
- Visitors should wear personal protective equipment described on the isolation
precaution sign on the door to the patient's room and as outlined
in policy.
Barlow Respiratory Hospital
Effective 3/16/20
Visitors will no longer be allowed to enter any Barlow Respiratory Hospital
location to ensure the safety of patients, your loved ones, and to reduce
risk of exposure. Exceptions will be made for end-of-life compassionate
care and pre-discharge training. Barlow's staff understands this is
difficult but the vulnerability of patients in their care makes this precaution
essential for the well-being of all patients. You are encouraged to call
or video chat as a means of communicating with your loved ones who are
patients at Barlow.