CHI Health will implement additional visitation restrictions starting Wednesday. CHI says the move comes in response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state.
Beginning November 4th, patients hospitalized at CHI Health facilities are only allowed visits from one healthy adult support person per day. The health system says a support person is someone designated by the patient to be present to help with their care needs. Social visiting will not be allowed.
Support persons will be required to wear a mask fully covering their nose and mouth throughout their entire visit. This includes time spent in patient rooms. Other protective equipment may also be required in some situations.
Additional restriction, going into effect Wednesday, include:
- Visiting hours for support persons will be limited to 7:30 am to 9 pm for all hospitalized patients except maternity, pediatrics, end-of-life and certain other special circumstances identified by the staff.
- Emergency Departments, surgery/procedure areas, outpatient diagnostics and clinic/ambulatory settings will continue to allow one health adult support person during regular business hours.
- If a surgery or other procedure is scheduled to begin before 7:30 am, one healthy adult support person will be allowed early entrance to accompany the patient.
Additional information regarding visitation restrictions can be found here. CHI says those unable or unwilling to follow hospital’s guidelines for the entirety of their visit will be asked to exit the facility.
CHI Health says they're encouraging video conferencing and phone calls to keep patients and loved ones closely connected. CHI Health also encourages social distancing efforts, mask usage, good hand hygiene and staying home when sick to help control the spread of COVID-19.