St. Mary’s and Clearwater Valley Hospitals & Clinics are actively working on preparedness for COVID-19/Coronavirus. The situation is rapidly changing… so please be aware policy changes may be in place when you arrive.

PURPOSE:  

This Visitor Restriction Policy is implemented to protect staff, patients, and community during the outbreak of COVID-19. 

POLICY: This Visitor Restriction Policy will remain in effect until rescinded by Infection Prevention, changed by Infection Prevention, or further restricted by the Incident Command Team. Departmental managers are responsible to ensure all employees under their leadership read, understand, and apply this Visitor Restriction Policy at all times. Any exceptions to this policy must be pre-approved by Infection Prevention.

A. Routine Visitor Managed Visitor Access and Movement within the Facility Policy
Routine visiting is limited at St. Mary’s Health and Clearwater Valley Health (SMH-CVH) until the transmission of COVID-19 is no longer a threat to our patients, staff and community. Visitors will be allowed in based on the criteria outlined below:

1. Visitors must be free of all COVID symptoms and will be limited as follows:
   1. Hospital Inpatients: Two (2) visitors allowed in room at one time; unlimited visitors per day
   2. Hospital ER: One (1) visitor at a time
   3. Hospital Labor & Delivery: Birth parent and one (1) support person
   4. Hospital OB: Immediate family only, may include under age siblings of the infant
   5. Hospital Nursery: Birth parents only
   6. Hospital Outpatient (all): One (1) visitor at a time
   7. Clinics: Two (2) visitors (with the exception of other family members being seen for illness/well child visits)
2. In addition to the limitation on visitors in Section 2A., above, additional visitors will be considered in the following cases:
   1. Patients who need additional essential support for safety because of their mental or developmental status, or for their disability
   2. Patients who require a home essential-support person to be trained
   3. Community-based providers who are involved in the care of the patient may visit for support and care continuity
   4. Members of the spiritual community upon patient’s request only
3. Upon entry to the facility, all visitors will be actively assessed for fever and COVID-19 symptoms. If fever or COVID-19 symptoms are present, the visitor will not be allowed entry into the facility.
4. All visitors will wear a facemask at all times while in the facility, perform frequent hand hygiene, and restrict their visit to the patient’s room. Visitors are asked not to eat or drink while in the rooms, as that would require removing their mask.
5. All visitors must check in at the nurse’s station to be recorded in the visitor log. The log will be used for contact tracing if necessary. Nursing staff will provide all visitors instruction, before visitors enter the patient’s rooms, on hand-hygiene, limiting surface touched, and use of PPE according to current facility policy while in the patient’s room.
6. Visitors must wear PPE as instructed by nursing personnel
7. Visitor should stay in the patient’s room the entire time of the visit. Once the visitor leaves the patient room, they should leave the medical center.
8. Personal digital media (FaceTime as an example) may be used in the hospital patient room to allow other family or loved ones to make contact with the patient
9. Visitation rights may be revoked at any time to ensure the safety of the patient, staff or visitors at the discretion of the clinical, nursing, medical, or infection prevention staff
10. Visitors will not be allowed during aerosol generating procedures (AGP) or other procedures
11. Visitation to patients with pending or positive COVID-19 test will not be allowed except as allowed under Section B below AND after meeting all criteria in this section
12. All end-of-life visitations will follow criteria outlined in Section C below after meeting all criteria in this section
13. Employee visitors and/or family are not allowed into the facility (no exceptions)

B. COVID Isolation Patient Visitor Restriction Policy
Visitation to patients with pending or positive COVID-19 test will not be allowed except under the following circumstances:

1. Personal digital media should be considered as an option and utilized prior to considering any physical in-person visitation
2. Visits will be pre-approved as essential by both the patient’s physician AND Infection Prevention prior to any allowed visitations (no exceptions). Visits will only be considered if visitor is not currently on isolation as a result of a positive exposure (minimum of 7 days post exposure)
3. Approval will include evaluation of risk to the health of the visitor (e.g., visitor might have underlying illness putting them at higher risk for COVID-19) and ability to comply with precautions
4. Only one pre-approved, immediate family member, or essential caregiver, will be allowed visitation per day
5. Visitations will be scheduled and directly controlled by nursing staff after approval is obtained
6. All criteria is Section A must be met at all times
7. PPE for visitors is mandatory, no exceptions

C. End-of-Life Patient Visitor Policy (all patients)

1. Compassionate visitor restrictions for end of life visitation to patients with pending or positive COVID-19 test will also follow Sections A & B above, with the exception of number of visitors allowed, listed below in (ii).
2. All end-of-life visitation will adhere to the following protocol:
   1. The patient’s provider will determine if the patient has a high probability of being at end of life
   2. The provider will notify the nursing staff of the determination
   3. Nursing will contact the necessary family/loved ones or will delegate as appropriate
   4. A maximum of two visitors at one time will be allowed at one time
   5. Only immediate family will be allowed
   6. A member of the spiritual community will be allowed upon patient or family request and may be allowed IN ADDITION to the two (2) family members. (Three (3) visitors total, including the spiritual adviser.)
   7. Visitors must wear PPE as instructed by nursing personnel, no exceptions