COVID-19 Visitor Restrictions


Are there any visitor restrictions at Mount Carmel sites?

Effective April 14, masking will be optional for patients and visitors with the following exceptions:

  • Masking is required if the patient is experiencing respiratory symptoms.
  • Masking is required if the patient is COVID-19 positive.
  • Patients may have any number of visitors at a time.
  • COVID-19 and suspected COVID-19 patients may have two visitors per day. These visitors must check in at the unit desk and be 18 years of age or older. Due to the higher risk of exposure to COVID-19, visitors will be provided personal protective equipment to wear in the patient’s room.
  • Visitation may be restricted, or the visitor may be asked to leave due to clinical necessity.
  • Visitors must:
    • Be healthy with no symptoms of illness
    • Wash hands frequently and maintain social distancing

Perinatal Care Center – General Guidelines

  • All visitors must check-in at the reception desk.
  • Visitors may be asked to step away from a patient’s room under certain circumstances.
  • Children 12 and under are permitted only with the approval of the patient and nursing staff.
  • All visitors need to be without a current or recent exposure to communicable illness.
  • Visitors may be restricted during communicable disease outbreaks.
  • Doulas are considered part of the caregiver team and do not count as a visitor. They may be with patient at any point of their stay (including OB Triage and excluding the operating room unless the patient chooses the doula as their one person to accompany them).

OB Triage:

  • One visitor permitted while in OB Triage.

Labor & Delivery

  • During labor and vaginal delivery, patients are generally limited to a significant other and/or support person, but staff will work with patients to determine additional visitors based on needs (generally up to 3 visitors at the bedside at one time). Once patient begins to push and throughout delivery, visitors cannot swap in and out of the room.
  • One visitor while in pre-op.
  • If permissible, only 1 person may accompany the patient into the operating room during a cesarean section.
  • After delivery and the first 15 minutes of recovery, patients can decide how many visitors they would like to have.
  • Visitors should be at least 12 years of age.
  • Patients’ children who are under 12 must each be accompanied by an adult.
  • Patients with a diagnosis of COVID can only have 2 visitors/day throughout labor and delivery.

Antepartum/High Risk/Postpartum High Risk

  • Stable high-risk patients may have up to 3 visitors at the bedside anytime until 8:30 p.m. (support person will have 24-hour access).
  • Unstable high-risk patients and their physicians will determine if visitors will be allowed or limited.
  • Patients with a diagnosis of COVID can have 2 visitors/day.

Mother-Infant Unit

  • A patient’s primary support person may stay in their room overnight.
  • Overnight visitors must be over the age of 12 unless approved by the Nurse Manager or Charge Nurse.
  • The primary support person or responsible visiting adult must be present to care for visiting children.
  • Patients with a diagnosis of COVID can have 2 visitors/day.

Newborn Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nursery

  • A newborn’s mother and her designated support person may visit any time, 24 hours a day.
  • Only designated 6 people can visit infant, parents of infant included in the total of six.
  • Only 2 permitted at bedside at a time
  • No children are permitted to spend the night
  • No one with signs or symptoms of a communicable disease or infection may visit or have contact with a newborn.

Adoption or Surrogate Pregnancy Visitation

  • Social Services will verify if an adoption is open or closed and determine the adoptive parent’s identity and visiting privileges.
  • In open adoptions, one of the prospective parents may be selected to visit by the birth mother.
  • All closed adoption visitations require direct staff supervision.
  • Social Services will verify if surrogate pregnancies have court validation.
  • Surrogate pregnancies with court validation will have full parental visitation.
  • Surrogate pregnancies without court validation may have unsupervised visits at the birth mother’s discretion.

MCSA OB Clinic

  • Patients may have any number of visitors accompany them to their appointment

MFM

  • Only 2 visitors allowed during the visit
  • All children under the age of 12, must be accompanied by an adult
  • Patients may have any number of visitors.
  • Visitors must:
    • Be healthy with no symptoms of illness
    • Wash hands frequently and maintain social distancing
  • Patients may have six named visitors (including parents or guardians) throughout their stay.
  • Only two designated visitors may visit at the same time. Visitors must check in at the unit desk.
  • Visitors must:
    • Be healthy with no symptoms of illness
    • Wash hands frequently and maintain social distancing

Patients may have one visitor. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis and are at the discretion of the provider.

  • Visitors must:
    • Be 18 years of age or older
    • Be healthy with no symptoms of illness
    • Wash hands frequently and maintain social distancing
  • Patients may have any number of visitors.
  • Visitors must:
    • Be healthy with no symptoms of illness
    • Wash hands frequently and maintain social distancing
  • Examples of Outpatient Centers include but are not limited to:
    • Anticoagulation Centers
    • Heart Failure Management
    • Heart & Vascular Imaging
    • Hypertension Management
    • Imaging Centers
    • Lab Service Centers
    • Occupational Health Centers
    • Outpatient Cancer Treatment Centers
    • Rehab Services
    • Sleep Medicine
    • Structural Heart & Valve Program
    • Urgent Care
    • Women’s Health Centers
    • Wound Care Centers

Please be aware that there is a risk of exposure to COVID-19 while visiting any Mount Carmel facility.

Entry into the facilities is limited to the ER and main entrances.

This policy may change at any time. The visitor policy may also become more restrictive if the level of COVID-19 cases increases in the community.