Visitors Visiting Hours

Visiting Hours

Memorial recognizes that visitation of family and friends during a patient's hospitalization is key to a patient's recovery. We encourage you to visit your family member or friend during posted visiting hours. Below are the visiting hours of each Memorial facility as well as the latest visitor guidelines.

Policy updated 09/04/2024

Information/Escort Desks are available to assist with visitation and questions and are located on the first floor at the front door of the hospital, the parking garage atrium and the MOB atrium.

Visitation:
Daily—7 am to 9 pm
“Stop Signs” may be posted on patient room door indicating isolation precautions. Visitors must check with a patient’s nurse prior to entering the patient room in order to receive specific instructions about isolation precaution procedures.
“No Visitation” signs indicate the patient has requested no visitation, is sleeping, or undergoing a medical consult or procedure. No entry is allowed, but visitors may ask the nursing station to leave a note or receive information when visitation will resume.
A visitor may not enter areas posted with an “Authorized Personnel Only” sign.
Visitors are asked not to visit patients if they have a cold, cough, or other communicable illness. It is important to restrict exposure in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases among patients, staff, volunteers, and other visitors.
Children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Visitors are required to wear shirts and shoes and conduct themselves in a quiet, considerate manner. Visitors may be asked or required to wear a mask due to a public health crisis or other mandated situation.
Visitors cannot smoke, consume alcohol products or illegal substances on hospital property.

Definitions:

Visitors- Patients and residents of Memorial facilities have the right to receive visitors whom the patient or resident designates. Visitors may include but are not limited to a spouse or domestic partner, a family member, friend, or other person of the patient’s choice. Visitors may also include members of the clergy, chaplains, ministers, or other faith leaders.
Support person/caregiver- Separate from visitors, individuals have the right to be accompanied by a support person or caregiver. The right to have a support person or caregiver present is separate and distinct from the right to visitors and infection control requirements under CMS regulations. The hospital allows a patient to designate a support person/caregiver of the patient’s choice to stay with them outside normal visitation hours, unless the individual’s presence infringes on other’s rights, safety, or is medically or therapeutically contraindicated.

Visitors are asked to continue to maintain social distancing in waiting rooms and public spaces and no one should be visiting who is COVID+. Visitors exhibiting respiratory signs or symptoms may be asked to return home and visit again once their symptoms have subsided or they have tested negative. Masks are encouraged for visitors and patients and will be provided as requested.

Memorial staff, patients and visitors are encouraged to wear a mask. Visitors are asked to maintain social distancing in waiting rooms and public spaces and no one should be visiting who is COVID+. Visitors exhibiting respiratory signs or symptoms may be asked to return home and visit again once their symptoms have subsided or they have tested negative.

Individualized consideration will be given to all patients and guests. Extenuating circumstances will be handled on an individual basis.

Information/Escort Desks are located on the first floor.

Visiting for Covid + patient rooms will require:

COVID+ patient visitation continues to require the wearing of isolation attire for the entire visit.
Indoor visitation will be limited to individuals who can comply with masking and physical distancing.
The maximum number of visitors allowed to visit at any one time will be limited to the ability of visitors to maintain physical distancing in the space where the visit is to occur.
Visiting multiple patients within the same day is discouraged.
There will be no coming and going in and out of the patient room during the visit.
All visitors to COVID+ patients must check with the nurse before entering the room.

WHEN should visitation be avoided?

When the patient to be visited is a person under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19 or has a confirmed COVID-19 infection and is in their infectious period, considerations for limited exceptions will be at the discretion of the staff and provider.
When the unit to be visited is undergoing testing related to a confirmed or suspected outbreak

Guidelines specific to various units:

While in Labor & Delivery a patient is allowed 3 support people.
No switching out visitors while the mother is in labor.
Patients may have additional visitors during the second hour of recovery.
No children under the age of 12 unless it is the sibling of the new baby.
All children must always be accompanied by an adult other than the patient.

Visitation:
Daily—9 am – 1 pm & 4 pm-8 pm
The birth of new baby is an exciting time for a family and Memorial is proud to be your choice for all your birthing needs. Our experienced staff know that new mothers are usually excited but also tired, and that brief visits are often best. Visitors should also remember that a breastfeeding mother will need privacy when it is time to nurse the baby.
Siblings under 12 years are welcome to visit their mother and the new baby, during posted visiting hours on Mother/ Baby unit, under the continuous supervision of an adult. Siblings should not be left in the care of the new mother.
Visitation on the Mother/Baby unit is limited to 5 total people per patient room, including siblings.
One person is encouraged to stay with the new mother and baby at all times including overnight through their hospital stay. The purpose of a support person is to allow the family to adjust to its newest member while still in the hospital setting. For this reason, those families who are planning for an overnight support person should plan to keep the baby in their room through the night.
The Newborn and Special Care Nurseries are secured areas. Visitors are only allowed when accompanied by the staff of Women & Children Services.

Visitation:
(Please follow General Hospital Visitation policy.)
Daily—7 am to 9 pm
On the Pediatric unit, all patients, under the age of 16, should have adult supervision during their stay. This may be a parent, guardian, or a parent designee (18 years and older).
Siblings are welcome to visit pediatric patients but should not stay overnight.

Visitation:
7am to 9pm
With no visitors in the unit from 6:30am-7:30am and 6:30pm-7:30pm
One parent/guardian may stay with the baby at all times and are asked to remain in their room for those 1 hour times from 6:30-7:30.
In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) prevention of the spread of illness/infection and the safety of our smallest patients is our #1 priority. As a result, any person, regardless of relationship, may be temporarily suspended from in person visitation if they are experiencing signs and symptoms of illness or any other safety risks are identified.
Visitation is open to parents/guardian and any individual the parents have put on the visitation list.
Visitors in the NICU may also include members of the clergy, chaplains, ministers, or other faith leaders. It is important to note these visits are restricted to one patient visit at a time and members of this group may not move through the NICU visiting from patient to patient. Memorial is proud to offer full time Chaplaincy services, if a patient’s community clergy member is not available to visit or provide support our Chaplains are always available and can assist with any specific religious needs or visits your family may have.
Visitors may be limited to two at a time.
Children under the age of 12 are not permitted to visit; however, there are special circumstances when this may be permitted with prior arrangement with the care team.
One adult (either banded or on the visitation list) may stay overnight with the baby. Rooming with your baby may be suspended by the NICU staff or hospital leadership at any time.

Memorial understands that care sought in an emergency situation is often the most stressful and uncertain in a patient’s life and it may also be some of the most critical. Even in the most emergent situations, with limited private space and the emergent pace of care in the ER we continually strive to allow for patients to have their caregiver/support person with them whenever possible. Memorial values the input of these caregivers and support people who are often an integral part of the care team.
More often than not circumstances dictate that visitors can not routinely visit with patients at their bedside while undergoing emergency care. Visitation should be reserved for more routine care environments and private settings.
When space and patient placement become limiting factors, the ER may not be able to accommodate persons at a patient’s bedside safely. In these circumstances every effort will be made to communicate with the support person/caregiver and a plan made for accommodating the patient’s needs in their absence.
Conversely when circumstance warrant, under the guidance and discretion of the care team, more persons may be allowed to the bedside depending on individual patient circumstances.

Visitation Hours May Change:
5:00 am – 6:00 am
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
ICU & PCU provide the most critical and complex care at our facility. In order to ensure our patients have the best possible outcomes, our providers and staff work hard to ensure a balance between infection prevention, patient safety and ensuring the support and care of a patient’s family/friends is available as much as possible.
Visitation is encouraged for a spouse or domestic partner, family members, friends, or other person of the patient’s choice.
ICU & PCU currently offer visitation at the following times. Times may be extended or restricted based on patient needs. Visitors should be aware that even during these times they will be asked to step out to the waiting rooms while care is provided, or procedures are performed.
Visitors are limited to two at a time in these areas. Before visitors enter the ICU or PCU, staff will check with the primary RN to determine appropriateness of visitation at that time.
Hand sanitizer/hand washing should be encouraged with visitors when entering and exiting these units. The increased risk of infection, irritants and vectors requires the limitation of live flowers and plants, eating and drinking, or bringing personal belongings in patient rooms. Patient valuables will be stored according to policy or sent home with a family member on admission to the ICU & PCU. Cell phone usage, to include video calling, must be limited to necessary and brief conversations.
Children under the age of 12 are not permitted to visit; however, there are special circumstances when this may be permitted with prior arrangement with the care team.
ICU & PCU are unable to accommodate visitors sleeping in patient rooms.
Two support person/caregivers may remain in the waiting room at all times unless more can be accommodated. Due to limited space in the waiting rooms, please be respectful of others and limit the number of personal belongings such food, blankets, pillows, etc.
It is recommended each family designate a spokesperson, this is the person the ICU/PCU staff and/or physician will contact. A Privacy Code will be assigned to ensure patient privacy is protected. Detailed patient information will only be provided to those with the assigned privacy code.
On occasion, a designated support person/caregiver may stay beyond the listed visitation times but must leave the unit between 6:00-8:00am, and 6:00-8:00pm for change-of-shift handoff communication.