Atrium Health Navicent issued the following announcement on Oct. 28.
As the number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases decrease in Georgia and following careful review of its policies and local COVID-19 data, Atrium Health Navicent (AHN) has chosen to modify certain portions of its visitation policy. The visitation policy is used to protect patients, visitors and caregivers from the threat of COVID-19. These changes are effective Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 and only visitors described below will be permitted into Atrium Health Navicent facilities.
Visitors include those who are visiting/accompanying patients.
Guidelines
Visitation hours will be held 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
All patients in system wide inpatient may have two (2) visitors, excluding COVID-19 units. See special considerations.
Two (2) visitors are allowed at the bedside at a time.
Essential visitors may change out daily.
Visitors must remain in patient room at all times
Adult patients may have one (1) visitor overnight and pediatric patients may have two (2) visitors/guardians at any time.All patients in system wide outpatient and ambulatory settings may have one (1) visitor. See special considerations
Visitors under the age of 12 are not permitted, including for the birth of a sibling.
Special Considerations
Minor patients under the age of 18 may have two (2) visitors/guardians by bedside at any time and may have two (2) visitors in outpatient and ambulatory settings.
Patients in Labor and Delivery (active labor, before delivery) may have two (2) visitors including a partner and birth coach.
Patients in Atrium Health Navicent Family Birth Center (after delivery) may have two (2) visitors at a time at the bedside. One (1) visitor may remain overnight, but cannot swap.
Patients in hospice or palliative care may have two (2) visitors at a time at the bedside and one (1) visitor overnight.
Patients in ICU (non COVID-19) may have two (2) visitors at a time at the bedside.
Patients at Atrium Health Navicent Rehabilitation Hospital may have two (2) visitors for the entire stay and visiting hours are 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Patients who need a healthcare decision maker or visitor to help with communication and/or mobility.COVID-19 pediatric patients, COVID-19 patients at end of life and COVID-19 Labor and Delivery patients may have one (1) visitor. The visitor must wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and stay in the patient room at all times. If the visitor leaves the patient room, they must exit the facility immediately and may not return.
Other considerations
Overnight visitors must stay at the patient’s bedside. If a patient needs an in-room procedure that requires the visitor to leave the room, the visitor may wait in the hallway outside the patient room or go for a walk.
Some Intensive Care Units lack capacity for overnight visitors; in these units, overnight visitors are at the discretion of unit leadership. Waiting rooms and communal sleeping areas will remain closed.
Some visitors arrive with patients via entrances other than the main visitor entrance (ex. Surgery, Emergency, Heart Procedures). In the event a patient who entered through any entrance other than the main visitor entrance be admitted and the visitor choose to stay overnight, the visitor must check-in at the main entrance and receive a visitor band during visiting hours (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.). If the patient is admitted after visiting hours, the visitor may stay overnight and check-in at the main entrance during the next day’s visiting hours.
The enhanced visitation policy applies to Atrium Health Navicent locations, including:
Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital
Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center
Atrium Health Navicent Peach
Atrium Heath Navicent Baldwin
Atrium Health Navicent Rehabilitation Hospital
AHN Emergency Rooms, Urgent Care Centers, Clinics and Diagnostics Centers
All facilities may be accessed through their main lobbies and/or emergency centers. Individuals with cough, fever, shortness of breath or other flu-like symptoms are asked to refrain from visiting. Greeters at public entrances will continue to ask basic screening questions and temperature monitoring, guiding those seeking treatment to the appropriate location while assisting visitors as needed.
Atrium Health Navicent recognizes that interacting with loved ones can be helpful to the healing process and strongly encourage everyone to utilize other forms of support for their loved ones, including phone calls and video chats on cell phones or other mobile devices. Patients have access to Wi-Fi to assist with mobile communication.
The health of our patients and the community is the highest concern at Atrium Health Navicent. Our policies and actions are designed to safeguard our community. We appreciate the community’s cooperation and understanding with our efforts to mitigate the threat of COVID-19.
For the latest information on Atrium Health Navicent’s response to COVID-19, including our visitation policy, please visit www.navicenthealth.org. Atrium Health Navicent reserves the right to update the visitation policy at any time, based on current COVID-19 conditions.
Original source can be found here.
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