All persons visiting the hospital must wear a face mask
Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SHM) has updated its policy for visitors as the public health emergency continues, it has announced.
“Upon entry, all visitors must answer screening questions and will have their temperature checked,” a news release points out. Visitors must be 18 or older and must wear a hospital-provided or cloth face mask. (“Bandannas, scarves and buffs are not permitted,” the release stresses). “Visitors who refuse to wear a face mask in the hospital will be asked to leave, the release also emphasizes.
Hospital inpatients (in areas other than Critical Care, Labor & Delivery/Mother-Baby, Pediatrics and NICU) may have one visitor per day for a one-hour visit between 1 and 6 p.m., the release adds. “Visitors must stay in the patient’s room for the duration of the visit.
Critical Care patients may have one visitor per day for a 30-minute period between the hours of 1 and 6 p.m., the release continues. “Visitors must stay in the patient’s room for the duration of the visit, the release again stresses.
Emergency Care Center (ER) patients will be allowed to have one visitor, who may accompany the patient to the treatment room or wait in the hospital’s main lobby, it says.
Parents visiting Pediatrics or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients may visit at the same time, the release adds.
Each Labor & Delivery patient may have one support person, as well as a certified doula and/or licensed community midwife, in the event the patient is transferred to SMH for care, the release notes. “No other visitors are allowed in Labor-Delivery or the Mother-Baby units,” it says.
Expectant parents with questions about how the policy will impact their birth experience may call 941-313-0943 to speak with a clinical nursing leader, the release adds.
A patient in surgical, procedural and testing areas may have one support person, whose access will be limited to the hospital’s first floor, the release continues.
“Exceptions to this visitor policy may be made in certain extraordinary circumstances, including end-of-life situations,” the release points out.
“Our No Visitor restrictions will remain in effect for patients suspected of having COVID-19; those who have tested COVID-19 positive; patients at Bayside Center for Behavioral Health; and patients at Sarasota Memorial Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Rand Boulevard,” the release emphasizes.