Visitation Policy | Nuvance Health (2024)

Effective: February 13, 2024

In support of each patient’s rights, Nuvance Health^® allows patients to receive visitors that the patient designates including, but not limited to, a spouse, domestic partner (including a same sex domestic partner), family members, or a friend, for emotional support during their stay. Patients can withdraw or deny such consent at any time. Nuvance Health prohibits discrimination against visitors based on age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression. Visitors designated by the patient (or support person, where appropriate) do not have to be legally related to the patient and shall enjoy visitation privileges that are no more restrictive than those that immediate family members would enjoy.

The following guidelines apply:

Included here:

• General Inpatient Support Person Guidance
• General Emergency Department Support Person Guidance
• Visitation Guidelines for Special Patient Populations, Patients Under 21, Neonatal Patients, Maternity Patients, and Extenuating Circ*mstances
• Guidelines by Hospital
• Guidance for Personal Belongings
• Outpatient and Medical Practice Visitation Guidance
• Inpatient Behavioral Health Visitation Guidance
• Eucharistic Ministers and Community Clergy Guidance
• Food and Drink Guidance
• Overall Visitation Policy

General Inpatient Support Person Guidance

• Inpatient visitation is permitted for up to 4 care partners/support persons for patients up to maximum of 12 hours per day.

• Hours are 8 am to 8 pm.

• One adult may accompany the patient overnight. Restrictions for space may apply.

General Emergency Department Visitation Guidance

• Adult Patients: All patients 21 years or older will be allowed one screened care partner/support person.If patient volume is low, ED leadership may permit up to two visitors/support person.

• Patients under age 21: The designated two parents and/or guardians for patients under age 21 may be present at all times. No other visitors are permitted beyond two parents and/or guardians.
• In a circ*mstance where the patient arrived with someone other than their support person, a neighbor for example, and their care partner subsequently arrives, that care partner, critical to and knowledgeable about the patient’s care, will be allowed to replace the other support person.

Visitation Guidelines for Patients Under Age 21, Neonatal Patients, Maternity Patients, and Extenuating Circ*mstances

Patients under age 21 outpatientand emergency care:A maximum of 2 parents or support persons are permitted to accompany the patient at bedside throughout the duration of the Emergency Department or outpatient stay so long safe-occupancy standards permit.

Neonatal intensive care units: Visitation in the NICUs across Nuvance Health is limited to 4 people daily with no more than 2 at the bedside at a time or as otherwise directed by the clinical team. While the designated 2 parents/guardians may be present at any time,an additional 2 visitors may join during NICU visitation hours daily. These additional visitors should be restricted only to those essential to providing care.

Visitation to the NICU may be adjusted based on prevalence of infectious diseases in the community and individual unit needs.

Hospitalized patients under age 21:The designated 2 parents and/or guardians may be present at all times. An additional 2 distinct visitors may join during the unit’s visitation hours daily. The daily total may not exceed 4 support persons.

Maternity patients: Up to a maximum of 2 support persons, excluding a vaccinated, trained doula, can accompany obstetric patients during antepartum, labor, delivery, and postpartum care.

The second support person may be present at all hours during delivery. Post-partum, the second support person can only be present during hospital visitation hours.

In addition to the 2 designated support persons, an additional maximum of 2 support persons may join the maternity patient daily post-partum. This means a maternity patient can have their primary 2 support persons and an additional 2 distinct visitors during hospital visitation hours daily. The daily total may not exceed 4 support persons.

During triage for maternity patients, the primary support person will be permitted to stay with the patient or in a proximate wait room if experiencing high patient volume in a semi-private triage space. The second support person may join once the patient is admitted and in their assigned room.

If at any time support person(s) show symptoms of COVID-19, they will be screened again by the clinical team and may be asked to leave the hospital. At that time, alternative support person(s) can be selected and will have to follow the same screening process.

Siblings of all ages will be welcomed to visit maternity patients. All minors must always be accompanied by an adult.

Extenuating circ*mstances:The patient’s care team will determine if extenuating circ*mstances apply and discuss these with the patient and their support person(s). Extenuating circ*mstances may include:

• Patients in critical condition when death may be imminent: Up to 4 support persons may be designated to remain with patients at bedside. Those may rotate once with another 4 support persons for a total not to exceed 8 support persons per day.

• Patients who have a physical, intellectual/developmental or cognitive disability; communication barriers or behavioral concerns prior to hospitalization; and/or who need assistance due to the specifics of their disability may have one designated support person with them throughout their hospitalization to support their disability-related needs. A second support person may visit only during hospital hours. an additional maximum of 2 support persons may join the patient during hospital visitation hours. The total may not exceed 4 support persons daily.

• Pediatric leadership may help determine extenuating circ*mstances for visitors under age 12.
  

Documentation Required for Visitation

Visitation Hours and Entrances by Hospital

Danbury Hospital

Inpatient Care:

Visitation Hours 8am - 8pm daily

Open Entrances:

• Main Entrance at the Peter & Carmen Lucia Buck Pavilion (park in the Rizzo Garage, or valet your car)
• Stroock Building (park in the Gold or Red garages, or valet your car)
• Ambulatory Surgery Unit Entrance
• Kelly Medical Arts Center (formerly the Danbury Hospital Medical Arts Center) (DHMAC)

New Milford Hospital

Inpatient Care:

Visitation Hours 8am- 8pm daily

Open Entrances:

• Emergency Department Entrance

• Main Front Entrance

Norwalk Hospital

Inpatient care:

Visitation Hours 8am- 8pmdaily

Open Entrance:

• Main Pavilion Entrance

Northern Dutchess Hospital

Inpatient Care:

Visitation Hours 8am- 8pm daily

Open Entrance:

• Main Front Entrance

Putnam Hospital

Inpatient Care:

Visitation Hours 8am- 8pmdaily

Open Entrance:

• Main Front Entrance

Sharon Hospital

Inpatient Care:

Visitation Hours 8am- 8pmdaily

Open Entrances:

• Main Entrance Monday through Friday:5:45am – 8pm; Saturday and Sunday: 8am – 8pm

• Emergency Department Entrance

Vassar Brothers Medical Center

Inpatient Care:

Visitation Hours 8am- 8pmdaily

Open Entrance:

• Main Front Entrance

Guidance for Personal Belongings

• Family/caregivers may drop off essential personal items for patients such as clothing, contact lenses/glasses, hearing aids, mobile devices, laptops, and chargers.

Outpatient and Medical Practice Visitation Guidance

• Medical Practices: Up to 2 support person(s) are permitted.

• For care settings with multiple patients in a room, visitation may be curtailed or modified for the safety of all patients, staff and visitors.

Inpatient Behavioral Health Visitation Guidance

• Visitation is by appointment only from 10 am to 8 pm for Danbury and Norwalk hospitals. Putnam and Sharon hospitals have hours of noon to 6 pm. Visits are limited to 30 minutes. The number of visitors is limited to 1 per day at the designated time. The single visitor may change each day.
• Children under age 14 are not permitted on the unit to visit, except by special order of the attending physician or their designee after discussion with the treatment team and must be accompanied by an adult.

Eucharistic Ministers and Community ClergyVisitation Guidance

Eucharistic Ministers and the Community Clergy are permitted to visit provided:

• They have hospital badges

• They attend a refresher orientation
• Visits to patients under isolation precautions are limited to 60 minutes (no more than once per day).
• The Community Clergy register at the front desks of each hospital and provide the name(s) of those they will visit in order to conduct contact tracing if necessary.
• Community Clergy do not count as a designated support person. The patient can have as many support persons as their condition permits in addition to Eucharistic Minister/Community Clergy.

Food and Drink Guidance

We welcome care partners/support persons who have a loved one receiving care at our hospitals to use our cafeterias/bistros.

Care partners/support persons may bring food for hospitalized patients. Food brought in must adhere to dietary/safety restrictions.

Overall Visitation Policy

We recommend only visiting a patient if you feel it is absolutely necessary such as you are their caregiver, primary support person and actively involved in their medical care.

• Visitors age 12 and older are allowed to visit if they meet specific requirements for approved visitation and are accompanied by an adult. Exceptions for visitors age 12 and younger may apply for patients with extenuating circ*mstances.

• Pediatric patients may have a sibling visit during hospital visitation hours if deemed therapeutic to the patient by the clinical care team. The children must stay within the patient’s room throughout the entire visit.

All visitors must meet the following requirements before they are approved to visit:

• Visitors need to show a government-issued photo ID (examples: driver’s license, passport) to check in. Contact tracing information will be recorded only where required by state and federal guidelines.

• Visitors with any cold or flu symptoms will be required to go home for the safety of our patients and staff.

• Visitors who pass the initial screening but develop symptoms of COVID-19 at any time during their visit will also be asked to go home. At that time, an alternative visitor may be allowed and will have to follow the same screening process.

• If a visitor was confirmed as having symptomatic COVID-19 but meets the following conditions, they may be permitted to visit if:
  • At least 24 hours have passed since recovery: no fever (greater than or equal to 99.5 F) without the use of fever-reducing medications, AND
  • Improvement in signs and symptoms of COVID-19 (chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion or rhinorrhea, vomiting or diarrhea, and skin rashes), AND
  • At least 10 days have passed since a positive testor medically confirmed start of symptoms.

• If visitor was asymptomatic (not experiencing symptoms) at the time of their first positive COVID-19 test and are still asymptomatic, they may be permitted to visit if at least 5 days have passed since their first positive test.

Guidance for Approved Care Partners/Support Persons

• Visitors must remain in the patient’s room at all times (except to use the restroom or the cafeteria) and follow all personal protective equipment (PPE) guidelines — such as wearing a medical grade face mask when necessary — as instructed by the care team. If care team instructs the support person to assist the patient in ambulating around the unit, this is an approved circ*mstance to leave the patient room.
• Please use the call light to connect with a member of the care team from the patient’s room. This helps to keep patients, staff and care partners safe.
• Visitors must exit the room or may not visit during the period where any aerosol-generating procedure or treatment is taking place (or shortly after) as instructed by the care team
• If a discharge occurs outside of visitation hours, the clinical team may invite a care partner/support person to actively assist in the discharge education process to promote patient safety at their clinical discretion. The clinician inviting the care partner will notify the front desk ahead of arrival to ensure the care partner will be welcomed in.

Guidance Around the Use of Technology for Remote Visitation

• The device must be turned off during direct patient care, including personal care and medical interventions, as well as quiet times.
• Filming other patients without their consent is prohibited.
• Use of devices to disclose any HIPPA protected information about other patients without their consent is prohibited.
• Using devices to post information about other patients on social media or other venues without the patient’s consent is prohibited.

Guidance for COVID-19-Positive or Suspect Patients

Up to 2 support person(s) will be welcomed daily during hospital visitation hours.

• All visitors will be informed of the risks of visiting patients with COVID-19 and educated on proper PPE use.
• The support person(s) can be different every 24 hours, but visits should be restricted only to those essential to providing care.
  
  • Special patient populations or those with extenuating circ*mstances who are also suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19: see below for those groups.

Additional considerations are described below.

For all suspect or COVID-19 positive patients:

• Prior discussion with care team is required to weigh risk and benefits of providing in-person support.
• Support person will be provided PPE, which includes gloves, gowns, medical grade mask and eye protection.

• Please consider using technology to stay connected and offer support remotely.
• COVID-19 suspected or positive patients using CPAP, BiPAP or high flow oxygen: Visitation is not permitted unless there are extenuating circ*mstances and risk-reducing steps listed below must be followed:
  • Clear education will be provided that the patient is on a machine that aerosolizes COVID-19
  • Strict mask wearing is required with no removal for food and water while in the room. Mask can be removed only outside the room
  • Shorter stays are recommended, and masks must be discarded after leaving the room
  • Support persons of COVID-19 positive or suspected patients are not permitted to utilize the shared wait rooms.

Specialpatient populations or those with extenuating circ*mstances who are also suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19:

• Patients in critical condition when death may be imminent: Up to 4 support persons may be designated to remain with patients at bedside. Those 4 may rotate once with another 4 support persons for a total not to exceed 8 support persons per day.

• Patients who have a physical, intellectual/developmental or cognitive disability; communication barriers or behavioral concerns prior to hospitalization; and/or who need assistance due to the specifics of their disability, may have one designated support person with them throughout their hospitalization to support their disability related needs. A second support person may visit only during hospital hours.

The following visitors are not allowed at this time:

• Unsolicited vendors are restricted at this time. Any scheduled or planned maintenance or services may continue as normal.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this visitation policy may cause you and your family. This is a very important way to limit the risk of possible exposure to COVID-19 to you, your loved ones, and the community. We know care partners and loved ones play an essential role as partners in healing and wellness and thispolicy is reevaluated regularly.

Visit Nuvance Health's COVID-19 Hubfor the latest information.

This visitation policy is subject to change.