Patients Allowed Two Designated Visitors During Expanded Hours
Effective Monday, March 29, 2021 CarolinaEast Health System is expanding limited visitation at CarolinaEast Medical Center and the Outpatient Surgery Center. All inpatients will be allowed two designated visitors during the expanded visiting hours of 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Last March, CarolinaEast restricted all visitation upon the recommendations of state and federal officials to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and allow for unknowns related to the novel illness. As the situation evolved, limited visitation was introduced in late July, allowing one designated visitor during limited visiting hours. As officials have since expanded state and federal guidelines, CarolinaEast leadership made the decision to enter the next phase of our visitation plan.
Expanded visitation details implemented Monday, March 29, 2021:
- Visiting hours for inpatient units are 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. for all units except Crossroads Adult Mental Health, which is 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. and Intensive Care Units (ICU/CVICU), which are limited to half hour increments at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
- Inpatients are allowed two designated visitors throughout their stay. The two designated visitors can be in the patient’s room at the same time.
- Emergency Department (ED) patients will be allowed two companions while being cared for in the ED.
- No visitation is allowed for patients on COVID isolation protocol.
- All visitors must be at least 18 years old.
- All visitors must pass wellness screening upon entry into a CarolinaEast facility.
- All visitors will be required to obtain a visitor pass upon check-in and checkout after visiting.
- All visitors must remain in the patient’s room and wear a mask at all times.
- Due to social distancing guidelines, hospital waiting areas will not be open and visitors will be required to wait outside the facility during surgical procedures.
CarolinaEast appreciates everyone’s cooperation, patience and understanding during these extraordinary times. “We have been anxious to increase visitation for some time, and although necessary, we know how difficult this limitation has been for our patients and their loved ones,” says Jim Davis, Chief Nursing Officer at CarolinaEast. “We also know that family support is an important piece of healing and we are so glad to finally be able to give that back to our patients.”
As the situation continues to evolve, CarolinaEast will advise of additional changes to the visitation policy. Visit carolinaeasthealth.com to learn more about CarolinaEast’s efforts to protect its patients, visitors and staff from COVID-19.
By Brandy Popp, Manager, Public Relations and Outreach, CarolinaEast Health System