Patients Allowed One Visitor at a Time
Effective Monday, January 3, 2022, CarolinaEast Medical Center is limiting visitation to one visitor at a time per patient during visiting hours.
In March 2020, CarolinaEast restricted all patient visitation upon the recommendations of state and federal officials to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. As the situation improved, increased visitation was introduced in various stages. Now, with the growing spread of COVID-19 in the community, as well as increased COVID-related hospitalizations at CarolinaEast Medical Center, it is necessary to again limit visitation to help prevent further spread of the virus. Under certain circumstances, such as end-of-life situations, compassionate care visitation may be implemented in coordination with a patient’s physician or other care providers.
Limited visitation details implemented Monday, January 3, 2022:
- Patients may receive one visitor at a time during their hospitalization at CarolinaEast Medical Center.
- Visiting hours for inpatient units are 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. for all units except Crossroads Adult Mental Health, where visiting hours are 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
- Emergency Department (ED) patients are allowed one companion while being cared for in the ED.
- No visitation is allowed for patients on COVID-19 isolation protocol.
- All visitors must be at least 16 years old.
- All visitors must pass wellness screening upon entry into a CarolinaEast facility.
- All CarolinaEast Medical Center visitors are required to present photo identification and obtain a visitor pass upon check-in, and must check out after visiting.
- All visitors must wear a mask at all times. Based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, all staff and visitors, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, are required to wear masks in a healthcare environment.
- The hospital cafeteria (Blue Wave Café) and coffee shop (Jasmine Coffee Shop) remain closed to the public. Visitors of patients are permitted to purchase to-go items only.
- The hospital waiting areas remain closed and visitors must continue to wait outside the facility during outpatient, surgical and other invasive procedures.
CarolinaEast Health System provides for patient visitation to the extent allowed by applicable law and may implement restrictions or limitations when necessary for safety, infection control, disease prevention, and other reasons. Dr. Ron May, Chief Medical Officer at CarolinaEast commented: “This decision, while difficult, is a necessary one to help protect our patients, staff and visitors.”
CarolinaEast will continue to monitor the situation and will make further decisions relating to patient visitation as necessary and appropriate.
Visit www.carolinaeasthealth.com to learn more about CarolinaEast’s efforts to protect its patients, visitors and staff from COVID-19.
By Brandy Popp, Director, Public Relations