DANVILLE – Geisinger will be enforcing visitor restrictions again due to increases of COVID-19 in the area. Geisinger officials announced Monday evening the health system is temporarily restricting routine, in-person visits to hospitalized patients, effective Monday, November 2. They’ll last until further notice.
Clergy and doulas are still considered part of the care team. Other exceptions still include medically unstable patients, patients imminently dying by who are not positive for or suspected to have COVID-19. Patients undergoing surgery, delivering mothers, and emergency room patients are other exceptions.
Visitations for outpatient procedures, diagnostics, and clinic appointments remain the same. Adult or pediatric patients who have an appointment at a Geisinger clinic, lab, or radiology department may have one person accompany them.
Family members are once again encouraged to use phone calls and virtual visits, and Geisinger says it can provide family members with iPads.
More information is posted below from Geisinger:
Exceptions noted here will still allow for visitation under special situations:
- Patients who are medically unstable (two designated visitors)
- All patients who are imminently dying (within hours to days), but who are not positive for or suspected to have COVID-19 (two visitors)
- One-time “substitution” with two other visitors is permitted.
- Visits should ideally be between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Patients undergoing surgery or procedures (one single-time visitor immediately after the procedure)
- Delivering mothers (one support person)
- Patients who are minors and those with limited decisional capacity (up to two parents or guardians)
- Patients who have altered mental status, an intellectual, developmental or cognitive disability or a communication barrier (two visitors)
- Patients with disruptive behavior where a family member is key to their care (two visitors)
- Emergency Room patients (one designated visitor)
- Patients being discharged (one visitor to help with discharge planning)
COVID-19-unit patient visitation criteria:
- COVID-positive or persons under investigation (PUI) end-of-life patients (medically unstable or imminently dying) may have:
- Two designated, unchanging visitors who may not switch out with other people
- One-time visit from families (but allowed a second visit if death is imminent)
All approved visitors must:
- Be 18 years of age or older and in good health
- Bring a form of identification
- Not have symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, recent loss of taste or smell or flu-like illness suggestive of COVID-19, and complete a health screening, including a temperature check, at the entrance before entry
- Not have active COVID-19 infection
- Be at least 10 days from onset of illness if they previously had COVID-19 infection
- Wear a Level 1 mask or their own close-fitting cloth masks at all times (gaiters are acceptable, but bandannas and other loose cloths are not) and cover tracheostomies (e.g., with cloth, gauze, a second mask)
- Masking for visitors is mandatory at all times in all Geisinger buildings. Any visitor who doesn’t comply may lose future visitation privileges.
- Respect social distancing guidelines of 6 feet from all others
- Wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer before entering and after leaving a patient’s room
- Use the same entrance for entry into and exit from the hospital
- Identify themselves and stay in designated areas (not travel throughout the facility)
To find out more information about Geisinger’s visitation policy and how we’re working to keep our communities safe and stop the spread of COVID-19, visit Geisinger.org/coronavirus.