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Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center announced it is expanding patient visitation in its medical and behavioral health units. The new visitation policy comes with provisions to enhance safety for patients and staff.
Visitors will now be allowed entrance into the Medical Center seven days a week from noon to 8:30 p.m.; on behavior health floors from 1-2 p.m. and 7-8 p.m.; and in the intensive care unit from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.
Updates to the policy include:
•Two designated inpatient visitors or support persons are permitted in a patient room, or designated area, at a time and must remain there unless directed otherwise by hospital staff.
√ Labor and delivery: One support person may accompany patient during maternity stay until discharge home. Two support persons may accompany the mother during labor, delivery and the postpartum period, including recovery, until discharge home. No other visitors will be allowed; this includes children under the age of 18.
√ Surgery: Patients having a same-day procedure may have one visitor remain in a designated waiting area and through the discharge process.
√ Emergency department: For adult patients, one visitor is allowed with a patient and remain in the treatment room for the entire visit, except when asked to leave for patient care. For pediatric patients, two support persons are allowed and must remain in the patient’s treatment room for the entire visit.
•Visitors must be 12 years of age or older, 18 years of age or older for behavioral health units and labor and delivery.
•No visitors will be permitted to see a patient with an active diagnosis of COVID-19.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 that have not fulfilled CDC criteria for removal from isolation, or have been in contact with someone who is actively infected with the coronavirus or is under investigation for COVID-19 within 14 days, are not permitted to visit a patient.
•Any visitor who is otherwise exhibiting signs and symptoms of an illness or has an illness that could be transferred to our patients, is not permitted to visit.
•Exceptions for after-hours visitation may be permitted in the instance of labor and delivery; emergency department; pediatric patients; patients with special needs or cognitive impairments; and end-of-life patients.
•All visitors will be asked to submit a health screening upon entrance into the Medical Center, must properly wear face coverings at all times, regardless of visitor or patient vaccination status, and must practice social distancing and meticulous hand hygiene. Visitors who fail to wear a face covering or comply with the requirements will be asked to leave the facility.
Catholic Health Expands Hospital Visitation
All Catholic Health hospitals returned to prepandemic visitation hours on Monday for non-COVID-19 patients. Hospital visiting hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Mount St. Mary’s Hospital, and Sisters of Charity Hospital Main Street and St. Joseph campuses.
To help create and support a healing, quiet environment, visitation remains limited to two visitors at a time (per patient). Visitors must be age 12 and older, and those under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
Maternity patients are allowed two support persons for the duration of their hospital stay and, in certain outpatient clinic settings – where space permits – patients may be accompanied by a support person for their appointments. One visitor may accompany a patient in the emergency department, based on the patient’s condition.
All visitors are required to undergo a health screening, complete an online registration process, and follow all safety guidelines, including wearing a mask at all times and washing or sanitizing their hands before and after each visit. Individuals who report significant COVID-19 exposure or symptoms in the last 10 days, or have a temperature of 100.0° F or higher, will not be permitted to visit.
To expedite the registration process, visitors may complete an online form prior to their visit. A complete list of visitor guidelines and the online visitor form are available at www.chsbuffalo.org/visitors.
In circumstances deemed medically necessary or in end-of-life cases, family are encouraged to coordinate special visitation in advance through the nursing staff.
Kenmore Mercy Hospital has begun use of a new visitor management system that includes an adhesive photo ID for those visiting the hospital. Individuals should be prepared with their state-issued identification when entering the facility.