Visiting Hours & Guidelines

Holy Cross Health’s visitation policy is strongly aligned with Holy Cross Health's Core Values of Reverence for each person, Justice, Integrity, Safety and the organization's commitment to person-centered care.

• The hospital acknowledges that the emotional, social and developmental support provided by family members is an integral component of health care
• All visitors will enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with patient preferences and hospital Safety guidelines
•  Holy Cross Health establishes these guidelines to maximize the safety of patients and hospital colleagues
• Holy Cross Health recognizes the vital role that families and support persons play in the health and well-being of patients. The family may include a spouse, domestic partner, significant other, or other individuals not legally related to the patient.
• Holy Cross Health will not restrict, limit, or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

• The hospital supports a liberal visitation policy to provide patients with visitation options that work best for them and their loved ones. However, to optimize the patient's ability to rest, Holy Cross Health recommends visiting between 9:00 am – 6:00 pm.
• The Main Entrance of the hospital is open daily from 5:00 am until 8:00 pm. Open visitation is welcomed from 9:00 am until 6:00 pm. The length of each visit is determined by the patient and visitor. If the hospital imposes restrictions on visitation in the best interests of the patient, in no event will the hospital restrict the Patient’s visitation time to less than two (2) hours per day pursuant to Florida law.
• Visitors must stop at the lobby welcome desk to obtain information, assistance and a guest badge. We require photo identification.
• Visitors must be screened in the lobby of the hospital to ensure that they do not have a temperature > 100 degrees, any symptoms of COVID in the past 10 days (as outlined on the signage in the lobby), or a positive COVID test within the past 10 days.
• Our masking policy is based on CDC Community Transmission Level and updated weekly.  You will be notified of our current masking status at the entrance. Masking is otherwise encouraged. 
• For the safety of visitors, patients and colleagues, when masks are required throughout a visit, if a guest does not have a mask, one will be provided by the hospital.
• All visitors should be free of infection or illness during their visit. Visitors exhibiting symptoms of fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, skin rash, vomiting, or experiencing diarrhea should not enter the hospital to visit a patient.
• Holy Cross Health will not compel visitors to provide proof of vaccination or immunization status to enter the hospital or visit a patient.
• Visitors who wish to visit patients with an infectious disease placed on isolation precautions will be provided with the required personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gowns, gloves, and/or mask and education about infectious disease protocols for entering the room and interacting with the patient. Holy Cross Health imposes no restrictions on consensual physical contact between patients and visitors.
• After 8:00 pm, authorized visitors may enter and exit through the Emergency Department. Visitors must obtain a guest badge from Security. Late evening visitors must present photo identification and must remain with Security until the Security Officer has cleared the visitor with nursing to visit a patient.
• Holy Cross Health asks families and friends to be respectful of our patient's needs for rest and privacy.
• Holy Cross Health asks for patients to limit the number of visitors to no more than one (1) at a time. Additional visitors will be asked to wait in the main lobby.
• Overnight visitation is discouraged. However, patients may obtain an exception on an as needed basis to have a family member, friend or significant other remain with them during their admission. Holy Cross Health will make every effort to place patients with needed overnight support in a private room. In semi-private rooms, we suggest that overnight visitor/advocate be the same gender as the patient. If an overnight visitor is the opposite sex of the patient, the arrangement must be acceptable to the roommate. Use chain of command to make every effort to accommodate a patient and their choice of overnight visitor/advocate Overnight visitors are limited to one person.
• Any overnight visitor must be fully capable of caring for themselves.
• Holy Cross Health will ask any visitor to leave if that visitor is disruptive to patient care or disruptive to the roommate.
• Hospital personnel are encouraged to call Code Strong if they feel that a visitor poses an immediate threat.
• If there is reasonable concern that that a visitor is supplying contraband, the nurse/caregiver will seek an order for a toxicology screen and request security to do a contraband check. If the screen or the contraband check is positive, notify the attending physician immediately.
• The nurse/caregiver will escalate concern through the Nursing Supervisor and hospital administration as needed if the patient refuses the toxicology screen.

Visitor Education and Infection Control

All visitors will be educated on:

• Signs and Symptoms of COVID including who to notify if they develop symptoms
• Performing hand hygiene by washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or by using provided alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol for at least 20 seconds
• Following respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette (e.g., covering mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when coughing or sneezing) in the event the individual develops respiratory symptoms while visiting the facility
• Facilities should provide adequate supplies for visitors to perform respiratory hygiene and should instruct visitors with cough or other respiratory symptoms (if not discovered during initial screening) to immediately leave the facility and seek care if needed
• Visitors will be educated on appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) use and appropriate hand hygiene 

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND CONSIDERATIONS

Compliance with No Patient Left Alone Act

Holy Cross Health will allow in-person visitation in all of the following circumstances, unless the patient objects:

• End-of-life situations
• A patient who was living with family before being admitted to the Hospital is struggling with the change in environment and lack of in-person family support
• A patient is making one or more major medical decisions
• A patient is experiencing emotional distress or grieving the loss of a friend or family member who recently died
• A patient needs cueing or encouragement to eat or drink which was previously provided by a family member or caregiver
• A patient who used to talk and interact with others is seldom speaking
• Childbirth, including labor and delivery
• Pediatric patients

Children

• Children may visit in the critical care units based on individual circumstances. These may include the cultural preferences of the patient and family and the current status or prognosis of the patient. Holy Cross Health encourages visits to be coordinated with the patient's nurse.
• Visitation by children, in critical care and other areas of the hospital, is permitted as long as the children are accompanied by and under the direct supervision of an adult other than the patient. Under no circumstances may a child be left alone with a patient. No child should visit if he or she has fever, cough, runny, nose, sore throat, skin rash, vomiting, or diarrhea, or if the child has been recently exposed to chicken pox or has had the chicken pox vaccine within two weeks.
• The physician, licensed independent provider or the nursing supervisor (Clinical Lead/Charge RN, Nursing Supervisor) may determine at any time that children cannot visit, depending on the patient situation.

 Vendors

• Vendors and contractors are requested to make prior appointments with the specific units. They must obtain and wear a vendor pass.
• We will stop delivery and catering personnel at the entrance. The Associate who placed the order is required to pick up items or the Associate will need to come to the entrance to escort the caterer to appropriate area.