ICU Visiting Policy

Welcome

Rest assured that your loved one is in good hands. Our specialty trained health care team will do everything possible to provide the best care for your loved one. We appreciate your visit, as seeing family members can do wonders for your loved one’s spirits and healing.

Providing excellent and safe care is of utmost importance to us. Due to the complexity of many of our patients, visiting for one or several patients may be limited at any time at the discretion of the health care team. When necessary, the unit staff may ask family members to step into the waiting room.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Your loved one’s health and safety are most important.

Hours

The ICU is closed to visiting from 7-8 a.m. and 7-8 p.m.

You may enter the unit from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. to visit your loved one.

Please check with the nurse if the curtain or door is closed. The doors are locked from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. and an intercom is available to allow you to communicate with the unit staff.

Rules

  • We recommend having no more than two visitors be in the room at a time. However, this will be individualized per patient and at the nurse’s discretion.
  • Please remain in your loved one’s room or the waiting room. Out of respect for the privacy of other patients, standing in the hallway is not allowed.
  • Please wear shoes while walking around the hospital. This is for your safety.

Other guidelines:

  • Please be considerate of your loved one’s need for rest and quiet. Visits may need to be kept short and with soft-spoken voices. Please turn cell phones on silent or vibrate while visiting.
  • We ask that you talk with your care team prior to bringing food or beverages into the patient’s room.
  • We prefer not to have fresh or live plants, but balloons, silk arrangements and other items of encouragement are welcome.
  • Please do not visit if you are sick, have an infection or have been vaccinated recently. Our patients have weakened immune systems, and we need to provide a healthy environment to speed their recovery.
  • The safety of your loved one is of most importance to us. Please share any information with the health care team that may impact the care we give.

Taking care of yourself

Having a family member in the ICU can be a very stressful and challenging situation. Please remember to:

  • Take any regular medications and follow any special diets.
  • Eat regular, healthy meals and snacks and drink plenty of water.
  • Do not feel you have to be here every moment. A highly trained medical team is caring for your loved one.
  • Gather support from family members, friends, clergy and social workers.
  • Take time away from the hospital. Fresh air and sleeping in your own bed can work wonders to help you deal with the stress. Keep in mind that the ICU may be the beginning of a long recovery where your strength will be needed.
  • While it may be hard, try to be as calm and hopeful as you can when visiting the patient.

The family spokesperson

In order to provide clear and accurate information about what is happening with your loved one, we ask that you designate one person to be the family spokesperson. This may be a spouse, parent or legal next-of-kin.

We will give updated health information to the spokesperson and will refer any other family members or friends requesting information to that person.

Before you leave the hospital, please be sure that you have left current contact numbers for two family members with the ICU staff.

If someone is a durable power of attorney for the patient, please provide the ICU staff with a copy of the form.

Click here to download a brochure with this information.