UPDATE: Visitor Policy

In response to increased COVID rates in Boone County and throughout our service area, effective at 6 AM on Monday, November 16, Boone Hospital Center will suspend visitation within our facilities.

While we recognize that visitors provide important comfort and support, after careful review of hospital and community data, we have decided to again implement a no-visitors policy.  This is a necessary and responsible step to protect our patients and our staff.  We understand these are exceptional measures and appreciate your understanding.

• There are some pre-approved visitor exceptions:
  • End of life: 2 visitors at a time, with hours determined by care team
  • Obstetrics: 1 visitor with 24-hour visitation access
  • Nursery & Pediatric (patients under 18 years of age): 2 visitors at a time, with 24-hour visitation access
  • Patient with cognitive impairment: 1 visitor at a time, with 24-hour visitation access as determined by care team
• Patients with an appointment in an outpatient setting, procedural area or in the Emergency Department may have one designated visitor. If a patient from these areas is admitted, the visitor would only be allowed if they meet one of the above pre-approved exceptions.
• Visitor exceptions may not apply for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID. These cases will be determined in consultation with infection prevention and hospital leadership.
• Permitted visitors must remain in the patient’s room for duration of visit, except to use the restroom or cafeteria. Visitors who are asked by the care team to leave the patient’s room must wait in the unit’s designated waiting area.
• Overnight visitation will be reviewed on a case by-case basis based on individual factors, which may include patient preferences, clinical assessment of patient stability, out-of-town hardships, etc.   Overnight visitors will be directed to the main screening desk during operational hours each day to receive a new visitation badge marked with today’s date.
• We will continue to screen all visitors and employees before entering.
• All employees, patients and visitors will continue to follow recommended universal masking and hand hygiene procedures.

Our response continues to evolve with the progression of the virus in our community. We appreciate your support and flexibility as we work together to fight the prevalence of COVID-19 both in our hospital and in mid-Missouri.
 

As a helpful first step, we've created a free screening tool based on the CDC guidelines to provide you the most appropriate care recommendations.

Testing

As of November 25 at 9:00 a.m. TOTAL TESTS PERFORMED: 32,043 | TOTAL POSITIVES: 2,725 | CURRENT POSITIVE INPATIENTS: 51

If you are experiencing severe symptoms, call 911.  If you are experiencing mild symptoms, please follow the procedure below.

First, you will need an order from your provider.  Call your primary care provider to see if you qualify for testing.  If you don't have a primary care provider, follow this link to the Screening Tool.  For language services, you can call 855.747.1977.  If you qualify for testing through this process, an order will be sent directly to our testing sites.

If you are asymptomatic, you may visit any of our lab locations. If you are symptomatic, please use our drive-thru testing site located just west of the hospital at the Doctor's Building, 1504 E. Broadway.  

Review this helpful guidance regarding testing from the City of Columbia.

• Our drive-thru testing is open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m.-12 p.m.  It is closed on Sundays. These hours may change for holidays.
• Our drive-thru testing site will be closed for Thanksgiving Day on Thursday Nov. 26. We will be open from 7 AM to 3 PM on Friday, Nov. 27. 
• You will remain in your car the entire time. 
• You will be asked for you provider order (can be in-hand or submitted electronically by your provider), a photo ID and your insurance card if available. 
• There is no out-of-pocket cost for COVID-19 testing.

After being tested, you will be provided information on home isolation until your results have come back.  Boone Hospital Center cannot provide you with your testing results.  Your results will be given to you by your ordering provider.

Arriving at Boone Hospital Center

Our hospitals and doctors’ offices have taken the recommended safety precautions. While things may look a little different for a while, we pledge to provide the same high level of compassionate care to you and your family.

WHERE TO GO

Please refer to our Campus Map

Patients arriving at Boone Hospital for the Harris Breast Center, outpatient surgery, ultrasound, nuclear medicine or pre-surgery services may park in lot 2 and use entrance H, the Outpatient Tower entrance located at the south end of the main campus.

All other patients and visitors should park in lot 6, the William Street Parking Garage, or lot 4 and use the main entrance, or lot 16 and use the Emergency Department entrance when appropriate.

TESTING
At this time, patients coming in for surgeries and some procedures are required to be tested for COVID-19 as part of the standard pre-procedure process. We will work with you to schedule the test and refer you to the proper testing site. If needed, you will have your COVID-19 test 48-72 hours in advance of the scheduled procedure, and then will need to quarantine yourself between the testing and the procedure to reduce your risk of exposure.

For those coming in for an office visit, our staff will guide you through temperature and wellness checks prior to your appointment.

MASKING
Patients, visitors, and staff will wear face masks at all Boone Hospital facilities. Masks can be cloth. Masks with exhalation valve are not permitted. Please review our mask instructions prior to arrival. If you don’t have a personal mask, the Boone Hospital location will be happy to provide one.

CHECK-IN
We have re-designed our registration process to reduce contact. You will notice additional clear shields around front desk areas and reconfigured waiting rooms. This is intended to protect against virus transmission.

At some of our clinics, you may remain in your car and complete most of the registration over the phone. Then, a member of your care team will provide instructions for you to safely enter the facilities.

SOCIAL DISTANCING
Signs and floor decals are being installed throughout our facilities to illustrate the six feet recommended social distance between you and others. Chairs in our waiting rooms and tables in our cafeterias have been rearranged to comply with spacing recommendations.

CLEAN COMMON AREAS
In addition to our normally stringent cleaning protocols, our environmental services team has increased its sanitization protocols around the facility. You may see additional people wiping down handrails, elevator buttons and chairs throughout the day. Hand hygiene stations are positioned throughout the facility to encourage frequent hand-washing.

CAFETERIAS
Patient meals continue to be prepared in a designated, clean spaces with limited traffic. Additionally, our food and nutrition team has made several changes to reduce the need for staff or visitors to interact with high-touch items in the public cafeterias. Electronic payments are requested in lieu of cash. A member of our food and nutrition team will be happy to serve all the options rather than asking people to self-serve at salad bars or other stations. And, a full array of bottled or canned beverages is available to eliminate the uses of refillable cups or water bottles at this time.

PATIENT ROOMS
To help protect you the entire time of your stay, we continue to use products in line with CDC recommendations, and our environmental services teams remained focused on proper protocol to disinfect high-touch areas in patient rooms such as door handles, light switches, and tables. The lounging chairs in patient rooms are made of textiles that are easily cleanable. And, traffic in and out of patient room is limited to essential staff and visitors.

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

HEALTH & WELLNESS
All employees working at a BJC facility are screened daily for symptoms. We emphasize proper hand hygiene and provide the appropriate gowns, gloves, and masks in accordance with CDC guidelines.

SOCIAL DISTANCING
We encourage our staff to practice social distancing whenever possible in an effort to keep one another safe and ready to care for you. When the job allows, our non-clinical staff has been asked to work from home to limit the traffic through our facilities.