Morris Hospital announces updated visitor guidelines

MORRIS – In response to improvements in COVID-19 test positivity and incidence rates, Morris Hospital has updated its visitor guidelines.

As of Friday, patients coming to Morris Hospital may be accompanied by one visitor or support person age 18 or older. This guideline applies to all patients, whether they are at the hospital as inpatients or for emergency visits, surgeries and procedures, outpatient tests and therapy sessions, or immediate/convenient care and physician office visits. The only exception to the updated visitor guidelines is that visitors are not permitted for patients who are hospitalized with COVID-19.

“At Morris Hospital, families have always served an important role in the overall health of our patients,” said Kimberly Landers, chief nurse executive at Morris Hospital. “Over the past year, we have had to make unprecedented visiting restrictions to ensure the safety of our patients and staff. As COVID numbers continue to show signs of improvement, we are eager to welcome back our visitors.”

Inpatient visiting hours are noon to 7 p.m. The support person for an obstetrical patient will continue to have 24-hour visiting.

If a patient is discharged before or after visiting hours, special accommodations will be made to ensure that a family member is present to receive discharge instructions.

Visitors coming to the hospital on weekends should use the emergency entrance after 1 p.m. on Saturdays and after 11 a.m. on Sundays.

Special visiting arrangements may be requested for children 17 and younger; patients with an intellectual and/or developmental disability that impairs understanding, judgment and decision-making; and patients who have reached end of life. The special visiting arrangements also apply to hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Anyone visiting or accompanying a patient is asked to help maintain a safe environment at the hospital and all Morris Hospital facilities by respecting the visitor guidelines. This includes wearing a mask at all times while inside a Morris Hospital facility, undergoing a temperature and wellness screening at the entrance, maintaining 6 feet of distance from others, refraining from eating and drinking except in the hospital cafeteria, and wearing the required personal protective equipment when visiting a patient in isolation. Anyone currently showing signs of illness should not visit or accompany a patient.

“Just like schools, restaurants, churches and other public places, it’s going to take everyone working cooperatively together to help get our environment as close to normal as possible,” Landers said. “Implementing new visitor guidelines is a very positive and important step forward for our patients and their families.”

To review Morris Hospital’s full visitor guidelines, go to morrishospital.org/visitors.