Visitor guidelines

Visitor guidelines

Hospital and clinic visitor guidelines

To protect the health and safety of our patients and staff, Allina Health has instituted a no visitor policy across the system. There are limited exceptions to this policy and these are further clarified below.

Visitor requirements

  • Visitors will be screened for symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and must past the screening to be allowed to visit.
  • Visitors must wear visitor badge, personal protective equipment and screening stickers at all times in the facility.
  • Visitors must use hand hygiene frequently while in the facility.
  • Visitors should visit only the patient room and not go to other locations in the facility.

Emergency Department (ED)

Visitors will only be allowed in the ED for patients in the following situations.

  • Pediatric patients – One parent/guardian per patient will be allowed in the room.
  • Vulnerable/incapacitated adults – One adult visitor/guardian per patient will be allowed in the room.
  • Trauma/critical care patients – One adult visitor per patient will be allowed in the room.
  • All other patients may have one responsible party wait in the lobby and will be allowed to visit the patient as designated by the care team for compassionate exceptions only.

Inpatients

Visitors will only be allowed for admitted patients in the following situations. Any variations to this list of exceptions must be approved by the house supervisor

  • Pediatric patients – One parent/guardian will be allowed in the room per patient. The parent/guardian may stay overnight in accordance with usual policy.
  • Labor and Delivery patients – One designated visitor allowed per maternal patient per stay.
  • Newborns – Partners/primary caretaker will be permitted to visit.
  • Compassionate care patients – This includes end of life patients, critically unstable patients and patients who are undergoing surgery.
    • Intensive Care Units: To avoid increased risk to patients and staff on these units, only patients who are critically unstable are allowed visitors at this time.
    • The patient care manager or designee will make this determination.
    • Spiritual care needs: Please work with your spiritual care teams to safely accommodate any spiritual care needs
  • Mental Health patients – No visitors. Child and adolescent patients may have one parent/guardian. Adult geriatric-psychiatry patients may have a guardian.

Discharge planning needs

Allina Health recognizes that a caregiver may need to be present to assist with discharge preparation. Appropriate and safe discharge planning is critical to maintain the safety of patients, therefore, the no visitor policy is not intended to slow the discharge process.

  • One individual per patient is allowed on the unit to assist with discharge preparation.
  • The patient care manager or designee will be allowed to make determinations regarding when and which caregiver will be present for this purpose.
  • Generally, discharge preparation does not need to occur earlier than the day of discharge.

Allina Health Clinic patients

To protect our patients and staff, visitors are only permitted under the following criteria:

  • A patient under age 18 may bring one parent/legal guardian, or
  • The visitor must be a personal care attendant for patients who require assistance during their appointment

AND

  • cannot have flu-like symptoms, including a cough, fever or respiratory concern
  • must be over age 18 (no child visitors allowed).