Hospital and clinic visitor guidelines

To protect the health and safety of our patients and care teams, Allina Health has updated our visitor guidelines.

As of June 29, 2020, only one visitor is allowed for each patient. More information and any exceptions to this updated policy are explained below.

Visitor guidelines

• Visitors will be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 and must pass the screening to visit a patient.
• Visitors must wear a visitor badge, mask and screening sticker at all times during the visit.
• Visitors must have good hand hygiene during the visit. Hand sanitizer is located at all building entrances.
• Visitors should visit only the patient’s room and avoid other areas.
• Visitors under the age of 18 will not be allowed. Exceptions may be made if there is no one else to care for the child or the patient has compassionate exceptions.

Surgeries and procedures

• Adult patients: One visitor is allowed before a patient’s surgery and can return after the surgery. The visitor can wait in the waiting room or the patient’s room (if available).
• Pediatric patients: Two parents or legal guardians may visit before and after surgery. Visitors can wait in the waiting room or the patient’s room (if available).

Emergency Department (ED)

• From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., one visitor for each patient is allowed.
• Pediatric patients may have two visitors (parents or legal guardians).
• If there are capacity issues, visitors may be asked to wait in the car or be asked to leave.

Inpatients

From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., one visitor for each patient will be allowed each day. Any variations to the following list of exceptions must be approved by the supervisor.

• Pediatric patients: Two parents or legal guardians for each patient will be allowed in the room. Parents or legal guardians may stay overnight in accordance with the usual policy.
• Labor and delivery patients: One healthy support person is allowed during the hospital stay. This support person can be a partner, family member, friend or doula. Learn more about guidelines for your labor and delivery support person.
• Newborns: Two parents or primary caretakers are allowed to visit.

Compassionate care patients

Compassionate care patients include those who are at end-of-life, critically medically unstable, or having surgery.

• Intensive Care units: Only patients who are critically unstable are allowed visitors. The patient care manager or designee will make this determination.
• Spiritual care needs: Please work with your spiritual care team to safely accommodate a patient’s spiritual care needs.

COVID-19 patients: No visitors

• Patients may be allowed one visitor each day when they are passing the COVID-19 symptom screening and are wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) as directed.
• Exceptions can be made for children under the age of 18 and women giving birth.

Mental health patients: No visitors

• Child and adolescent patients may have one parent or legal guardian visitor.
• Adult geriatric-psychiatry patients may have one legal guardian visitor.

Discharge planning

We understand that a caregiver may need to help when a patient is ready to go home. Appropriate, safe discharge planning is important to maintain patient safety.

• One visitor for each patient is allowed to help with discharge preparation.
• The patient care manager or designee can help determine which caregiver can visit and when is the best time for the visit.
• In most cases, discharge preparation happens on the day the patient is going home.

Allina Health Clinic patients

• Patients are allowed one visitor during their appointment.
• A patient under 18 may have two parents or legal guardian visitors.