MARION—Following the recent community surge of COVID-19 cases, OhioHealth announced that patients will be allowed to designate a single visitor for inpatient for the duration of their stay starting August 31.  Patients in emergency, medical practice, surgery, and outpatient infusion/radiation oncology space remain unchanged with one visitor allowed. The new visitor policy will go into effect on August 31, at midnight.

  • Designated visitor may enter and exit the hospital as needed and stay overnight if clinically appropriate.
  • Outpatients will continue to follow the outpatient exception policy
  • Patients receiving behavioral healthcare will continue with current scheduled visitation process.
  • OhioHealth Physician Group remains one visitor.

Requirements for visitors include:

  • Visitor must be ASYMPTOMATIC, wear masks and pass screenings.
  • Visitor must be 18 years and older unless they are a parent of a patient.

Limited exceptions include:

  • Caregiver: Visitor acting as a CAREGIVER for a patient that is:

o          Confirmed by clinical team a caregiver is currently required to support patient care.

o          Dependent on caregiver prior to admission to perform tasks of basic activities of daily living, such as feeding, bathing, toileting and communication.

o          Disoriented (e.g. traumatic brain injury, dementia, Alzheimer’s, altered mental state)

o          Disabled (e.g. developmentally, hearing, autistic, etc.)

o          In need of an interpreter.

  • Patients receiving end-of-life care: Hospice/end-of-life patients may have up to three visitors at any given time, and no maximum number of visitors per day.
  • Patients receiving neonatal, pediatric, adolescent care: Minor patients may have two parents or guardians visit.
  • Maternity patients: Patients receiving maternity care are limited to two support persons.

o          One of the support persons may stay overnight.

o          Doulas are permitted, during labor and delivery, in addition to the two designated support persons.

o          If the patient is a minor, patient may have both parents/guardians in addition to the other parent of the baby.

o          Care sites with NICUs will follow Nationwide Children’s Hospital visitor management policy.

  • Special Circumstance: Determined by clinical team

For more information, please visit their website at ohiohealth.com.