At Norton Children’s Hospital, we are dedicated to the care and safety of our patients. Because we want to help improve the health and well-being of our patients, we have updated our visitation guidelines.

Norton Children’s Hospital visitation guidelines

The following guidelines help support the care and safety of patients:

• Up to four primary caregivers will receive wristbands upon admission and will have 24/7 access to the patient.
  • Primary caregivers must be age 18 or older unless they are the parents/guardians of the patient.
  • Sleeping arrangements for those with 24-hour access vary from unit to unit. Most rooms have a fold-out chair or daybed for at least one person. (No one may sleep on the floor, as this poses a safety risk.)
• Secondary caregivers and others may visit between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
  • Secondary caregivers and visitors must check in at a welcome desk to obtain a visitor badge.
• We ask that all caregivers and visitors be free from fever, cough, cold or stomach virus symptoms and living with people who also are free from virus symptoms. Visitors can unintentionally spread germs if someone in their household is ill.
• We ask all caregivers to wash their hands often, especially before and after visiting a patient. During peak times of illness in the community, children under age 14 are asked not to visit intensive care units.

Special circumstances

Social workers are active members of the care team and will work with families who may have extreme and extenuating circumstances that permit an exception. They will consult with families, care teams and our infection prevention department to make consistent decisions regarding exceptions.

Ways friends and family can share their support

• Video calls using FaceTime, Skype, etc.
• Greeting cards online or by mail
• Ordering a surprise to be delivered from the hospital gift shop at (502) 629-6120

Pastoral visitors from a home church

Clergy may visit during normal visitation hours. Exceptions can be made for community clergy to visit outside of normal visitation hours.

These changes provide patients and families with balanced emotional support from friends and family while providing infection prevention benefits by decreasing patients’ exposure to germs.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has separate guidelines that will be explained upon admission.