Patients & Visitors
Current Visitor Guidelines
As of Thursday, March 26, there will be no visitation to our hospitals unless it provides critical assistance or end of life support. ‘Critical assistance’ situations may include:
- Minor/pediatric patients
- OB patients in labor may have 2 support persons
- Special needs patients
- Patients needing assistance after procedure requiring anesthesia
- Patients where the family member provides safety (i.e. altered mental or physical status)
The above instances are limited to one (1) care team member per episode of care except OB.
All behavioral health programs continue their strict ‘No Visitors’ policy.
HOSPITAL ENTRANCE RESTRICTIONS:
On the weekends the entrances will be restricted to ER Only
Support Person Screening:
- Support persons will be screened at the entrances listed above.
- Individuals who exhibit symptoms associated with respiratory illness (fever, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath) or report they have recently visited an area identified as a location experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak will receive further evaluation to determine next steps.
We encourage our patient families to consider remote visits using telephone or video chat.
Support persons are asked to practice infection prevention:
- Sanitize your hands when entering the hospital and when entering or exiting patient rooms.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow or a tissue; dispose of used tissues in the trash.
- Sanitize your hands after coughing or sneezing.
If you would like to drop off a card, gift or other message of encouragement, we are happy to deliver those to patients. You may also call a patient’s room so they can hear your voice and you can hear how they are doing. The hospital has free Wi-Fi, so you may visit patients using Facetime or another video communication app.
We appreciate your patience, understanding and compliance. With your help we can maintain a safe environment for all our patients and staff during this time of uncertainty.
At Merit Health River Oaks, we understand that coming to the hospital as a patient or as a loved one's support person can be a difficult, often overwhelming experience. Whether you’re preparing for a hospital stay or stopping by to see friends and family, knowing where to go and what to bring will help make your visit less stressful. To make your experience easier, we want to provide you with helpful information you may need to plan your visit, such as what to expect, parking instructions, transportation and more.