Kaweah Health modifies visitor guidelines, extends visitor hours

VISALIA, CA – On Tuesday, March 23, Kaweah Health modified visitor guidelines by extending visiting hours and loosening restrictions on the number of visitors that patients (who are not in isolation for COVID-19) can have during the course of their hospital stay. Click HERE to read visitor guidelines.

“Nobody could appreciate the power of visitation more than us. We understand how it benefits the healing process and how it benefits communication between patients and caregivers, so we are really excited about this,” Herbst said, noting that Kaweah Health will continue to modify its guidelines based on local COVID-19 conditions to protect the health and safety of the community it serves.

Visiting hours are extended from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. throughout the Medical Center, except in critical care areas. In critical care areas, visiting hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Every patient in the Medical Center, who is not in isolation for COVID-19, can have one visitor per day (one new visitor each day). Visitors cannot be individuals with COVID-19 symptoms, children 12 years of age and younger, or individuals in quarantine for COVID-19 reasons (pending testing, exposure, etc.)

Due to COVID-19, visitation remains limited in Surgery and Emergency Department lobbies, but patients will be able to have visitors. Once taken back to an ED exam/treatment room, adult patients may have one symptom-free visitor, while pediatric patients may have two symptom-free visitors. For surgery/cath lab patients, one symptom-free visitor will only be allowed before and after surgery from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. During the patient’s surgery, visitors must wait outside of the Medical Center. Exceptions will be evaluated by unit leaders

All permitted visitors will be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, new cough, new shortness of breath, loss of smell or taste) and required to wear a surgical facemask. Those who do not have surgical facemasks will be provided one. Those who prefer to double mask must ensure that the bottom mask is a surgical mask or higher (i.e. their own N95).