Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System has implemented a new visitation policy at its hospitals and several other facilities. The new policy limits the number and age of visitors patients can have. Hospital administrators say it’s being done to protect patients and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The new policy affects all Northeast Georgia Medical Center campuses as well as Laurelwood, New Horizons Limestone, and Lanier Park.
Visitation limitations and restrictions vary from unit to unit based on the needs of the patients in those areas, explains NGHS Public Relations Manager Beth Downs. The new restrictions are as follows:
- Emergency department, inpatient rooms, and labor and delivery will be limited to one visitor per room and the visitor must be at least 12 years old.
- Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) are restricted to only the baby’s mother and the other NICU wristband holder.
- No visitors will be allowed into the intensive care unit (ICU), except for end-of-life-care.
- New Horizons Limestone and Lanier Park have restricted visitation.
“Certain exceptions may be made to these policies on a case-by-case basis,” says Downs. She adds that visitors who are feeling even the least bit sick “are kindly asked to stay home and seek medical attention.”
For more coronavirus information, please visit nghs.com/coronavirus.
